NVIDIA nowadays introduced NVIDIA Spectrum 
-4 , the next generation of its Ethernet platform that enables the extreme network performance and robust security required for data center infrastructure at scale.
NVIDIA Spectrum-4, the world’s first end-to-end 400Gbps networking platform, provides 4x the switching capacity of previous generations at 51.2 terabits per moment. Consists of NVIDIA Spectrum-4 family of switches , NVIDIA ConnectX®-7 SmartNIC , NVIDIA BlueField®-3 DPU , and DOCA data center infrastructure software to power cloud-native applications at scale.
Built for AI, NVIDIA Spectrum-4 comes at a time when data centers are growing exponentially and demanding extreme performance, advanced security, and powerful features that enable high-performance advanced virtualization and simulation at scale. The Spectrum-4 Ethernet platform includes key features essential for the uncompromising requirements of these technologies.
Spectrum-4 switches enable nanosecond timing accuracy, which is a five to six orders of magnitude improvement over typical millisecond-based data centers. They also speed up, simplify and secure the network fabric with 2x faster bandwidth per port, 4x fewer switches, and 40% lower power consumption than the preceding generation.
Spectrum platform enables accurate simulation of space and time on the NVIDIA Omniverse platform for 3D design collaboration and simulation, and the Spectrum-3 switching fabric connects 32 OVX servers to form the OVX SuperPOD.
“A new era of large-scale cloud technologies like Omniverse requires a transformation of data center architecture,” said Kevin Deierling, vice president of Networking at NVIDIA. “The extreme performance and robust security of the Spectrum-4 platform will equip data centers to drive breakthrough discoveries that push the boundaries of what is possible for the benefit of society.”
NVIDIA Spectrum-4 Switch Performance and Innovation
The NVIDIA Spectrum-4 ASIC and SN5000 family of switches are based on a 4N process and contain over 100 billion transistors along with a simplified transceiver design that results in the best power efficiency and complete cost of ownership. With an aggregate ASIC bandwidth of 51.2Tbps supporting 128 ports of 400GbE, combined with enhanced adaptive routing and congestion control mechanisms, Spectrum-4 optimizes RDMA over converged Ethernet fabrics and dramatically speeds up data centers.
The Spectrum-4 ASIC features state-of-the-art security features such as MACsec and VXLANsec support, plus pre-configured secure boot via a hardware root of trust to help ensure the security and integrity of data streams. and network management.
With 12.8Tbps of encrypted bandwidth and these security features – also found on the BlueField-3 DPUs and ConnectX-7 SmartNICs – Spectrum-4 is the fastest and most secure end-to-end Ethernet networking platform in the world. market.
The Spectrum platform, including Spectrum, BlueField, and ConnectX switches, powers the performance and scalability of AI applications, digital twins, and cloud infrastructure, enabling the highest efficiency and availability for modern data centers.
The growing spectrum support ecosystem
The speed, security and functionality of the Spectrum platform is ideal for building next-generation data centers and is being adopted by a growing number of partners.
BlueField DPUs now offload and accelerate Red Hat OpenShift , including an end-to-end cloud-native architecture that integrates infrastructure and tenant clusters with deployment and automation tools capable of running complex workloads in containers.
BlueField is also central to VMware’s Project Monterey, which includes a collaboration between VMware and NVIDIA aimed at improving data center performance, manageability and security.
Select businesses can now get prompt access to VMware ‘s Project Monterey Beta with BlueField on NVIDIA LaunchPad . LaunchPad enables IT administrators to deploy data-driven applications for rapid testing and prototyping entire workflows on the same comprehensive stack.
The integration of BlueField-2 DPU with Palo Alto Networks VM-series next-generation virtual firewalls and Clever Traffic Offload service delivers best-in-class security innovation, resulting in up to a 5x performance increase . Sometimes in virtual firewalls for enterprise networks and service providers.
Spectrum platform accelerates next-generation data center network infrastructure for industry-leading customers and software providers including Akamai, Baidu, Canonical, CheckPoint, Criteo, DDN, F5, Kuaishou , NetApp, Nutanix , OVHcloud, Pure Storage, Pluribus Networks, Red Hat, StackPath, HUGE Data, VMware and WEKA, among others.
Major server manufacturers that integrate Spectrum switches into their systems include Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM, Lenovo, and Supermicro.
NVIDIA BlueField DPUs are offered in solutions from innovators such as ASUS, Atos, Dell Technologies, GIGABYTE, H3C, IBM, Inspur, Lenovo, Nettrix, Pluribus Networks, Quanta/QCT, and Supermicro.
The BlueField-3 DPU and Spectrum-4 switching systems will be available later this year. ConnectX-7 is now available.
Illustration (c) NVIDIA
