PCIe 5.0 solid state drives will dominate computer storage markets until 2030. Silicon Motion CEO Wallace Kou explained why PCIe 6.0 technology remains years away from release. Current PCIe 5.0 drives already provide twice the speed of older PCIe 4.0 models. Most computer users have not switched to PCIe 5.0 drives because they cost much more. The performance difference between PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 drives barely affects everyday computer tasks.
Computer makers show no interest purchasing PCIe 6.0 controllers from Silicon Motion right away. AMD and Intel processors do not support PCIe 6.0 connections for consumer computers either. Manufacturing PCIe 6.0 controllers costs 25 to 30 percent more than PCIe 5.0 versions. Each PCIe 6.0 controller design costs companies between 30 and 40 million dollars to develop. PCIe 5.0 controller development only requires 16 to 20 million dollars per design cycle.
Enterprise computer systems might receive PCIe 6.0 drives around 2027 or 2028 first. NVIDIA plans releasing Rubin processors during late 2026 which could boost enterprise demand. Regular consumers will wait much longer before PCIe 6.0 drives become affordable options. Most people still use older motherboards that cannot support PCIe 5.0 drive speeds anyway. PCIe 5.0 drives should remain popular for at least five more years.
Computer makers show no interest purchasing PCIe 6.0 controllers from Silicon Motion right away. AMD and Intel processors do not support PCIe 6.0 connections for consumer computers either. Manufacturing PCIe 6.0 controllers costs 25 to 30 percent more than PCIe 5.0 versions. Each PCIe 6.0 controller design costs companies between 30 and 40 million dollars to develop. PCIe 5.0 controller development only requires 16 to 20 million dollars per design cycle.
Enterprise computer systems might receive PCIe 6.0 drives around 2027 or 2028 first. NVIDIA plans releasing Rubin processors during late 2026 which could boost enterprise demand. Regular consumers will wait much longer before PCIe 6.0 drives become affordable options. Most people still use older motherboards that cannot support PCIe 5.0 drive speeds anyway. PCIe 5.0 drives should remain popular for at least five more years.
