CompactPCI® Serial R3 specification is now ratified

Now ratified and available: CompactPCI® Serial R3 specification

The PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group) has released the CompactPCI® Serial R3 specification. Revision 3 is an extension of CompactPCI® technology, which was developed for the connection and exchange of data in industrial and embedded systems used in harsh environments.

Revision 3 delivers significantly higher speeds compared to the previous version.

While Revision 2 relied on PCI Express Gen 3, with a transfer rate of 8GT/s, Revision 3 uses PCI Express Gen 4 and thus enables a transfer rate of 16GT/s. In addition to higher performance, this change also promises scalability. Instead of USB Gen. 1 with 5 Gb/s it has USB 3 Gen. 2 with 10 Gb/s, what increases the transfer speed by doubling the bandwidth.

To equip existing CPU cards with Revision 3, manufacturers need to configure the system controllers with new connectors. Instead of AirMax VS connectors the board has AirMax VSe connectors. The backplane is built with an AirMax VS2 connector and PCB material (with performance), replacing the previous AirMax VS. These changes improve the bandwidth and transfer rates. Despite the connector upgrades, the latest generation maintains full backward compatibility – ensuring smooth transitions for existing systems.

Existing peripheral cards still work without any modifications.

To validate these impressive figures, engineers evaluated existing hardware and extended it using high-speed simulations.

Besides the recent ratification of the new standard, PICMG has already begun work on Revision 4, which promises a further leap in terms of transmission rates and performance.

EKF already runs a CPU board running CompactPCI® Serial R3 specification. The SC9-TOCCATA is an extensively equipped, high-performance 4HP/3U CompactPCI® Serial CPU board, which is equipped with an Intel® 11th Generation XEON® processor (Tiger Lake H45 platform) for demanding industrial applications.

The SCA-THUNDER (planned release Q1/2026) will also support the R3 specification. The SCA-THUNDER is a high performance 5HP (also legacy 4HP) 3U CompactPCI® Serial CPU board. It integrates a powerful Intel® Core™ Ultra processor (Meteor Lake H platform) for advanced industrial applications.