PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) defines a rugged PC platform for measurement and instrumentation. PXI products are compatible with the CompactPCI industrial computer standard but offer additional features, such as environmental specifications, software requirements, and built-in timing and triggering. Moreover, PXI backplane provides configuration control and longer product lifetimes than those typical of the desktop world.

The PXI backplane is designed for instrumentation computers. Its architecture makes rapid repair by board substitution possible and system upgrades and changes are greatly simplified, with minimum system downtime.