Infineon Technologies AG has introduced a new PCI Express Gen4 x4 add-on card reference design aimed at accelerating USB 20Gbps adoption. Unveiled at VISION Stuttgart 2026, the standalone design combines ASMedia’s ASM4242 USB4 host controller with Infineon’s EZ-PD CCG7 USB Power Delivery controller, delivering reliable, high-speed connectivity for machine vision applications.
A primary focus of this release is Infineon’s continued effort to expand and mature the USB 20Gbps ecosystem. While the standard offers double the bandwidth of previous generations, widespread industrial adoption has been limited by signal integrity challenges over longer distances and complex power requirements. This new reference design directly addresses these hurdles by enabling reliable data transmission over 5-meter passive USB cables, which is important for industrial environments where cameras are often mounted far from the host PC. By demonstrating USB 20Gbps operation over passive cabling at this length, Infineon helps reduce an integration challenge for system designers.
The reference design features two USB-C ports, each supporting USB 20Gbps data transfer and USB Power Delivery up to 36W (supporting 5V/3A and 12V/3A profiles). This combination allows for the deployment of AI-based camera systems without the need for separate power supplies, simplifying cabling and improving reliability in factory and lab settings. Targeting machine vision manufacturers, industrial PC suppliers, and system integrators, this solution provides a ready-to-use platform that accelerates time-to-market for next-generation imaging applications.
“Infineon is committed to driving the USB 20Gbps ecosystem forward by solving the real-world challenges that have slowed its adoption in industrial markets,” said Ganesh Subramaniam, Senior Vice President of Wired Connectivity Solutions at Infineon. “One of the key hurdles for machine vision applications has been maintaining signal integrity over long passive cables while delivering sufficient power to advanced sensors. This PCIe Gen4 x4 reference design demonstrates that USB 20Gbps is not just a high-speed data standard, but a practical, robust solution for industrial connectivity. By supporting 5-meter passive cabling and 36W of power per port, we are empowering camera OEMs and system integrators to deploy AI-driven vision systems with confidence, knowing that the underlying connectivity infrastructure is reliable and easy to implement.”
