PEX88096B0-DB - 96-Lane PCIe 4.0 Switch | Broadcom | Storage
MPN: PEX88096B0-DB ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1450 | $1,450.00 |
| 10 | $1380 | $13,800.00 |
| 100 | $1295 | $129,500.00 |
| 500 | $1210 | $605,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $1145 | $1,145,000.00 |
PEX88096B0-DB Overview
A PCI Express (PCIe) switch is a high-speed serial fabric device that expands a single root-complex link into many endpoint links, enabling fan-out topologies in servers, storage arrays, and accelerator platforms. PCIe 4.0 is the fourth generation of the PCI Express standard, doubling the per-lane bandwidth of PCIe 3.0 to 16 GT/s. As a managed switch, the PEX88096 supports advanced features such as hot-plug, surprise-down recovery, dynamic port bifurcation, and Spread Spectrum Clocking (SSC) isolation, which are essential for enterprise storage and NVMe deployments.
Key features include 96 total PCIe 4.0 lanes with 48 configurable downstream ports, integrated DMA and I/O virtualization support, hot-plug capability on every port, advanced error reporting (AER), and Broadcom's proprietary chip-link diagnostics. The device supports bifurcation configurations such as x4, x8, x16 per port and provides per-port signal-integrity tuning for reliable operation across long backplane traces. The 1550-ball BGA exposes a wide SERDES and sideband I/O complement suitable for adapter cards, backplanes, and custom ASIC/FPGA co-designs.
Architecturally, the PEX88096B0 uses a non-blocking cut-through switching fabric with per-port credit-based flow control, multi-queue VC support, and a 32-bit MCU management interface. It is firmware-compatible with the broader PEX88000 family (including the PEX88064, PEX88080, and PEX88128), allowing OEMs to scale port count and lane count on a single software platform.
Typical applications include NVMe SSD JBOD enclosures with 96+ drives, composable disaggregated storage fabrics, GPU/CPU accelerator pooling backplanes, hyperscale data-center storage tiers, and PCIe fan-out adapter cards. Both active and low-power standby states are exposed, making the device usable in dense thermal envelopes where chassis airflow is constrained.
When designing with the PEX88096B0-DB, allocate at least six PCB layers with impedance-controlled 85 ohm differential SERDES routing, a dedicated reference clock distribution network with SSC support, and provide thermal management through the central heat-spreader pad. The on-chip microcontroller requires an external SPI flash for firmware boot.
Drop-in alternatives for PEX88096B0-DB — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with PEX88096B0-DB (same form factor and footprint) — differing in RoHS Status, Hot-Plug Support, Management Interface, PCIe Generation, Package Type.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PEX88128B0-DB
📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PEX88080B0-DB
📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PEX88064B0-DB
📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PEX88000-RDK
📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PEX88096B0-DB Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Product Type | Managed PCI Express 4.0 Switch |
| Series | PEX88000 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 4.0 (16 GT/s per lane) |
| Total PCIe Lanes | 96 |
| Downstream Ports | 48 (configurable) |
| Maximum Supported Devices | Up to 98 SSDs |
| Port Bifurcation | x4, x8, x16 (per port) |
| Package | BGA-1550 (37.5 x 42.5 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Switching Architecture | Cut-through, non-blocking |
| Hot-Plug Support | Yes, on every port |
| Spread Spectrum Clocking | Supported |
| Management Interface | 32-bit MCU, SPI/I2C, SMBus |
| Operating Mode | Active and low-power standby |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PEX88096B0-DB bga-1550 (37.5 x 42.5 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for PEX88096B0-DB (bga-1550 (37.5 x 42.5 mm) package). This analog component features input, output, and power supply pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for offset null, compensation, and enable pin configurations. Ideal for signal conditioning and amplifier circuits.
No detailed pinout data available for PEX88096B0-DB.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
PEX88096B0-DB is suitable for 6 applications: High-Density NVMe JBOD Enclosure, Composable Disaggregated Storage Fabric, GPU/CPU Accelerator Pooling Backplane, Hyperscale Data-Center Storage Tier, PCIe Fan-Out Adapter Card, Enterprise RAID/HBA Controller.
High-Density NVMe JBOD Enclosure
The PEX88096B0-DB's 96 PCIe 4.0 lanes and 48 downstream ports directly support 96 dual-port or 48 dual-controller NVMe SSDs in a single JBOD shelf. Its per-port hot-plug and surprise-down handling match the JEDIC-style dual-ported NVMe requirement set, while the cut-through fabric keeps read/write latency flat as port count grows. Compared with two cascaded smaller switches, one PEX88096 reduces fabric hops and SERDES signal-integrity risk on the backplane.
