Open Compute Project: Microsemi Enhancement for Switchtec PCIe Switch for Fabric Connectivity and Composability of Multi-Host GPU and NVMe SSD Systems

Microsemi Corporation enhanced its Switchtec PCIe advanced Fabric switch (PAX), which provides performance fabric connectivity and composability for multi-host graphics processing unit (GPU) and NVMe SSD systems.

The company will be showcasing a demonstration of the new device during the Open Compute Project (OCP) Summit March 20-21, 2018 in San Jose, CA.

As the use of GPUs for deep learning, AI and machine learning make improvements in areas of image classification, speech recognition, autonomous driving, bioinformatics and video analytics, the need for efficient parallel GPU computing continues to grow. The firm’s Switchtec PCIe advanced fabric switches provide a scalable, low-latency and cost-effective multi-host interconnect for a network of GPUs, NVMe SSDs and other PCIe endpoints. The Switchtec PAX product can be used to create a flexible fabric interconnect to a shared pool of GPUs and/or NVMe SSDs using standard OS drivers. System management is simplified through a fabric application programming interface (API), reducing time to market and development cost for multi-host systems.

“Our Switchtec PAX switch enables GPU resources to be allocated to match workload requirements and maximize efficiency,” said Andrew Dieckmann, VP marketing, data center solutions, Microsemi. “Using the dynamic partitioning and multi-host SR-IOV sharing features available on our Switchtec PAX switches, GPU resources can be ‘composed’ or dynamically allocated to a specific host or set of hosts in real-time using standard host drivers.”

According to market research firm IndustryARC, the GPU machine learning market is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 38% till 2024. The firm also notes advanced technologies such as low power consumption, high throughput and flexibility will drastically increase the adoption of machine learning applications across the globe.

Product demonstrations during OCP Summit
The company’s PAX advanced fabric PCIe switch will be showcased during the OCP Summit. Dynamic allocation from a pool of GPUs and NVMe SSDs over a PCIe fabric to multiple hosts will be demonstrated.

Switchtec PAX family features:
The firm’s Switchtec PAX family comprises switches from 96 lanes to 24 lanes, providing:

• Performance PCIe fabric connectivity overcoming the limitations of the PCIe specification for multi-host systems

• Multi-host sharing of SR-IOV NVMe SSDs, GPUs and other PCIe endpoints

• Virtualization of host PCIe domains and SR-IOV endpoints

• Software development kit (SDK) for virtualization of SR-IOV endpoints, and for enclosure management

• One of the industry’s most flexible port bifurcation, from x2 to x16 lanes per port

• Up to 48 ports

• Advanced error reporting

• Error containment for surprise-plug and unplug to prevent system crashes

• Advanced diagnostics and debug features to identify, diagnose and fix problems

• Separate Refclk Independent SSC (SRIS) for cabled PCIe and lower cost system designs

The company’s Switchtec PAX advanced fabric PCIe switches are sampling to customers.