The PCI-SIG has released version 0.9 of the PCI Express 2.0 specification, to all intents and purposes the incarnation that will be ratified as the standard.

PCIe 2.0 doubles the bus standard's bandwidth to 5Gbps but remains compatible with the current specification, PCIe 1.1. The PCI-SIG also said PCIe 2.0 also features improvements to the point-to-point data transfer protocol and its software architecture.

The PCI-SIG said it's also working on an updated electromechanical specification for add-in cards. That's currently at version 0.5, so could well be changed at the request of PCI-SIG members.

Technically, so can PCIe 2.0 version 0.9, but the fact it's been published means it's effectively a 1.0 specification bar the formalities.

The PCI-SIG said it has also released version 0.9 of its PCIe Cable specification, allowing PCIe transactions to be conducted over cables running to 10m in length and supporting a bandwidth of 2.5Gbps. Originally part of the PCIe 2.0 spec, the PCIe Cable will appear as a standard in its own right, probably by the end of the year, the PCI-SIG said.

The organisation also said it has released version 0.9 of its Address Translation Services (ATS) specification, a key step toward providing device virtualisation services. ®