wikiMini Cool Edge IO (MCIO)
Mini Cool Edge IO (MCIO) is a solution for the internal wiring of PCIe connections. MCIO plug connections are based on the SNIA Standard SFF-TA-1016 (Specification for Internal Unshielded High Speed Connector system). This describes connections with 38, 74, 124 as well as 148 contacts that are suitable for PCIe connections with 4 to 16 lanes (with Sideband) or 6 to 24 lanes (without Sideband)
History
In 2021, the management board of the PCI-SIG selected the Mini Cool Edge IO (MCIO)-solution of the company Amphenol for the internal wiring of PCIe connections.[1]
In 2025, Amphenol announced that the Mini Cool Edge IO PCIe Gen 7-plug-connect has been officially adopted as the standard connector in the CopprLink Internal Cable Specification for PCIe 7.0.[2]
Plug
In the SNIA Standard SFF-TA-1016 (Specification for Internal Unshielded High Speed Connector System), multiple plug connections are specified:[3]
| connectors | example illustration of contact plug and socket | use (with Sideband) | alternative use (without Sideband) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 
|
x4 lanes | x6 lanes |
| 74 | 
|
x8 lanes | x12 lanes |
| 124 | 
|
x16 lanes | x20 lanes |
| 148 | 
|
x16 lanes | x24 lanes |
Notification: SFF-TA-1016 has been adapted and updated multiple times.[4][5][6][7]
Example of Amphenol
The following overview shows which product lines were developed by Amphenol (manufacturer of plug connections) for different PCIe generations:[8]
More information
- Solutions for OCP Related Applications (amphenol-cs.com, Oct. 2022)
- Mini Cool Edge IO Connector (amphenol-cs.com)
- PCIe Gen 6 Mini Cool Edge IO Connector (amphenol-cs.com)
- PCIe Gen 7 Mini Cool Edge IO Connector (amphenol-cs.com)
- New Project Proposal ULP Gen7 PCIe Connector SFF-TA-1041 (members.snia.org, 27.02.2025) Purpose of the new SFF project is to define a new PCIe Gen7 connector.
- Server connector gallery (recursiveg.me, 20.12.2024)
References
- ↑ Amphenol's Leadership in Industry Standards (www.amphenol-cs.com, 13.04.2022) In 2021, Amphenol officially broke into the PCI SIG standards space when the Mini Cool Edge IO (MCIO) solution was selected by the Board of Directors as the internal cable assembly plan of record for 32GT/s and beyond. [...] Our MCIO development team is working with the PCI SIG Electrical Workgroup to explore 32GT/s and 64GT/s interconnect improvement options and implementation trade-offs.
- ↑ Amphenol Communications Solutions Mini Cool Edge IO PCIe® Gen 7 Connector Adopted in PCI-SIG’s CopprLink™ Internal Cable Specifications (www.amphenol-cs.com, 19.08.2025)
- ↑ SFF-TA-1016 Rev 1.3 (members.snia.org, 15.11.2024)
- ↑ New Project Proposal: SFF-TA-1016, updates to Rev 1.1 (members.snia.org, 27.10.2023)
- ↑ Update Project Proposal: SFF-TA-1016, new updates to Rev 1.2 (members.snia.org, 16.08.2024)
- ↑ Updated Scope for Project Proposal: SFF-TA-1016 (members.snia.org, 27.09.2024)
- ↑ Update Project Proposal: SFF-TA-1016 Internal Unshielded High Speed Connector System (members.snia.org, 03.10.2025)
- ↑ PCIe 6 Performance (amphenol-cs.com, 02.10.2022)
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Author: Werner Fischer Werner Fischer, working in the Knowledge Transfer team at Thomas-Krenn, completed his studies of Computer and Media Security at FH Hagenberg in Austria. He is a regular speaker at many conferences like LinuxTag, OSMC, OSDC, LinuxCon, and author for various IT magazines. In his spare time he enjoys playing the piano and training for a good result at the annual Linz marathon relay.
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Translator: Alina Ranzinger Alina has been working at Thomas-Krenn.AG since 2024. After her training as multilingual business assistant, she got her job as assistant of the Product Management and is responsible for the translation of texts and for the organisation of the department.
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