InfiniBand NDR 400G for Future High-Speed Data Transfer in HPC and AI - NADDOD Blog

InfiniBand NDR: The Future of High-Speed Data Transfer in HPC and AI

NADDOD Abel InfiniBand Expert Mar 17, 2023


InfiniBand is a networking technology designed for high-performance computing (HPC) and data center environments. InfiniBand NDR (Next-Generation Data Rate) is NVIDIA’s latest high-speed networking technology designed to meet the demands of modern data centers. InfiniBand NDR offers an unprecedented level of performance, with data transfer rates of up to 400Gb/s or 800Gb/s, making it ideal for future high-bandwidth and low-latency applications requiring growing computing power in high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI).

InfiniBand NDR 400G and 800G Introduction

InfiniBand 400G NDR offers data transfer rates of up to 400Gb/s, making it the fastest InfiniBand data transfer rate available at the moment. It provides unprecedented levels of scalability and performance, making it ideal for modern data center environments. InfiniBand 400G NDR supports advanced features such as In-Network Computing, which allows data processing to be offloaded to the network for faster processing times. InfiniBand 800G NDR is the next-generation InfiniBand data transfer rate, providing data transfer rates of up to 800Gb/s. It offers even higher levels of performance and scalability than 400G NDR.

Besides the 400G and 800G NDR technologies that NVIDIA has revealed in the market, the InfiniBand 800G XDR (Extreme Data Rate) is being developed. 800G XDR will be the highest-speed InfiniBand data transfer rate, providing data transfer speed of up to 800Gb/s. It will be ideal for the most demanding applications in the future, such as scientific simulations and large-scale data processing.

InfiniBand NDR
InfiniBand NDR and XDR technology will offer the highest levels of performance and scalability for modern data center environments. They provide high-speed data transfer rates and low latency, making them ideal for applications that require fast and reliable networking. As the demand for high-performance computing and faster data processing continues to grow, it can be predicted that InfiniBand NDR and XDR will be crucial technologies for organizations looking to stay competitive in their respective industries.

InfiniBand NDR Products and Applications

The NVIDIA NDR 400G and 800G network products (Quantum-2 Platform) offer a range of options to meet the needs of different data center environments. These include InfiniBand NDR switches and network adapters as well as optical cables and transceivers. NVIDIA InfiniBand NDR switches. NIC cards, optical cables and transceivers are designed to work seamlessly with NVIDIA’s high-performance computing platforms, including the NVIDIA DGX AI system and the NVIDIA HGX server platform. This provides a complete end-to-end solution for organizations looking to implement high-speed networking capabilities for AI and HPC workloads.

You can also read “NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand NDR 400Gb/s” to learn more details and product model information.

NVIDIA Quantum-2 Platform

InfiniBand NDR Switches and Network Adapters

NVIDIA InfiniBand NDR switches and network adapters are designed to provide high-speed networking capabilities for modern data center environments. These devices are specifically built to support the latest standards in high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI), providing the performance and scalability needed to handle even the most demanding workloads.

InfiniBand NDR Switches and Network Adapters
NVIDIA InfiniBand NDR switches are designed to support data transfer rates of up to 400Gb/s or 800Gb/s, depending on the specific model. These switches are built with advanced features such as In-Network Computing, which allows data processing to be offloaded to the network for faster processing times. This feature is particularly useful for AI, HPC, data analytics, cloud computing and storage applications, which require massive amounts of data to be processed quickly and efficiently.

In addition to switches, NVIDIA also offers a range of InfiniBand NDR network adapters. These adapters are designed to support data transfer rates of up to 400Gb/s and provide high-speed networking capabilities for servers and workstations. They are built with advanced features such as RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access), which allows data to be transferred directly between the memory of two computers, reducing latency and improving performance.

InfiniBand NDR Cables and Transceivers

InfiniBand NDR cables and transceivers are designed to provide fast and reliable data transfer rates. 400G InfiniBand NDR connectivity products include passive fiber optical cables, active copper cables (ACCs), and direct attached copper cables (DACs). The OSFP (Octal Small Form Factor Pluggable) connector is the primary choice for connecting NDR devices. OSFP to 2x OSFP, OSFP to 4x OSFP, and OSFP to 2x QSFP112 are the different types of cables available in the market.

NVIDIA NDR cables and transceivers are designed to work seamlessly with NVIDIA InfiniBand switches and adapters. The most used models are 800G NDR MMA4Z00-NS and 400G NDR MMA4Z00-NS400 transceivers.
NVIDIA networking NDR InfiniBand

InfiniBand NDR vs HDR

While InfiniBand NDR offers significant improvements over previous generations of InfiniBand HDR (200G), EDR (100G), FDR (56G) and QDR (40G), it’s important to note the differences between NDR and HDR (High Data Rate). HDR offers data transfer rates of up to 200Gb/s, while NDR offers rates of up to 400Gb/s or 800Gb/s. 200G HDR takes the QSFP56 form factor as its main interface for switches, network adapters and optical cables and transceivers, while 400G/800G NDR uses OSFP form factor for optical interfaces.

Though HDR is a powerful technology that can handle most data center workloads, NDR is designed for more bandwidth demanding applications. NDR offers increased scalability and performance, making it the ideal choice for organizations that require the highest levels of network performance.

When comparing InfiniBand 400G NDR and 200G HDR, it’s important to note that 400G NDR offers twice the data transfer rate of 200G HDR. However, 200G HDR is still a powerful technology that can handle most data center workloads, making it a more cost-effective option for organizations with less demanding networking requirements.

Conclusion

As data center workloads continue to grow in size and complexity, the demand for high-speed networking technologies like InfiniBand NDR is only going to increase. NVIDIA has created a powerful platform that offers unprecedented levels of performance and scalability, making it the ideal choice for data center operators who need the best possible networking capabilities. With advanced features like In-Network Computing and support for the latest networking standards, InfiniBand NDR is poised to become the go-to choice for high-performance networking in the days to come.

Related Resources:
NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand NDR 400Gb/s
NADDOD NDR InfiniBand Network Solution for High-Performance Networks
MMA4Z00-NS: The InfiniBand NDR Transceiver for 800G High-Speed Data Transfer
MMA4Z00-NS400: The Ultimate InfiniBand NDR Transceiver for High-Performance Computing
What Is InfiniBand and How Is It Different from Ethernet?
NADDOD High-Performance Computing (HPC) Solution
Case Study: NADDOD Helped the National Supercomputing Center to Build a General-Purpose Test Platform for HPC