P66387-H21 HPE Data Processing Unit 400GB 1 Port QSFP112 HHHL B3140H Adapter

Comprehensive Product Overview

The HPE P66387-H21 represents a paradigm shift in network adapter technology, merging ultra‑high‑speed connectivity with on‑card computational capabilities. As a 400 Gigabit Ethernet / InfiniBand NDR‑ready adapter, this Data Processing Unit (DPU) is purpose‑built for next‑generation data centers, high‑performance computing (HPC) clusters.

General Details

• Manufacturer: HPE
• Part Number: P66387-H21
• Product Type: High-Speed Ethernet Adapter

Technical Specifications

• Blazing throughput of 400 Gb/s for demanding workloads
• Optimized for ultra-fast data transmission and reduced latency
• Single-port design for streamlined integration
• QSFP112 connector type ensuring compatibility with next-gen networking
• Supports NDR QSFP112 cable assemblies for reliable connections

Form Factor & Design

• Compact HHHL (Half-Height, Half-Length) layout
• Engineered for space-efficient server deployment

Compatibility

Server Integration

• Validated for HPE XD670 systems
• Seamless support for HPE XD665 platforms

Deployment Benefits

• Ideal for enterprise networking upgrades
• Ensures smooth scalability in data-intensive environments

Key Highlights

• High bandwidth for next-generation applications
• Future-ready connector technology
• Compact design tailored for enterprise servers

HPE P66387-H21 400GB Data Processing Unit 

The HPE P66387-H21 400GB 1 Port Data Processing Unit InfiniBand NDR/Ethernet QSFP112 HHHL B3140H Adapter is engineered to deliver advanced infrastructure acceleration by offloading networking, storage, and security tasks from host CPUs. Built on a high-performance programmable DPU architecture, this adapter integrates dedicated processing cores, high-bandwidth memory subsystems, and intelligent packet processing engines designed for hyperscale, cloud, and enterprise data center deployments. The device operates as a PCI Express add-in card in a Half-Height Half-Length form factor, enabling compatibility with modern rack servers while optimizing airflow and thermal efficiency.

Integrated Processing

The embedded processing complex within the adapter allows execution of infrastructure services directly on the card. This capability enables workload isolation, reduces host processor overhead, and increases overall system throughput. The integrated architecture supports advanced data path acceleration, enabling consistent low-latency communication and deterministic performance across large-scale distributed computing clusters. The on-board compute subsystem ensures that networking and storage operations run independently from application workloads, improving performance consistency under heavy traffic conditions.

High-Capacity 400GB Memory Subsystem

Equipped with 400GB of dedicated memory, the adapter provides substantial buffering and caching capacity for packet handling, telemetry, and offloaded services. This memory architecture supports large flow tables, deep packet inspection buffers, and real-time analytics processing. The high-capacity design allows the device to maintain optimal performance even when handling millions of simultaneous flows or complex virtualized networking environments.

InfiniBand NDR and Ethernet Converged Connectivity

The HPE P66387-H21 B3140H adapter supports both InfiniBand NDR and high-speed Ethernet networking through a single QSFP112 port, offering flexible deployment options for converged infrastructure environments. This dual-protocol capability enables data centers to standardize hardware across fabrics while maintaining compatibility with existing network architectures. The port is engineered for ultra-high throughput, low latency, and reliable signal integrity across high-bandwidth links.

QSFP112 Interface Specifications

The P66387-H21 QSFP112 port supports next-generation signaling rates designed for high-performance computing and artificial intelligence workloads. The interface accommodates advanced transceiver modules capable of delivering extremely high data rates across optical or direct-attach cabling. Signal integrity features include adaptive equalization, advanced error correction, and lane alignment mechanisms that maintain stable communication across long cable runs or dense rack deployments.

Protocol Flexibility

The adapter supports both InfiniBand NDR and Ethernet operation modes, allowing infrastructure architects to deploy the card in either fabric type without hardware modification. This flexibility simplifies inventory management and enables rapid redeployment between clusters, making it suitable for multi-tenant data centers, research institutions, and scalable AI training platforms. Automatic protocol detection and configuration reduce setup complexity and accelerate deployment timelines.

