Hardware transmit equalization for high speed

A method comprising:

• subdividing a plurality of lanes of a communication link into a first subset of lanes and a second subset of lanes, wherein the communication link couples a first transceiver to a second transceiver;
• operating the first subset of lanes at a first speed;
• operating the second subset of lanes at a second speed while operating the first subset of lanes at the first speed, wherein the second speed is less than the first speed;
• and
• performing equalization training on the first subset of lanes at the first speed by sending feedback on the second subset of lanes at the second speed.

An apparatus comprising:

• a control unit;
• and
• a communication link comprising a plurality of lanes;
• wherein responsive to detecting a condition for performing equalization training of the communication link, the control unit is configured to:
• subdivide the plurality of lanes into a first subset of lanes and a second subset of lanes;
• operate the first subset of lanes at a first speed;
• operate the second subset of lanes at a second speed while operating the first subset of lanes at the first speed, wherein the second speed is less than the first speed;
• and
• perform equalization training on the first subset of lanes at the first speed by sending feedback on the second subset of lanes at the second speed.