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PCIe Gen5 x16 4x M.2 NVMe Retimer AIC
Key Features:
4x Dedicated Gen5 x4 M.2 Ports
Near-Zero Latency
Universal M.2 Versatility: NVMe & PCIe Accelerator Modules
Maximum Bandwidth: Leverages native CPU bifurcation (x4/x4/x4/x4)
Mission Critical Reliability
Near-Zero Latency. Zero-Distance Purity. Absolute Gen5 Velocity
As the industry transitions to PCIe Gen5, IT architects are encountering a common physical bottleneck: the lack of onboard NVMe connectivity. With most enterprise platforms offering only one or two native Gen5 M.2 slots, scaling high-speed infrastructure has historically meant compromising on signal integrity or latency. The Rocket 1604L, an Gen5 x16 M.2 Expansion Add-In-Card, was engineered to address this growing problem.
The Signal Integrity Revolution - Motherboard-Grade Stability: Unlike traditional passive bifurcation cards that suffer from signal attenuation at 32GT/s, the Rocket 1604's integrated Astera Labs Gen5 Retimer actively terminates incoming signals, eliminates electrical noise, and re-transmits a bit-perfect, "clean" signal to your devices. The result? 100% data integrity across all four M.2 ports - the exact same performance and reliability as a native motherboard-integrated slot!
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.
Solution Suite: The Enterprise Edge AI Compute Platform
High-Density, Multi-Module Inference Clusters Powered by HighPoint & Hailo
The Enterprise Edge AI Compute Platform from HighPoint and Hailo delivers a breakthrough in scalable, high-density inference at the edge. Powered by HighPoint's Active Retimer Architecture and Hailo-10H accelerators, the solution achieves up to 160 TOPS and 4,144 FPS within a single slot, while maintaining true 1:1 linear performance scaling as modules are added. Designed for demanding applications such as video management systems, industrial inspection, and robotics, it combines ultra-low power efficiency with flexible deployment options, including hybrid AI and storage configurations. The result is a compact, future-ready platform that eliminates bottlenecks and enables consistent, real-time AI performance across mission-critical workloads.
Why the Rocket 1604L is the Architect's Choice
Near-Zero Latency: Operating at the Physical Layer (PHY), the 1604L provides a "transparent pipe" to the CPU. re-clocks and regenerates a fresh, perfect data stream.
Universal M.2 Versatility: Engineered for more than just storage, the 1604L’s transparent PCIe architecture supports the full spectrum of M.2 PCIe Accelerator Modules (TPUs/NPUs) and high-speed NICs alongside the latest Gen5 NVMe SSDs.
Proven M.2 Cooling Solution Eliminates Thermal Throttling: Comprised of a full-length aluminum heat sink, integrated low-decibel cooling fan, multi-layered thermal padding, & ventilated PCIe bracket
40% Smaller, 100% Faster: Space is at a premium in compact AI servers. The Rocket 1604L is over 40% shorter than standard 4-bay M.2 cards.
Intelligent Firmware Layer with Smart Monitoring & Transparent Performance:
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Bus Lane Allocation: Ensure each drive receives maximum bandwidth.
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Power Consumption: Track real-time storage power draws.
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Health Status: Get board-level diagnostics to preemptively manage hardware lifecycle.
Zero Friction Integration: Native OS Driver support results in a true Plug-and-Play solution
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.
Technical Note: The Rocket 1604L requires a host platform that supports PCIe bifurcation (x4/x4/x4/x4).
The Rocket 1604L is widely compatible with industry standard M.2 SSDs from all major NVMe storage vendors. It has also been engineered for use with advanced M.2-based devices such as the Hailo-8™ series M.2 acceleration modules.
Rocket 1624A, R1624A,R1624,1624
HIghPoint MCIO Expansion Solutions: Eliminate PCIe Slot Starvation in Dense AI & HPC Infrastructur
Modern AI, DL and edge computing demand immense data throughput and compute resources. However, system architects are often faced with face hard mechanical and electrical barriers.
Learn how you can unlock flexible PCIe Gen 5 routing, multi-GPU compute, and high-density expansion across 1U/2U servers and edge AI platforms with HighPoint’s modular MCIO ecosystem. Learn More.
