NVIDIA ConnectX InfiniBand adapters
Last updated
Copyright Continuum Labs - 2023
Last updated
NVIDIA ConnectX InfiniBand adapters are high-performance networking solutions designed for workloads in high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and hyperscale cloud infrastructures.
They provide ultra-fast, low-latency connectivity between servers, storage systems, and other devices in data centre environments.
InfiniBand: ConnectX adapters support the InfiniBand networking protocol, which offers high bandwidth, low latency, and efficient computing through RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) capabilities.
Bandwidth: The latest generation, ConnectX-7, supports up to 400 Gbps data rates, while previous generations like ConnectX-6 support up to 200 Gbps.
RDMA: RDMA allows direct memory access between servers without involving the CPU, reducing latency and CPU overhead. This enables efficient data movement and higher application performance.
In-Network Computing: ConnectX adapters feature NVIDIA In-Network Computing engines that offload and accelerate network processing tasks, freeing up CPU resources for application processing.
NVIDIA GPUDirect: GPUDirect technology enables direct communication between GPUs and ConnectX adapters, minimising latency and maximising bandwidth for GPU-to-GPU communication.
NVIDIA SHARP: The Scalable Hierarchical Aggregation and Reduction Protocol (SHARP) technology accelerates collective operations, improving performance and scalability in large-scale deployments.
Virtualisation: ConnectX adapters support Single Root I/O Virtualisation (SR-IOV), enabling efficient sharing of adapter resources among multiple virtual machines while maintaining isolation and quality of service.
High-Performance Computing (HPC): ConnectX adapters are widely used in HPC clusters for scientific simulations, data analysis, and other compute-intensive workloads that require high-speed, low-latency interconnects.
Machine Learning and AI: The high bandwidth and low latency of ConnectX adapters make them suitable for training large-scale AI models and enabling fast data transfer between GPUs and storage systems.
Clustered Databases and Data Warehousing: ConnectX adapters accelerate data access and enable efficient communication between nodes in clustered database environments, improving query performance and data processing speeds.
Accelerated Storage: ConnectX adapters support various storage protocols like NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF), enabling high-performance access to networked storage systems.
Financial Services: Low-latency connectivity provided by ConnectX adapters is crucial for financial applications like high-frequency trading and real-time risk analysis.
In summary, NVIDIA ConnectX InfiniBand adapters are high-performance networking solutions that leverage InfiniBand technology, RDMA, and advanced acceleration features to provide fast, efficient, and scalable connectivity for demanding workloads in HPC, AI, and data centre environments.
They offer industry-leading performance, innovative features like In-Network Computing and GPUDirect, and come in various form factors to suit different system requirements.
