By Rupert Dance

This past April, the IBTA’s Plugfest 35 became the first event to both test and verify HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand products, opening the door for high performance compute (HPC) systems to achieve new levels of speed and performance. This event, held at the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), included thorough compliance and interoperability testing of each product. Products that passed these tests have been published in the latest versions of the InfiniBand Combined Cable and Device Integrators’ List and RoCE Integrators’ List.

On top of both testing and verifying the first HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand products, Plugfest 35 also saw the most diverse group of RoCE vendors to participate and verify products during an IBTA Plugfest event. From the verification of HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand products to the expansion of the RoCE ecosystem, Plugfest 35 has continued the success of previous Plugfests and achieved yet another milestone for the IBTA.

Benefits and Impact of HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand

Data-driven applications such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning demand top tier interconnect support in the form of low latency, high-speed transfer rates and high efficiency. HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand meets these demands and accelerates a myriad of world-class systems by delivering the highest compute performance and scalability possible for these demanding workloads. Supercomputers leveraging HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand can support extensive research and enable breakthrough discoveries in vertical markets such as healthcare, aerospace and environmental science. Thanks to the testing conducted during our Plugfests, end users can deploy HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand products with confidence in the reliability and endurance of their systems.

Expanding Group of Diverse RoCE Vendors

The most diverse range of industry-leading cable vendors participated in IBTA Plugfest 35, producing an especially robust and successful RoCE interoperability and compliance testing event. The broad range of industry players testing RoCE adapters, switches, and cables enables end users to deploy a heterogenous network knowing each of the components will work together.

The results from these compliance and interoperability tests performed during IBTA Plugfests establish quality assurance and ensure the success of InfiniBand and RoCE deployments around the world. The IBTA has remained an industry leader due to the rigorous, first-class testing conducted during our Plugfests. We are proud that the first HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand-based products have successfully passed these testing procedures and are accelerating some of the most state-of-the-art systems in use today.

Plugfest 35 would not have been possible without test equipment contributions from our vendors. We would like to thank Ace Unitech, Anritsu, Keysight Technologies, Molex, Software Forge and Wilder Technologies for all of their help.

Members that participated in Plugfest 35 include Broadcom, Connpro Industries Inc., Finisar Corporation, Fujitsu Limited, Luxshare-ICT, Marvell Technology Group, Mellanox Technologies, Inc., NetApp and Volex Inc.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming results from Plugfest 36.