NVIDIA LinkX InfiniBand Optical Transceivers

Maximize InfiniBand system performance and low latency for GPU-accelerated computing.

NVIDIA^® Mellanox^® LinkX^® Optics InfiniBand transceivers are the lowest-cost way to create high-speed fourteen data rate (FDR), enhanced data rate (EDR), high data rate (HDR), and HDR100 optical links with detachable optical connectors for InfiniBand networks and NVIDIA GPU-accelerated, artificial intelligence end-to-end systems. InfiniBand is all about high bandwidth and low latency interconnects. They’re designed to support NVIDIA GPU-based systems and traditional CPU servers with InfiniBand network switch architectures and to create InfiniBand storage fabrics with hard-disk-drive (HDD) and flash memory subsystems. LinkX Optics transceivers are extensively tested in live GPU and switching systems and are used in NVIDIA-Certified Systems™.

Trouble-Free Installation

Every part is 100 percent factory tested in end-to-end configurations in actual systems, enabling all LinkX Optics transceivers to offer extremely low bit-error-rate (BER) compared to industry standards and competitors. This improves system performance and reliability and ensures optimal signal integrity with the best end-to-end performance.

LinkX products work with third-party switches and server adapters. The single-mode 1310nm wavelength transceivers are available in four-channel in non-return-to-zero (NRZ) and 4-level pulse-amplitude-modulation (PAM4) for 500m data center reaches (PSM4), 2km (CWDM4/FR4), and10 km (LR4).

Highlights

PORT SPEEDS*

FDR, EDR, HDR, NDR

FORM FACTORS**

QSFP28, QSFP56, OSFP

OPTICAL CONNECTORS

LC, MPO, MPO/APC

MODULATION TYPES***

25G NRZ, 50G-PAM4, 100G-PAM4

* FDR: fourteen data rate (4x14G-NRZ), EDR: Extended Data Rate (4x25G-NRZ), HDR: High Data Rate (4x50G-PAM4), NDR: Next Data Rate (4x100G-PAM4)
** QSFP: quad small form-factor pluggable; OSFP: octal small form factor pluggable
*** NRZ: non-return-to-zero; 50G-PAM4: 50G-4-level pulse amplitude modulation, 100G-PAM4

Connectorized Transceivers for Long-Reach Links

LinkX InfiniBand transceivers support every configuration, reach, and speed and meet or exceed InfiniBand Trade Association (ITBA) standards for FDR, EDR, HDR, and NDR networks in NVIDIA GPU-based AI systems. For short-reach runs along system rows up to 100m, the multi-mode SR4 in EDR or HDR are the most popular, low-cost options and used alongside active optical cables (AOCs). For longer reaches linking InfiniBand Fat-Tree, Leaf-Spine, Torus, Dragonfly, or Hypercube InfiniBand clusters together EDR transceivers support multi-mode to 100m, single-mode fiber reaches of 500m, 2km, and 10km and HDR up to 100m and 2km. Transceivers are available in four-channel configurations in 10G/25G-NRZ and 50G-PAM4 modulation for 850nm multi-mode and 1310nm single-mode in QSFP+, QSFP28, and QSFP56 form-factors and the new OSFP 400Gb/s NDR 1310nm 150m transceivers in 2021.

Key Features

Extensively tested in live NVIDIA switching and GPU-based systems
Low cost, low latency, long reaches
Extensive FDR, EDR, and HDR product offering for every need
Tested and certified in NVIDIA GPU, DGX™, EGX™, and DPU systems

Benefits

Many parts designed and manufactured by LinkX Optics
Designed to go beyond IBTA industry BER standards for reliable operation under harsh operating conditions
400Gb/s NDR (4x100G-PAM4) coming soon in 2021

NVIDIA DGX A100

InfiniBand is the protocol of choice for creating high bandwidth, low-latency networks linking NVIDIA GPU-based systems to other DGX and DPU systems. The DGX A100 supports eight 200Gb/s HDR host channel adapters (HCAs) linking to other DGX systems via Quantum network switches. Two 200Gb/s HDR InfiniBand or Ethernet interface cards link to storage HDD, SSDs and flash memory subsystems.

InfiniBand transceivers extend networks inside a cluster where the transceiver and fibers need to be disconnected from each other and outside the cluster linking to other clusters and infrastructures. Multi-mode transceivers for short reaches <100m and single-mode transceivers for up to 500m, 2km and 10km in large link budgets.