Recommended
Composable Disaggregated Storage Fabric
For composable infrastructure, the PEX88096B0-DB acts as a fan-out switch between disaggregated NVMe pools and multiple host servers, leveraging its 48 ports to expose independent fabric domains. PCIe 4.0 bandwidth at 16 GT/s per lane is sufficient to saturate current-generation NVMe drives, and Broadcom's chip-link diagnostics accelerate fabric-level debugging. The device's non-blocking architecture ensures that no host is bottlenecked by another tenant's traffic in shared deployments.
Recommended
GPU/CPU Accelerator Pooling Backplane
The PEX88096B0-DB serves as a PCIe 4.0 pooling backplane for GPU and FPGA accelerator cards, where its 96 lanes provide the cumulative bandwidth for 6-12 x16 accelerator slots. Port bifurcation to x4/x8/x16 supports heterogeneous card types, and SSC isolation keeps noisy accelerator clocks from disturbing host system timing. This is a common pattern in AI training appliance designs where multiple accelerators share a single host root complex.
Recommended
Hyperscale Data-Center Storage Tier
Hyperscale operators use the PEX88096B0-DB as the primary PCIe 4.0 fan-out in dense storage tiers where rack-level TDP and airflow are constrained. Its active and low-power standby states allow unused ports to be clock-gated, reducing chassis-level power. The BGA-1550 thermal pad enables direct cold-plate attach, which is critical when 96 SERDES lanes are active at 16 GT/s. Firmware parity with the rest of the PEX88000 family simplifies fleet management at scale.
Recommended
PCIe Fan-Out Adapter Card
A standard PCIe fan-out adapter card built around the PEX88096B0-DB turns one host x16 slot into up to 12 additional x8 endpoints, useful in test and validation racks. The card reuses the same BGA thermal solution as production JBODs, simplifying chassis tooling. Broadcom's evaluation kit (PEX88000-RDK) is an off-the-shelf reference for this application and is documented in datasheet BC-0484EN.
Recommended
Enterprise RAID/HBA Controller
The PEX88096B0-DB is used inside high-end RAID and HBA cards to expose 48 SAS/NVMe downstream channels to the host over a single PCIe 4.0 upstream link. Hardware AER, hot-plug, and surprise-down handling simplify OEM integration with mixed SSD generations. This pattern appears in flagship external storage controllers where lane count and fabric features outweigh raw PCIe 5.0 cost.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PEX88096B0-DB — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PEX88128B0-DB | PEX88080B0-DB | PEX88064B0-DB | PEX88000-RDK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Broadcom | Broadcom | Broadcom | Broadcom | Broadcom |
| Package | BGA-1550 (37.5 x 42.5 mm) | BGA-1550 (37.5 x 42.5 mm) - same | BGA-1550 (37.5 x 42.5 mm) - same | BGA-1550 (37.5 x 42.5 mm) - same | BGA-1550 (37.5 x 42.5 mm) - same |
| Total PCIe Lanes | 96 | 128 | 80 | 64 | 96 |
| Downstream Ports | 48 | 64 | 40 | 32 | 48 |
| Max Supported SSDs | Up to 98 | Up to 130 | Up to 82 | Up to 66 | Up to 98 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 4.0 (16 GT/s) | PCIe 4.0 (16 GT/s) - same | PCIe 4.0 (16 GT/s) - same | PCIe 4.0 (16 GT/s) - same | PCIe 4.0 (16 GT/s) - same |
| Hot-Plug Support | Yes, all ports | Yes, all ports | Yes, all ports | Yes, all ports | Yes, all ports |
Key Differentiators
- Higher port count than PEX88064B0 (vs PEX88064B0-DB)
- Lower cost per lane than PEX88128B0 (vs PEX88128B0-DB)
- Mature firmware ecosystem (vs PEX88080B0-DB)
Design Notes
The PEX88096B0-DB requires at least six PCB layers with 85-ohm differential impedance for all 96 PCIe 4.0 SERDES lanes, and a continuous ground reference plane beneath the BGA. Reference clock distribution must support Spread Spectrum Clocking (SSC) with a 100 MHz reference and matched-length routing to within 5 mils. Per Broadcom datasheet BC-0484EN, AC-coupling capacitors are placed at the device balls, not at the connector.
The BGA-1550 exposes a central heat-spreader pad; under full 16 GT/s traffic on all 96 lanes the device can dissipate 18-22 W and requires a cold-plate or high-Cu heatsink. Junction-to-ambient thermal resistance must stay below 1.5 C/W for sustained 24/7 operation in dense storage enclosures. Chassis airflow should be designed for 200 LFM minimum across the heat spreader.
A common pitfall is omitting the external SPI flash required for boot firmware; without it, the on-chip MCU stays in reset and PCIe link training never starts. Another frequent mistake is mismatched bifurcation configuration between the upstream root complex and the PEX88096B0 - both ends must agree on lane width via hardware strapping or EEPROM. Always validate downstream port hot-plug with surprise-down tests against real NVMe drives, not loopback cards.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free per JLCPCB Assembly listing (BGA-1550 37.5x42.5mm SMT ROHS). Halogen-free status not stated in verified web data.
