A 5-6.4 Gb/s transceiver, consisting of a parallel 12-channel transmitter (Tx), 12-channel receiver (Rx), clock generators based on LC-VCO phase-locked loops (PLLs), and a clock recovery unit, was developed. The Tx has a five-tap pre-emphasis filter, and the Rx has an equalizer with an intersymbol interference (ISI) monitor. Monitoring the ISI enables fine adjustment of loss compensation. The pre-emphasis filter in the Tx and the equalizer in the Rx compensate for transmission losses of up to 20 dB at 6.4 Gb/s, respectively. Both the Tx and Rx channels, including the PLLs, are 3.92 mm/sup 2/ in area. The transmitter dissipates 150 mW/channel at 6.4 Gb/s when compensating for a loss of 20 dB, and the receiver 90 mW/channel when compensating for the same loss.