MCX653105A-ECAT Mellanox ConnectX-6 1-Ports VPI QSFP56 PCIe 4.0x16 Adapter

Mellanox MCX653105A-ECAT ConnectX-6 PCIe 4.0 x16 Adapter

The Mellanox MCX653105A-ECAT ConnectX-6 VPI Network Adapter is a high-performance networking solution engineered for modern enterprise data centers, cloud computing infrastructures, AI platforms, HPC clusters, and storage environments. Designed with a single QSFP56 interface and PCI Express 4.0 x16 connectivity, this adapter delivers exceptional bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and reliable communication for both InfiniBand and Ethernet deployments. Its versatile VPI architecture allows organizations to deploy the adapter across multiple networking environments while maximizing performance, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Built for demanding workloads, the MCX653105A-ECAT supports advanced networking technologies that improve application responsiveness, reduce CPU overhead, and accelerate data movement between servers, storage systems, and high-speed switches. Whether deployed in virtualization environments, software-defined data centers, AI training clusters, or large-scale enterprise networks, this ConnectX-6 adapter provides outstanding reliability and future-ready connectivity.

General Product Information

• Manufacturer: Mellanox
• Part Number: MCX653105A-ECAT
• Product Type: PCIe Network Adapter

Key Specifications

• ConnectX-6 VPI architecture
• Single QSFP56 port supporting InfiniBand and Ethernet
• PCI Express Gen4 x16 interface with backward compatibility
• Supports data rates up to 100GbE and HDR100 InfiniBand
• Designed for cloud, enterprise, storage, virtualization, and HPC environments

Single QSFP56 High-Speed Port

• Single QSFP56 interface
• Supports copper direct attach cables
• Supports optical transceivers
• Ideal for short-range and long-distance connectivity
• Provides flexible deployment options

InfiniBand Support

• SDR (2.5 Gb/s per lane)
• DDR (5 Gb/s per lane)
• QDR (10 Gb/s per lane)
• FDR10 (10.3125 Gb/s per lane)
• FDR (14.0625 Gb/s per lane)
• EDR (25 Gb/s per lane)
• HDR100 (2 lanes × 50 Gb/s per lane)

Ethernet Standards Supported

• 100GBASE-CR4
• 100GBASE-CR2
• 100GBASE-KR4
• 100GBASE-SR4
• 50GBASE-R2
• 50GBASE-R4
• 40GBASE-CR4
• 40GBASE-KR4
• 40GBASE-SR4
• 40GBASE-LR4
• 40GBASE-ER4
• 40GBASE-R2
• 25GBASE-R
• 20GBASE-KR2
• 10GBASE-LR
• 10GBASE-ER
• 10GBASE-CX4
• 10GBASE-CR
• 10GBASE-KR
• 10GBASE-SR
• 1000BASE-CX
• 1000BASE-KX
• SGMII

Supported Network Speeds

• 10 Gigabit Ethernet
• 25 Gigabit Ethernet
• 40 Gigabit Ethernet
• 50 Gigabit Ethernet
• 100 Gigabit Ethernet
• HDR100 InfiniBand connectivity

PCI Express Performance

• PCIe Gen4 x16
• 16 GT/s signaling
• PCIe Gen3 compatibility
• Backward compatibility with earlier PCIe generations
• High-speed host communication

Power Specifications

• 3.3V Auxiliary voltage
• 100mA maximum current
• Typical power consumption of approximately 15.6W with passive cables
• QSFP56 port power delivery up to 5W

Airflow Requirements

• Passive cable configuration: 300 LFM at 55°C (heatsink to port)
• Passive cable configuration: 200 LFM at 35°C (port to heatsink)
• NVIDIA active 4.7W cable support with identical airflow recommendations

Physical Specifications

• Adapter dimensions: 6.6 inches × 2.71 inches
• 167.65 mm × 68.90 mm
• Full-height PCIe adapter design
• Optimized for enterprise server platforms

Operating Conditions

• Operating temperature: 0°C to 55°C
• Storage temperature: -40°C to 70°C
• Operating humidity: 10% to 85% relative humidity
• Storage humidity: 10% to 90% relative humidity
• Maximum operating altitude: 3050 meters

