Rocket 1604L

Datasheet

PCIe Gen5 x16 4x M.2 NVMe Retimer AIC

Key Features:

4x M.2 Ports (dedicated x4 lanes per port)

No. of Devices: Up to 4

PCIe M.2 Devices: (2242 / 2260 / 2280)

Bus Interface: PCIe 5.0 x 16

Natively supported by Mainstream Operating systemsSupports x86 Intel/AMD & ARM Platforms

Product	Rocket 1604L (R1604L)
Hardware Features
Bus Interface	PCIe 5.0 x16
Mode	Working Mode: 4 x 4-Lane (M.2 connectors)
Chipset	Asteralabs PT5161LRS
Number of Channel / Port	4 x NVMe Ports (Dedicated PCIe 5.0 x4 per port)
Port Type	M.2
Data Transfer Rate	64GB/s
Number of device	4
SSD Form Factor	M.2 2242, 2260, 2280
Diagnostic LED Support	Supports Present LED and Active LEDs (SSD status)

Power Measurement	Integrated Power Monitoring – Provides real-time measurement of AIC power consumption for system monitoring and diagnostics
SSD Control	1. Each SSD's power state (On/Off) can be independently controlled via MCU (Optional: control SSD's POWERDIS signal; requires SSDs with this fefature) 2. Each SSD can be Reset independently via MCU
OOB Control	The OOB Port (USB-C) supports the following OOB functions: 1. SSD Control Functions – Supports SSD power on/off (SSD-dependent) and drive reset 2. Advanced Hardware Telemetry – Real-time monitoring of retimer IC temperature, onboard fan speed, and AIC power consumption 3. NVMe-MI support (subject to NVMe SSD support) 4. Firmware update for both Retimer IC and MCU 5. Report Retimer IC's status - Report Retimer Health Status
OOB Connectors	Accessible via PCIe bracket: 1. USB-C Connector
Fan and Audible Alarm Control	Yes
FRU Support	Yes (stores VPD)
Host CPU Architecture Support
CPU Architect Support	X86
Mechanical Features
Form Factor	FH-HL (Full-Height, Half-Length)
Card Dimensions	6.57" x 4.33" x 0.72"
Card Width	Single-Width
Card Weight	0.79 lbs.
Cooling System	Full-Length aluminum heatsink with integrated cooling fan
Bracket	Full-Height Ventilated Bracket with access to USB-C connector
Cooling System	1. Full-length aluminum heatsink 2. 8010 cooling fan (integrated into heatsink) 3. The AIC with heatsink conforms with PCIe Specifications
Toolless	No SSD Installation: Yes (toolless installatoin/removal) Heatsink Installation: No; requires use of screw driver Note: Fan connector does not need to be detached when removing the heatsink
Supported Systems
OS Support	Any Windows / Linux OS Platform/Distribution with native NVMe driver support
Secure Boot	Yes
NVMe RAID Management
Management Suites	HighPoint CLI Utility (via USB-C Port)
Operating Environment
Working Temp	+5°C ~ + 55°C
Storage Temp	-20°C ~ +80°C
Operating Voltage	PCIe: 12V, 3.3V
Power	TBA
MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure)	920,585 Hours
Kit Contents
Kit Contents	R1604L PCIe 5.0 Retimer AIC
	QIG
	Thermal pad: 70900.75mm, K=8, Gray；V100；x1 Thermal pad: 70901.5mm, K=3, Blue；V100；x1 Thermal pad: 70901mm, K=8, Gray；V100; x1
	4 x additional M.2 rubber twist-pins for M.2 SSDs

The Ultra-Compact Powerhouse: Rocket 1604L Gen5 NVMe & AI Accelerator AIC

In the rapidly evolving world of AI infrastructure, space and signal integrity are the two biggest bottlenecks. Meet the Rocket 1604L: the industry’s most compact 4-M.2 Gen5 x16 Add-In-Card (AIC), specifically engineered for high-density AI server platforms and mission-critical NVMe storage.

Key Features:

Host Interface:

PCIe 5.0 x16 (Host CPU Bifurcation 4x4)

Device Support:

Supports 4x M.2 NVMe SSDs or M.2 AI Accelerators

Form Factor:

FH-HL - Ultra-Compact (40% shorter than competitors)

Signal Technology:

Active Re-clocking & Signal Regeneration

Cooling Solution:

Full-Length aluminum heatsink with integrated cooling fan

Monitoring & Management:

Smart Firmware for Health & Power Monitoring

Maximize Your Inference Throughput: Industry-Leading 4-AIPU Compute Density

For AI Architects, the Rocket 1604L represents the ultimate solution for maximizing compute-per-watt and compute-per-slot. By leveraging a high-density PCIe Gen5 x16 host interface, this AIC transforms a single slot into a quad-core AI powerhouse, hosting up to four M.2 AI Acceleration modules (AIPUs) in a parallel, non-blocking architecture. This 4-AIPU Density allows for the simultaneous processing of massive data streams—such as multi-channel 4K video analytics or high-frequency sensor fusion—without the thermal and power overhead of a traditional full-length GPU. Equipped with Astera Labs’ PCIe Gen5 Retimer technology, the Rocket 1604L ensures each accelerator receives a pristine, low-latency data path, delivering deterministic performance and eliminating the "GPU starvation" that plagues passive expansion solutions. Now, you can pack server-grade inference capabilities into compact 1U and 2U Edge chassis, effectively quadrupling your TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second) without expanding your physical footprint.

Why the Rocket 1604L is the Architect's Choice

Unmatched Signal Integrity: Beyond Passive Bifurcation

Most bifurcation cards are "passive," meaning they simply pass the signal through, often carrying electrical noise and interference. The Rocket 1604L is different. It re-clocks and regenerates a fresh, perfect data stream.

Flexible Placement: Whether installed directly on the host CPU slot or via a remote PCIe slot through MCIO cabling, you never have to worry about signal degradation or dropped IOPS.

40% Smaller, 100% Faster

Space is at a premium in compact AI servers. The Rocket 1604L features the shortest board length in its class—over 40% shorter than standard 4-bay M.2 cards. Despite its compact dimensions, it inherits our proven Pro-Class M.2 cooling solution, ensuring your Gen5 devices never thermal throttle, even under 24/7 heavy AI workloads.

Smart Monitoring & Transparent Performance

Server-class architects require visibility. The Rocket 1604L features Smart Firmware that allows you to monitor:

Bus Lane Allocation: Ensure each drive receives maximum bandwidth.
Power Consumption: Track real-time storage power draws.
Health Status: Get board-level diagnostics to preemptively manage hardware lifecycle.
FRU Module (Field Replacement Unit): stores Vital Product Data (VPD) to ensure seamless replacement while minimizing dowtime for the host server.

Zero Friction Integration

We believe in performance without proprietary headaches. The Rocket 1604L utilizes Native OS Drivers, making it a true Plug-and-Play solution for any modern Linux or Windows server environment. No special software is required to boot or manage your high-speed arrays.

Ready to optimize your AI Server density?

Pro-Class M.2 Cooling Solution

Rocket 1604L AICs are equipped with a powerful, ultra-efficient hardware cooling solution comprised of an anodized aluminum heatsink with an integrated low-decibel cooling fan, multiple layers of high-efficiency thermal padding, and a ventilated PCIe bracket. The solution rapidly transfers waste heat away from the hosted M.2 modules and Switch chipset, and keep the performance-sapping threat of thermal throttling at bay.