PCI Express Interface and Host Integration

The PCIe interface ensures high-bandwidth communication between the adapter and host system. Designed for modern server platforms, the card leverages multi-lane PCI Express connectivity to provide sufficient bandwidth for data-intensive workloads. The bus interface supports advanced DMA engines that enable direct memory transfers between host memory and network buffers, minimizing latency and CPU utilization.

HHHL Form Factor Compatibility

The Half-Height Half-Length mechanical design ensures compatibility with a wide range of server chassis configurations, including dense compute nodes and modular server platforms. The compact design maintains structural rigidity and optimized component placement, ensuring efficient thermal dissipation while preserving full performance capability. This form factor also simplifies installation in constrained environments where full-height cards cannot be accommodated.

Optimized

Thermal management is handled through a precision-engineered heatsink and airflow-aligned component layout. The cooling system ensures stable operation during sustained high-throughput workloads and prevents thermal throttling under peak demand. Materials and airflow channels are designed to match enterprise rack cooling standards, ensuring reliability in continuous operation scenarios.

Advanced Networking Acceleration Features

The adapter integrates hardware-based acceleration engines that offload critical network processing tasks. These engines support packet classification, encryption, congestion management, and telemetry collection. By moving these functions away from the host CPU, the adapter improves system efficiency and frees processor resources for application workloads.

Hardware Offload Capabilities

Dedicated hardware logic accelerates tasks such as checksum calculation, segmentation, reassembly, and encryption. These capabilities reduce software overhead and enable higher throughput with lower latency. The offload engines operate independently of the host operating system, ensuring consistent performance regardless of system load or software stack complexity.

Congestion Control

Integrated congestion control mechanisms monitor link utilization and dynamically adjust transmission rates to prevent packet loss and maintain optimal throughput. The adapter supports advanced quality-of-service policies, enabling prioritization of latency-sensitive traffic such as real-time analytics or distributed storage synchronization. Traffic shaping algorithms ensure fair bandwidth allocation across multiple workloads.

Reliability and Enterprise-Grade

Designed for mission-critical environments, the adapter incorporates reliability features such as error correction, redundancy mechanisms, and robust signal integrity controls. High-quality components and strict manufacturing tolerances ensure consistent performance over extended operational lifetimes. The device is validated for continuous operation in demanding enterprise and hyperscale environments.

Error Detection and Correction

Advanced error detection algorithms monitor data integrity across all communication channels. When anomalies are detected, correction mechanisms automatically restore data accuracy without interrupting traffic flow. These features help maintain stable connectivity and reduce downtime in high-availability deployments.

Signal Integrity Optimization

The adapter’s physical design minimizes electromagnetic interference and maintains stable signal transmission at high speeds. Precision-tuned traces, shielding structures, and impedance-matched connectors ensure reliable performance even in densely populated server racks. Signal conditioning circuits further enhance stability across varying cable lengths and environmental conditions.

Deployment Scenarios and Workload Optimization

The HPE P66387-H21 B3140H adapter is optimized for environments requiring ultra-low latency, high bandwidth, and advanced offload capabilities. It is suited for AI model training clusters, high-frequency trading platforms, distributed storage networks, and real-time analytics systems. The combination of high-speed connectivity and on-board processing enables infrastructure architects to build scalable systems that maintain consistent performance under heavy computational loads.

High-Performance Computing Integration

In high-performance computing clusters, the adapter enables efficient node-to-node communication with minimal latency. Its InfiniBand NDR capability supports rapid data exchange between compute nodes, which is essential for parallel processing tasks and large-scale simulations. The dedicated processing engines ensure that communication overhead does not interfere with application execution.

Cloud Infrastructure Acceleration

For cloud environments, the DPU design enables infrastructure services such as virtual switching, firewalling, and storage virtualization to run directly on the adapter. This architecture allows cloud providers to allocate more CPU resources to customer workloads while maintaining strong isolation and security controls. The programmable nature of the device supports rapid deployment of new network services without hardware changes.

Scalability Advantages

The adapter supports horizontal scaling across clusters, allowing multiple cards to operate simultaneously within distributed systems. Load balancing and intelligent routing features ensure efficient utilization of available bandwidth. This scalability is essential for organizations expanding data center capacity or deploying new compute nodes.

Performance Consistency

Consistency in latency and throughput is maintained through hardware scheduling and buffering mechanisms. These features prevent performance fluctuations caused by traffic bursts or competing workloads. Predictable performance is critical for applications that rely on real-time processing or strict service-level agreements.