Benefits of the Mellanox MCX653105A-ECAT

• High-speed 100GbE and HDR100 networking performance
• Flexible VPI architecture supporting both InfiniBand and Ethernet
• PCIe Gen4 x16 interface for maximum throughput
• Ultra-low latency communication
• Broad protocol compatibility
• Support for optical and copper connectivity
• Energy-efficient operation
• Reliable enterprise-grade hardware design
• Optimized for AI, HPC, virtualization, and cloud computing
• Excellent scalability for future infrastructure growth

Mellanox MCX653105A-ECAT 1-Port VPI QSFP56 PCIe Adapter

The Mellanox MCX653105A-ECAT ConnectX-6 1-Port VPI QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Network Adapter is a high-performance networking solution engineered for modern enterprise infrastructures, hyperscale data centers, cloud computing platforms, artificial intelligence environments, and high-performance computing clusters. Built on the advanced ConnectX-6 architecture, this adapter delivers exceptional bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and outstanding processing efficiency while supporting demanding workloads that require reliable, high-speed connectivity. Organizations seeking scalable networking performance benefit from its ability to accelerate data movement while reducing CPU utilization through intelligent hardware offloading technologies.

Designed with a single QSFP56 interface and PCI Express 4.0 x16 connectivity, this network adapter offers an optimized balance between throughput and energy efficiency. Its Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) capability enables flexible deployment across InfiniBand and Ethernet environments, making it suitable for organizations that require adaptable networking infrastructures capable of supporting evolving workloads. Whether deployed in virtualization clusters, software-defined storage, GPU-accelerated computing platforms, or enterprise networking environments, the ConnectX-6 adapter provides consistent performance for mission-critical applications.

Advanced ConnectX-6 Networking Architecture

Built for Modern Enterprise Infrastructure

The ConnectX-6 architecture represents a significant advancement in intelligent network interface technology. By integrating advanced packet processing, hardware acceleration, and high-speed communication capabilities, the MCX653105A-ECAT enables servers to process substantially larger volumes of traffic without placing unnecessary demands on host processors. The result is improved application responsiveness, faster data transfers, and enhanced infrastructure efficiency across a wide range of computing environments.

As enterprise applications continue to generate increasing volumes of network traffic, organizations require network adapters capable of supporting higher bandwidth while maintaining predictable latency. The ConnectX-6 platform addresses these requirements through optimized packet handling, intelligent traffic management, and advanced transport acceleration that improves overall system performance.

Optimized for High-Speed Data Transfer

The single-port QSFP56 interface delivers outstanding throughput for applications that depend on rapid data movement between servers, storage systems, and networking devices. Large database synchronization, distributed computing, virtualization migration, machine learning datasets, and real-time analytics all benefit from the adapter's ability to move data efficiently across the network while maintaining low latency characteristics.

Single-Port QSFP56 Interface Performance

Reliable High-Bandwidth Connectivity

The QSFP56 port provides enterprise-class connectivity designed to accommodate high-speed optical modules and direct attach copper cables depending on deployment requirements. This flexibility allows organizations to design cost-effective networking infrastructures while maintaining compatibility with existing switching platforms and future network expansion projects.

The high-density QSFP56 interface simplifies cable management while supporting modern data center architectures that require scalable interconnect solutions. Whether connecting top-of-rack switches, aggregation switches, storage appliances, or GPU servers, the adapter ensures consistent communication across demanding workloads.

Scalable Network Expansion

As infrastructure requirements continue to evolve, organizations can integrate the MCX653105A-ECAT into expanding network environments without significant architectural modifications. The adapter supports scalable deployments where increasing bandwidth requirements can be accommodated through high-speed switching platforms and compatible network fabrics.

PCI Express 4.0 x16 Interface Advantages

Maximizing Host System Bandwidth

The PCI Express 4.0 x16 interface provides the necessary bandwidth to eliminate communication bottlenecks between the network adapter and host server. This enables modern processors to fully leverage the adapter's networking capabilities while maintaining high throughput across multiple simultaneous workloads.

