PCIe Benefits From AI, Despite Scaling Protocols

Despite the challenges posed by the AI boom, PCIe remains a critical interconnect technology for both non-AI and AI processing. While newer protocols like CXL and UALink are gaining traction, PCIe con... Read original →

The AI boom hasn't eroded PCIe’s relevance—in fact, agentic AI’s reliance on CPU-GPU coordination has reinforced its role as the interconnect backbone. Technically, TSMC’s 3nm EUV processes are accelerating SerDes IP development, with Cadence and Synopsys embedding PCIe 6.0 PHYs as essential chiplet interfaces; even CXL depends on PCIe’s physical layer, indirectly strengthening its ecosystem. On compliance, tightening U.S. export controls on advanced interconnects are forcing Rambus and Efinix to localize IP licensing, raising BOM costs for non-U.S. clients. Strategically, NVIDIA pushes NVLink and UALink for vertical lock-in, while AMD and Intel leverage open PCIe+CXL coalitions to capture data center share. Over the next 12–24 months, PCIe will persist as the foundational ‘interconnect substrate,’ especially in scale-out designs—its standardization outweighing raw bandwidth limits, ensuring enduring long-tail dominance.