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HighPoint MCIO Connectivity Solutions
- yuetianqi
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Engineered for High-Speed, Scalable PCIe Gen5 NVMe and GPU Expansion
Unified MCIO Architecture
Across HighPoint’s Entire PCIe Gen5 Switch & NVMe Adapter Family
HighPoint’s MCIO Connectivity Architecture, based on SFF-TA-1016 / SFF-9402 standards, serves as a unified, high-performance expansion platform for NVMe storage and high-speed PCIe devices.
HighPoint’s integration of MCIO (Mini CoolEdge I/O) connectors into every Gen5 NVMe and PCIe series Switch Adapter enables customers to build flexible, modular, and scalable Gen5 infrastructure. The versatile connectivity architecture enables a single adapter to support NVMe SSDs, GPU accelerators, and a wide range of other PCIe devices using industry standard cabling.
MCIO’s superior signal integrity, compact design, and support for up to PCIe Gen5 32GT/s per lane make it the new industry standard for next-generation Enterprise, AI, and Edge platforms.
HighPoint PCIe Switch & NVMe Adapter Family
NVMe Switch Pro/RAID Adapters
Model | PCIe Gen | Device Ports | Description |
5.0 | 4x MCIO x8 | High-performance PCIe Gen5 NVMe RAID Adapter supporting up to 8 NVMe devices (2 per MCIO). | |
5.0 | 2x MCIO x8 | Compact dual-port variant optimized for Edge AI and embedded applications. |
NVMe Switch Connectivity Adapters
Model | PCIe Gen | Device Ports | Description |
Gen5 | 4x MCIO x8 | PCIe Gen5 Switch Adapter for direct host-to-device or host-to-enclosure NVMe connectivity. | |
Gen5 | 2x MCIO x8 | Dual-port Gen5 connectivity adapter for compact systems or embedded solutions. |
MCIO Cabling Solutions for HighPoint Gen5 Adapters
HighPoint provides a versatile set of certified MCIO Gen5 cabling solutions to connect a wide range of devices — from internal NVMe SSDs to UBM backplanes and PCIe expansion cards.
Cable Model | Description | Supported Devices | Key Applications |
MCIO x8 (Host) to Dual SFF-8639 (Device) | Directly supports to up to 2× U.2/U.3 NVMe SSDs (x4 lane per device) | Internal enterprise or workstation storage | |
MCIO x8 (Host) to Dual SFF-8639 (E3.S Device) | Directly supports to up to 2× E3.S NVMe SSDs | High-density Edge and datacenter applications | |
MCIO x8 (Host) to MCIO Backplane Cable | Up to 8x NVMe or PCIe devices via UBM or MCIO backplanes | Modular rackmount or system integration use |
Scalable Connectivity Solutions
Rackmount or Storage Enclosure Integration
Each Rocket 7628A / 1628A features 4x MCIO x8 connectors.
When connected to a 4x MCIO x8 UBM Backplane, the system can support up to 32x NVMe devices (4 connectors; × 8 drives per connector).
Ideal for large-scale storage servers, AI/ML data collectors, or edge computing enclosures.
PCIe Expansion for GPU / DPU / FPGA Integration
When paired with the HighPoint MCIO-PCIEX16-G5 Expansion bridge card, Rocket series PCIe Gen5 Switch Adapters can support industry-standard PCIe devices such as:
GPUs (e.g., NVIDIA RTX / L40 / H100)
NICs or DPUs
FPGAs or AI accelerators
Enables direct peer-to-peer (P2P) or GPU-Direct Storage data paths for latency-sensitive workloads.
Key Benefits of HighPoint MCIO Connectivity
Universal Compatibility:Standardized across all Gen5 HighPoint NVMe and Switch Adapters for seamless scalability.
Dedicated Bandwidth:Each MCIO x8 port provides up to 64GB/s (Gen5 x8) independent bandwidth.
High Signal Integrity:Designed for full PCIe Gen5 32GT/s with minimal signal loss over 1-meter cabling.
Thermally & Spatially Efficient:Compact connector profile ideal for dense rackmount and embedded systems.
Modular Expansion Support:Compatible with UBM backplanes, E3.S trays, GPU cards, and PCIe expansion enclosures.
Learn More
Rocket 7628A / Rocket 7628U PCIe Gen5 x16 to 4-MCIOx8 NVMe RAID Adapter
Rocket 1628A PCIe Gen5 x16 to 4x MCIOx8 NVMe Switch Adapter
Rocket 7624A PCIe Gen5 x16 NVMe RAID Adapter
Rocket 1624A PCIe Gen5 x16 NVMe Switch Adapter
MCIO-PCIEX16-G5 MCIO to PCIe Expansion Bridge Card
In Summary
HighPoint MCIO Connectivity Solutions are engineered to operate as robust “backbones” for PCIe Gen5 storage and connectivity ecosystems.From RAID adapters to switch connectivity cards, every HighPoint Gen5 solution leverages the same MCIO foundation — system integrators, OEMs, and solution providers to configure scalable, high-bandwidth, and thermally optimized expansion platforms tailored for next generation AI, Edge, and data-intensive applications.