HighPoint Technologies Introduces Rocket 1604L Retimer-Based PCIe M.2 Add-In-Card for High-Speed AI Environments
April 21, 2026
News
HighPoint Technologies, Inc. introduced the compact (167mm in length) Rocket 1604L, the company’s first Retimer-based PCIe M.2 Add-In-Card (AIC). The 4-M.2 PCIe Gen5 x16 solution leverages Astera Labs’ Gen5 Retimer technology and is purpose-built to meet the challenges of signal integrity demands of innovative AI and high-velocity compute environments.
"The Rocket 1604L represents a strategic expansion of our Gen5 portfolio," said May Hwang, VP of Marketing at HighPoint Technologies, Inc. "While our Switch-based solutions continue to lead in universal compatibility and advanced storage management, the Rocket 1604L is engineered for a different mission: pure data velocity. By leveraging Astera Labs’ Retimer technology, we provide AI Architects with a streamlined, near-zero latency path that is ideal for high-density accelerator clusters where every nanosecond of inference performance is critical."
According to the press release, by concentrating on Physical-Layer (Layer 1) optimization, the platform delivers a streamlined and cost-effective path to harness the full 32GT/s bandwidth of PCIe Gen5 for specialized AI processing and high-frequency data acquisition. It is capable of integrating into a general bifurcated (x4/x4/x4/x4) PCIe slot to host up to four high-speed M.2 modules within its compact 167mm footprint or serve as a high-integrity signal hub for remote MCIO connectivity.
“As AI workloads move from the data center to the industrial edge, maintaining signal integrity at 32GT/s becomes the primary barrier to performance," said Aanchal Sharma, Senior Director of Product Management, Signal Connectivity Group at Astera Labs. "We are pleased to see HighPoint utilize our Aries PCIe/CXL Smart DSP Retimers to overcome these physical-layer challenges.”
HighPoint’s Smart Firmware Layer enables a self-aware infrastructure hub, providing oversight into mission-critical deployments. With precision telemetry, engineers can observe power consumption and thermal health in real-time, stabilizing the complete AI data path. Lane Verification immediately confirms that every AI accelerator or NVMe drive has successfully negotiated its full Gen5 x4 bandwidth guaranteeing TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second) never drop due to link-training issues or signal degradation.
The Rocket 1604L features an Active Signal Conditioning Engine that solves the conflict between distance and speed. Its Retimer architecture re-clocks and regenerates the signal ensuring zero performance degradation and absolute signal integrity at 32GT/s. By combining HighPoint Technologies’ PCIe Gen5 active cooling solution with the ability to "disaggregate" storage and compute from heat-heavy zones via MCIO connectivity, the Rocket 1604L eliminates thermal throttling in 24/7 AI server environments.
For more information, visit highpoint-tech.com/.
Chad Cox. Production Editor, Embedded Computing Design, has responsibilities that include handling the news cycle, newsletters, social media, and advertising. Chad graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a B.A. in Cultural and Analytical Literature.
