Product Overview
The PEX8712-CA80BC G from Broadcom is a 12-port, 48-lane PCI Express 3.0 switch supporting 8 GT/s per lane. It provides both transparent and non-transparent port modes with embedded DMA for high-performance server, storage, and networking platforms.
Key Specifications
| Function | PCI Express 3.0 switch |
| Ports | 12 ports, 48 lanes |
| Data Rate | 8 GT/s per lane (Gen3) |
| Switching | Non-transparent + transparent |
| DMA | Embedded DMA engine |
| Package | BGA (27x27mm) |
Working Principle
Each of the 12 ports can be configured as upstream or downstream. The internal crossbar switches traffic between ports at full Gen3 bandwidth. Non-transparent bridging (NTB) enables multi-host topologies where two root complexes communicate through the switch. Embedded DMA engine moves data between NTB windows without CPU intervention.
Applications
- Server PCIe expansion
- GPU/NVMe fan-out
- Multi-host storage
- Network appliance