Adapt the PCIe 5.0 x16 port into 16 M.2 NVMe ports.
Adapt the PCIe 5.0 x16 port into 16 M.2 NVMe ports.
Yes, it is feasible given the current speeds and drive configurations.
Are you looking for m.2 or 2.5-inch storage options? I can handle it. You can set up a server with a backplane and PCIe switch, making it straightforward. The 2.5-inch drives typically offer better performance and support hot-swapping, which is rare with this many units. Alternatively, you might find similar solutions here: https://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/n...ollers.htm. Gen 5 controllers are expected soon, but currently there aren't many new releases, so it's best to wait.
Using multiple lanes provides the full capacity. The output depends on the slowest device available. Even with 16 lanes of PCI Express Gen 5, pairing them with Gen 3 or Gen 4 devices caps performance at 16 lanes. I haven’t found a card that switches between generations smoothly—like a Gen 5 M.2 card offering double the Gen 4 bandwidth. EDIT: For your case, 16 lanes of Gen5 plus 16 Gen 3 SSDs would be restricted to x1 speed (assuming compatibility).
Only with a direct link can this be achieved, using a PCIe switch chip is essential. This is essentially what a standard motherboard chipset handles. These switches usually come at a high price. The Highpoint card, which is just a PCB, 8 M.2 connectors, and the switch chip itself costs around $1000.
In theory, that's totally possible. I doubt any such device currently exists, but there's no reason why someone couldn't make one. Liqid's Honey Badger basically does that with Gen 4, giving you the ability to install 8 Gen 3 drives that have full bandwidth. Perhaps there will be a Gen 5 version of the Honey Badger, and in that case, you'd be able to do that if it was designed to take 16 Gen 3 drives.