Availability of IBTA XDR InfiniBand Spec Volume 1 R.1.7 and 2 R.1.5 to Enable Next-Gen of AI and Scientific Computing

The InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA) announced the availability of the IBTA Specification Volume 1 Release 1.7 and Volume 2 release 1.5.

The Volume 1 Release 1.7 includes initial specifications for XDR and lays the foundation for the next speed Gen in the IBTA roadmap, providing 2x increased bandwidth over the previous-gen to meet the performance and scalability demands of AI and HPC data centers. With SerDes support of 200Gb/s per lane, XDR-capable adapters and switches will provide 800Gb/s speeds per port, and support for XDR switch-to-switch connections at 1.6Tb/s.

Additional features in the Volume 1 Release 1.7 and Volume 2 Release 1.5 specs include improved support for large radix switches, mechanisms to improve congestion control in IB and RoCE-based fabrics using network probes, as well as the final physical specs for NDR 400Gb/s IB.

“High bandwidth, low latency and power-efficient interconnections are critical for AI and HPC applications that involve large-scale data processing and analysis, such as scientific simulations, deep learning, and training neural networks on vast datasets,” said Alan Benner, senior technical staff member, IBM Corp., and chair, electromechanical working group, IBTA. “XDR InfiniBand sets the stage for the next-gen of AI and scientific computing with unprecedented 800Gb/s speeds, empowering AI applications and furthering the frontiers of knowledge and discovery.”

Volume 1 of the IB spec suite comprises the core of the IB Architecture, specifying requirements for IB switches, routers, and adapters. It also specifies a complete architecture for managing an IB fabric. Its companion, Volume 2, specifies the physical aspects of the architecture.

Resource:
What’s New in Volume 1 Release 1.7