The ExpressLane? PEX 8618 device offers 16 PCI Express Gen 2 (5.0 GT/s) lanes, capable of configuring up to 16 flexible ports. The switch conforms to the PCI Express Base Specification, rev 2.0. The PEX 8618 architecture supports packet cut-thru with the industry's lowest latency of 140ns (x4 to x1) and offers two virtual channels for traffic prioritization in the system. This, combined with large packet memory (2048 byte maximum payload size) and non-blocking internal switch architecture, provide full line-rate on all ports. The PEX 8618 supports both host-centric as well as true peer-to-peer traffic. The PEX 8618 also features an on-chip Non-Transparent port for dual-host and failover applications and supports dual-clock domain operation by virtue of support for Spread Spectrum Clock (SSC) isolation. This switch is hardware configurable and software programmable, allowing users to tailor their port configurations and quality-of-service system needs to suit their application requirements. This device can be used in a wide variety of applications including control planes in the communications and networking markets, servers, storage systems, embedded systems, multi-function printers, network interface adapters, medical imaging systems, industrial-control systems and AMC cards. The PEX 8618 is offered in a 19 x 19mm 324-ball PBGA and is available in both leaded and lead-free packaging.