Rocket 7638D

Datasheet

External PCIe Gen5 x16 Switch Adapter

Key Features:

Industry's first External PCIe Gen5 x16 Switch Adapter

1x External CDFP-CopprLink Port & 2x MCIO 8i Ports

Robust PCIe Switching Architecture Delivers x32 Downstream Lanes (x16 to CDFP, x8 to each MCIO)

Provides a direct pathway between the hosted GPU and NVMe Storage

Uncompromised GPU & NVMe Storage Expansion solution for AI, ML & HPC Workflows

Compatible with x86 & ARM Platforms

Rocket 7638D Specifications

Hardware Features
Switching Architecture	Gen5
PCIe Host Interface	5.0 x16
Connectors	1 x CDFP (Dedicated PCIe 5.0 x16 per port) and
	2 x MCIO (x8) Connectors (Configurated to 4 x4 as default)
Connector Pinout Definition (CDFP)	CopprLink Spec Compliant
Data Transfer Rate	64GB/s
Form Factor	LP, Single-Width
Dimensions	6.50” L x 2.72” H x 0.77 W (165mm x 69mm x 20mm)
Weight	0.46 lbs. (0.21kg)
Cooling Solution	Passive Full-Length aluminum heatsink
CDFP Hot-Plug	RocketStor 664xCW NVMe Storage enclosure only
SRIS and REFCLK Support	Host Connectivity (PCIe connection): REFCLK Support (Common Clock Mode）
	CDFP/MCIO Connectivity: REFCLK Support (works with devices with SRIS support)
Downstream port containment	Yes
External Power Support	No
UBM Backplane	Yes (Contact sales@highpoint-tech.com)
Firmware Customization	Yes (upon request)
Storage Features
Drive Form Factor	Direct Cable: U.2/U.3/E3.S
	Backplane: E1.S, E3.S, 2.5” U.2 and EDSFF
Drive Features	X2/x4 modes, Opal SED
Bandwidth (MB/s)	60,000
IOPS (Million)	12.0 M
RAID Level	Single, RAID 0, 1, 10 (TBA)
TRIM (RAID)	Single/RAID 0, 1, 10 (TBA)
Storage Modes	Data RAID, Boot RAID (TBA)
Management Suite
Host and Device Status LED	Yes
Power Measurement	Real Time Power Measurement
FRU (Field Replacement Unit)	Yes (Stores VPD data)
Operating Environment
Work Temp.	0°C ~ + 55°C
Storage Temp.	-20°C ~ +80°C
Operating Voltage	PCIe: 12V (+/- 8%), 3.3V (+/- 8%)
Power	16.26 (est. - subject to change)
MTBF	> 5,000,000 hours at 40° C
Kit Contents
Kit Contents	Rocket 7638D External Adapter
	Low-Profile Ventilated Bracket
	QIG
Optional Accessories
Cabling	CDFP-CDFP-1M (CopprLink Gen5)
	CIO8-CI08-110 (MCIO 8i to MCIO 8i)
	CIO8-1002-110 (MCIO 8i to SFF-1002)
	8654-CIO8-110 (MCIO 8i to SFF-8654)
eGPU Enclosure	RocketStor 8631A
	RocketStor 8631C

Rocket 7638D PCIe Gen5 x16 Switch Adapter

Powering Next-Generation AI, HPC, Scientific Research, and Media Production

The Rocket 7638D PCIe Gen5 Switch Adapter is a game-changing connectivity solution designed to eliminate bandwidth bottlenecks in high-demand computing environments. A dedicated 48-lane Gen5 PCIe switch chipset enables each adapter to intelligently allocate bandwidth to ensure hosted GPUs and NVMe storage operates at their maximum performance potential.

The unique hybrid 1x external CDFP-CopprLink port and 2x internal MCIO 8i ports configuration enables the Rocket 7638D to establish a direct, high-speed data pathway between hosted GPUs and NVMe storage arrays. The result is ultra-fast rendering, seamless real-time data processing, and accelerated workflows—making it the ideal choice for mission-critical applications in AI/ML, HPC, scientific research, and professional media production.

POC Request Form

Meeting Request Form

Key Features:

Proven PCIe Gen5 x16 Switch Architecture

Powered by Broadcom’s PEX 89048 48-lane PCIe Gen5 Switch Chipset
32 Lanes of Dedicated Downstream Bandwidth: Allocates x16 lanes exclusively for external GPU + x16 lanes for NVMe storage
Eliminates compute and storage contention for maximum throughput

Enterprise-Grade Connectivity

1x External CDFP-CopprLink Port for GPU expansion: Complies with PCI-SIG CopprLink standard, ensuring signal integrity at Gen5 speeds

2x Internal MCIO 8i Ports for scalable NVMe storage arrays: Up to 16 Drives

Performance Without Compromise

GPU and NVMe operate on independent pathways
Up to 64GB/s & 12 Million IOPS
Ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth throughput for AI training, 8K media editing, scientific simulations, and HPC modeling

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Universal support for x86 (Intel/AMD) & ARM-based platforms

Driverless deployment using native NVMe drivers across all major OS platforms

Smart Diagnostics & Custom Firmware

Integrated firmware-level monitoring suite
Real-time health, connectivity, and bandwidth utilization tracking
Flexible Firmware Customization services to meet unique workflow & application requirements

Industry Leading PCIe Switching Architecture

The Rocket 7638D is powered by industry proven PCIe Gen5 Switching Architecture, which delivers a full x16 lanes of PCIe bus bandwidth, and is capable of transmitting data at a staggering 60 GB/s, in either direction, with minimal latency! This level of sustained transfer speed is essential for data intensive applications including AI, ML, Scientific modeling and Engineering, and 3D design and animation workflows, all of which increasingly rely on high end GPUs and today’s fastest NVMe storage to maintain optimal performance.

