One embodiment provides an apparatus. The apparatus includes a feedforward equalizer (FFE), an FFE data slicer and an FFE least mean square (LMS) module. The FFE data slicer is to threshold detect a sample of a received analog training signal, a result of the threshold detecting corresponding to an input signal digital decision. The FFE LMS module is to determine a plurality of FFE coefficients based, at least in part, on an output of the FFE data slicer and based, at least in part, on a mean square error corresponding to a difference between an equalized sample and a reference.