When you think PCI Express 5.0 is uninteresting, wait until you hear about PCIe Express 7.0, which has just reached ‘final draft’ status. What this means in practical terms is that the bandwidth increase is significant, and while we may not see devices capable of utilizing this bandwidth for years, it sets the stage for future improvements.

What to Expect from PCIe 7.0

The primary takeaway from this latest draft is the doubling of bandwidth. Each new PCI Express generation has historically done this, and PCIe 7.0 will enhance the previous standard, PCIe 6.0, which itself hasn’t fully entered consumer markets yet.

• The new generation aims to achieve 128 GT/s raw bit rate and 512 GB/s throughput in a bi-directional x16 configuration.
• Other features focus on signaling and improving power efficiency.

In essence, while users may find these advancements not immediately beneficial, they lay the groundwork for future technologies in the coming years until we reach widespread use of PCIe 7.0 devices around the 2030s.