Microchip Technology PM8262B-F3EI

Overview

PM8262B-F3EI from Microchip Technology is a SmartIOC 2200 PCIe Gen 4 tri-mode I/O controller supporting 8-lane host interface and 16 storage lanes, enabling NVMe/SAS-4/SATA connectivity with hardware RAID 0/1/10/5, DCM bandwidth aggregation, and hardware root-of-trust for secure boot and firmware updates in enterprise rack servers.

For engineers reviewing the PM8262B-F3EI datasheet, PM8262B-F3EI pinout, PM8262B-F3EI application, or PM8262B-F3EI equivalent, key selection considerations include host PCIe lane count (×8), storage lane count (×16), absence of on-die encryption, DDR4 memory interface, and 25 mm × 25 mm package compatibility with SFF-TA-1001 tri-mode backplanes.

Technical Context

The PM8262B-F3EI implements a fully integrated Switchtec-based PCIe Gen 4 switch with ×1 to ×8 bifurcation support and transparent/non-transparent bridging, paired with 16 SAS-4 PHYs each capable of 24 Gbps operation and Dynamic Channel Multiplexing for SAS/SATA drive aggregation. It delivers >3.0M 4K random read IOPS and up to 26 GBps aggregate bandwidth.

It supports native HBA, RAID, and transparent NVMe modes per drive, UEFI pre-boot GUI/CLI management via maxView™ and ARCCONF, and IEEE 1619-compliant AES-XTS encryption for SAS/NVMe media - though encryption is disabled in this variant as confirmed by ordering table.

Key Specifications

Pinout & Package

PM8262B-F3EI is housed in a 25 mm × 25 mm, 484-ball BGA package (package code F3EI per Microchip ordering guide). Pinout information is not publicly published in datasheets or product briefs and is proprietary to Microchip's design documentation; no validated pin-level mapping is available for public disclosure.

Key Features

Applications

Equivalent & Alternatives

The following parts are listed as comparable options for similar tri-mode storage controller applications.

Compared with PM8252B-F3EI, PM8262B-F3EI doubles storage lane count for higher drive density without changing package size; compared with PM8263B-F3EI, it omits encryption logic to lower BOM cost and thermal load while retaining identical I/O architecture, management stack, and DCM capability.

Availability

PM8262B-F3EI is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for enterprise rack servers, hyperscale cloud storage fan-out systems, and secure boot-enabled financial infrastructure requiring stable component supply, long-term lifecycle support, and traceable sourcing.

Supply support for PM8262B-F3EI includes scheduled delivery planning, volume procurement assistance, BOM continuity management, traceable sourcing, and lifecycle availability coordination for OEM customers, industrial embedded developers, connected-device designers, and electronics production programs.

Manufacturer

Microchip Technology is a U.S.-based semiconductor company specializing in microcontrollers, analog devices, FPGAs, and storage connectivity solutions, with global manufacturing and support infrastructure.

The SmartIOC 2200 product line was designed to unify NVMe, SAS, and SATA storage connectivity in data center servers - delivering tri-mode flexibility, hardware-accelerated RAID, and hardware root-of-trust security within a single SoC.

FAQ

What is the PCIe interface specification for PM8262B-F3EI?

The PM8262B-F3EI implements a PCIe Gen 4 ×8 host interface, delivering 16 GT/s per lane and 16 GBps bidirectional bandwidth. It supports flexible bifurcation down to ×1 and includes full PCIe error containment features such as downstream port containment and poisoned TLP blocking. This interface is fixed for the PM8262B-F3EI variant and cannot be configured as ×16.

Does PM8262B-F3EI support hardware encryption for data-at-rest?

No, PM8262B-F3EI does not include hardware encryption engines. Per Microchip's ordering table, this variant is explicitly marked "No" for encryption capability. For AES-XTS encryption compliant with IEEE 1619 and FIPS 140-2 Levels 1–3, the PM8263B-F3EI variant must be selected instead.

What memory interface does PM8262B-F3EI require?

PM8262B-F3EI requires an external 16-bit DDR4 SDRAM interface for descriptor tables, command queues, and metadata caching. The device does not integrate DRAM; system design must include a compatible DDR4 memory chip with appropriate timing and signal integrity layout. No LPDDR4 or DDR5 support is provided.

Can PM8262B-F3EI operate in both RAID and HBA modes simultaneously?

Yes, PM8262B-F3EI supports per-drive mode selection: individual storage lanes can be configured independently as RAID, HBA, or transparent NVMe mode. This enables bootable RAID 0 on NVMe drives while presenting SAS/SATA drives directly to the OS in HBA mode - all managed through a single driver and management stack.

What is Dynamic Channel Multiplexing (DCM) and how does it benefit PM8262B-F3EI deployments?

Dynamic Channel Multiplexing (DCM) is a bandwidth aggregation technology implemented in PM8262B-F3EI that consolidates traffic from multiple lower-speed SAS/SATA drives onto a single 24 Gbps SAS-4 link. It achieves up to 98% link efficiency, enabling dense storage configurations without wasting SAS-4 bandwidth - especially valuable when connecting legacy SATA 6G or SAS-12G drives to modern 24G infrastructure.