Front · Power modules, cooling fan, high-density I/O
Back · PCIe switch controller, expansion slots
DF-B4 is the switch backplane that turns our racks into a single integrated system. Two years of signal-integrity, thermal, and firmware engineering — packaged as the invariant core of Training, Inference, Edge, and Composable racks.
For enterprises, this platform arrives pre-integrated inside a Datafabrix rack — you order a rack, not a board. For OEM partners licensing the design, it is available as a reference platform under our OEM Platform program.
The Datafabrix PCIe Gen4 Fabric Backplane is a proven, characterised, enterprise-grade infrastructure platform built around a PCIe Gen4 fabric backplane (Tier-1 US PCIe switch silicon inside). It provides the high-bandwidth, low-latency, hot-plug-capable interconnect layer that AI storage expansion, JBOF, GPU fabrics, and composable infrastructure deployments require.
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| Platform | PCIe Gen4 Fabric Backplane |
| PCIe standard | PCIe 4.0 (backward compatible Gen 3/2/1) |
| Signaling | 16 GT/s NRZ per lane |
| Switching | PCIe Gen4 non-blocking switch fabric |
| Expansion connectors | Multiple Amphenol high-speed connectors |
| Storage interfaces | SATA connectivity + PCIe-attached NVMe |
| Hot-plug | Supported (HA-ready) |
| Power regulation | Linear Technology μModule regulators (LTM4620AV / LTM4611V-class) |
| Cooling | Onboard fan + heatsink (SUNON MagLev-class) |
| Availability | Shipping today · Customer programs active |
Every block that makes the DF-B4 an enterprise-grade PCIe fabric — engineered for continuous 24/7 duty.
Enterprise-class PCIe Gen4 switch silicon at the core. Non-blocking crossbar routes any host port to any device port with full-rate bandwidth. Hardware-assisted address translation, virtual PCIe hierarchies, and per-port link training.
Multiple PCIe Gen4 host uplinks and PCIe Gen4 device downlinks. Each port trains independently, supports negotiated Gen1–Gen4 rates, and comes with per-slot power gating and hot-plug control circuitry.
Precision reference oscillator with fan-out buffers deliver low-jitter PCIe reference clock to every port. Independent SSC-capable domains simplify multi-host topologies and reduce link errors under stress.
Multi-rail power tree built around industrial-grade Linear Technology µModule regulators. Per-slot 12 V & 3.3 V gating, in-rush limiting, and independent monitoring. Redundant power inputs supported.
On-board SUNON MagLev cooling fan with tach feedback, plus board temperature sensors for hotspot detection. Fan speed automatically scales with load; failure detection routed to BMC.
Per-slot hot-plug controller ICs handle live insertion and removal without disturbing the fabric. Presence detect, power-on sequencing, link retraining, and OS notification all handled in hardware.
PCIe Gen4 x4 slots for NVMe SSDs (U.2 / U.3 / E1.S) plus native SATA III connectors for legacy or mixed-workload drives. One backplane covers the full enterprise storage matrix.
High-density, low-crosstalk nano-pitch board-to-board connectors keep signal integrity intact at Gen4 speeds while reducing board area for compact 2U/4U chassis designs.
Every passive, connector, and IC is selected for enterprise duty. Wide-temp operating range, extended-life electrolytics, ROHS-compliant, and rated for continuous 24/7 burn-in.
The DF-B4 is the shared hardware foundation under nine shipping Datafabrix solutions and multiple OEM programs.
Deploy DF-B4 as the storage pool under GPU AI training servers. 24× NVMe SSDs presented as a single high-bandwidth flash tier — eliminates the storage bottleneck between compute and data.
Build 2U JBOF chassis with 24 hot-plug NVMe bays. Multiple hosts share the flash pool through the Gen4 switch, enabling composable storage across a rack.
Use the DF-B4 as a rack-scale PCIe expansion fabric — reassign accelerators, storage, or NICs to any host on demand. Foundation for software-defined datacenters.
Test many drives simultaneously with per-slot power gating, hot-plug controls, and independent PCIe links per DUT. Compresses qualification cycles from weeks to days.
Reference architecture for OEM 2U/4U storage appliances. Ships with DF-B4 backplane plus DF-X Xeon controller — end-to-end enterprise storage system.
Custom slot counts, form factors, and branding for OEM engagements. Skip the multi-year silicon program — ship on the proven DF-B4 platform.
Four integration paths — pick the one that matches your engineering appetite and time-to-market.
Deploy the DF-B4 in Datafabrix reference chassis with DF-X Xeon controller. Turnkey — ready in weeks.
Choose from 14 pre-configured turnkey AI rack built on the DF-B4. Skip design entirely.
Custom faceplate, branding, slot count, form factor. Our engineering team co-designs with yours.
Buy the DF-B4 board and drop it into your existing chassis. Full electrical & mechanical documentation provided.