Why Choose the Rocket 7638D?

HighPoint’s Rocket 7638D sets a new standard for high-speed interconnect solutions. Unlike traditional adapters and expansion boards, which force GPUs and PCIe storage devices to share bandwidth, the Rocket 7638D’s innovative switching architecture ensures both operate at peak performance—boosting rendering speeds, accelerating AI/ML pipelines, and optimizing real-time data analysis.

The unique CDFP-CopprLink connectivity and PCI-SIG certified cabling solution guarantees that maximum Gen5 bandwidth is always on tap, optimizing signal integrity and eliminating bottlenecks for mission critical applications. For professionals in data centers, research labs, AI clusters, and media studios, the Rocket 7638D provides the scalability, reliability, and performance to address today’s most challenging workflows.

Applications and Use Cases

HighPoint’s groundbreaking Rocket 7638D external PCIe Switch adapter is engineered to address today’s most demanding AI/ML and HPC workflows. Powered by a Broadcom 48-lane PCIe Gen5 switch and enterprise-grade CopprLink CDFP cabling, the Rocket 7638D delivers up to 128GB/s of bi-directional bandwidth, providing a direct link between the hosted GPUs and NVMe storage arrays.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI/ML)

Faster training and inference with seamless GPU-to-NVMe integration

HPC
(High- Performance Computing)

Optimized throughput for complex simulations, climate modeling, and analytics

Scientific
Research

Accelerated workflows for imaging, data acquisition, and real-time processing

Media Editing &
Content Creation

Smooth 8K video editing, VFX rendering, and data-intensive production pipelines

POC Request Form

Meeting Request Form

FAQ About Rocket 7638D

PCIe Gen5 Solutions

Product	PCle	Ports	# of Devices	Hot-Swap	SSD FF
Rocket 7638D	PCIe 5.0 x16	1 x CDFP; 2 x MCIO 8x	Up to 16x NVMe SSDs / 1x eGPU	Yes (MCIO ports)	Direct Connect U.2/U.3/E3.S; Backplane Connection: ESDFF devices such as U.2/U.3/E1.S/E3.S
Rocket 7628A	PCIe 5.0 x16	4x MCIO 8x	Up to 32	Yes	Direct Connect U.2/U.3/E3.S; Backplane Connection: ESDFF devices such as U.2/U.3/E1.S/E3.S

PCIe Gen4 (2nd-Gen) Solutions

Product	PCle	Ports	# of Devices	Hot-Swap	SSD FF
Rocket 7528D	PCIe 4.0 x16	4x SlimSAS (SFF-8654 8x）	Up to 32	Yes	Direct Connect U.2/U.3; Backplane Connection: ESDFF devices such as U.2/U.3/E1.S

PCIe Gen4 Solutions

Product	PCle Lanes	Ports	# of Devices	Hot-Swap	SSD FF
SSD7580B	PCIe 4.0 x16	4x SFF-8654	Up to 8	Yes	Direct Connect U.2/U.3; Backplane Connection: U.2/U.3
SSD7580C	PCIe 4.0 x16	4x SFF-8654	Up to 8	Yes	Direct Connect U.2/U.3; Backplane Connection: U.2/U.3

PCIe Gen3 Solutions

Product	PCle Lanes	Ports	# of Devices	Hot-Swap	SSD FF
SSD7180	PCIe 3.0 x16	8x MiniSAS	Up to 8	N/A	Direct Connect U.2/U.3; Backplane Connection: U.2/U.3
SSD7120	PCIe 3.0 x16	4x MiniSAS	Up to 4	N/A	Direct Connect U.2/U.3; Backplane Connection: U.2/U.3
SSD7184	PCIe 3.0 x16	4x Int. & 4x Ext. MiniSAS	Up to 8	N/A	Direct Connect U.2/U.3; Backplane Connection: U.2/U.3

Accessory	Image	Description
RocketStor 8631C		PCIe Gen5 x16 eGPU Expansion Chassis
RocketStor 8531A		PCIe Gen4 x16 eGPU Expansion Chassis
CDFP-CDFP-1M		1 Meter CDFP to CDFP cable (CopprLink Gen5)
CIO8-CI08-110		1 Meter MCIO 8i to MCIO 8i cable
8654-CIO8-110		1 Meter MCIO 8i to SFF-8654 cable
CIO8-1002-110		1 Meter MCIO 8i host to SFF-TA-1002 Device Cable
CIO8-8639-110		1 Meter MCIO 8i host to SFF-8639 Device Cable

Rocket 7638D

Key Features:

Rocket 7638D PCIe Gen5 x16 Switch Adapter

Powering Next-Generation AI, HPC, Scientific Research, and Media Production

Key Features:

Proven PCIe Gen5 x16 Switch Architecture

Enterprise-Grade Connectivity

Performance Without Compromise

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Smart Diagnostics & Custom Firmware

Industry Leading PCIe Switching Architecture

Why Choose the Rocket 7638D?

Applications and Use Cases

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI/ML)

HPC
(High- Performance Computing)

Scientific
Research

Media Editing &
Content Creation

What is the Rocket 7638D?

How does Rocket 7638D improve AI training?

Why not just use motherboard PCIe lanes?

What causes a shared PCIe bandwidth bottleneck?

Does PCIe Gen5 eliminate bandwidth bottlenecks?

How can I avoid PCIe bottlenecks?

PCIe Gen5 Solutions

PCIe Gen4 (2nd-Gen) Solutions

PCIe Gen4 Solutions

PCIe Gen3 Solutions

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