Compared to earlier PCIe generations, PCIe 4.0 substantially increases available bandwidth, allowing applications involving large file transfers, distributed storage, virtualization clusters, and GPU communication to perform more efficiently. Servers equipped with PCIe 4.0 infrastructure benefit from improved data exchange rates and enhanced application responsiveness.

Compatibility with Modern Server Platforms

The adapter is designed for integration into contemporary enterprise servers supporting PCIe Gen4 technology. This compatibility enables organizations to maximize infrastructure investments while preparing for future networking requirements associated with digital transformation, cloud adoption, and artificial intelligence workloads.

Virtual Protocol Interconnect Flexibility

Supporting InfiniBand and Ethernet Environments

One of the defining characteristics of the MCX653105A-ECAT is its Virtual Protocol Interconnect capability. VPI technology enables organizations to deploy the adapter in either InfiniBand or Ethernet environments depending on infrastructure requirements. This deployment flexibility simplifies procurement decisions while reducing the need to maintain separate networking hardware inventories.

Organizations operating mixed networking environments often require solutions capable of supporting diverse communication protocols. VPI provides administrators with the flexibility to align networking infrastructure with workload requirements while preserving investment value over time.

Infrastructure Adaptability

Whether supporting enterprise Ethernet deployments or high-performance InfiniBand fabrics, the adapter delivers consistent networking performance while enabling administrators to configure the appropriate transport protocol according to operational objectives.

Ultra-Low Latency Communication

Reducing Network Response Times

Latency has become an increasingly important consideration for enterprise applications including financial services, scientific simulations, cloud computing, virtualization, and artificial intelligence. The ConnectX-6 architecture minimizes communication delays through intelligent packet processing, efficient hardware scheduling, and optimized transport mechanisms.

Applications requiring rapid server-to-server communication benefit from the adapter's ability to reduce packet processing overhead while maintaining predictable response characteristics. This contributes to improved application performance, faster transaction completion, and enhanced user experiences.

Accelerating Real-Time Applications

Real-time analytics, distributed databases, GPU communication, and high-frequency transaction processing all require networking solutions capable of delivering extremely low latency. The MCX653105A-ECAT addresses these demands through hardware optimization that minimizes software intervention during packet processing.

Hardware Offload Technologies

Reducing CPU Utilization

Modern servers execute increasingly complex workloads that compete for processor resources. The ConnectX-6 adapter incorporates advanced hardware offloading capabilities that transfer networking tasks from the CPU to dedicated hardware components. This significantly reduces processor utilization while increasing application performance.

Tasks such as checksum calculation, packet segmentation, receive-side scaling, transport acceleration, and protocol processing are handled directly by the network adapter, allowing server processors to concentrate on application execution rather than networking overhead.

Improving Overall Server Efficiency

Hardware acceleration contributes to better infrastructure utilization by enabling higher virtual machine densities, increased application throughput, and improved responsiveness across enterprise computing environments. Organizations benefit from greater return on hardware investments while lowering operational overhead.

Virtualization Performance Enhancement

Optimized for Hypervisor Environments

Virtualized infrastructures require network adapters capable of supporting large numbers of virtual machines without introducing communication bottlenecks. The ConnectX-6 architecture includes advanced virtualization acceleration technologies that improve virtual machine networking while maintaining isolation, security, and predictable performance.

Data centers utilizing VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, and other virtualization platforms benefit from the adapter's intelligent packet handling capabilities that improve workload scalability and simplify infrastructure management.

Supporting Cloud Infrastructure

Private cloud, hybrid cloud, and public cloud deployments require consistent networking performance across dynamic workloads. The MCX653105A-ECAT enables cloud providers and enterprise IT departments to deliver reliable networking services while supporting workload migration, resource balancing, and infrastructure scalability.

Storage Networking Acceleration

Supporting Modern Storage Architectures

Enterprise storage environments increasingly depend on high-speed networking to facilitate communication between servers and storage arrays. The ConnectX-6 adapter accelerates storage traffic while minimizing latency associated with distributed storage systems, software-defined storage platforms, and network-attached storage environments.

Applications involving backup operations, disaster recovery, database replication, and large-scale file systems benefit from improved bandwidth and reduced storage communication delays.

Enhancing Data Availability

Reliable storage communication contributes to improved business continuity by ensuring timely data synchronization, efficient replication, and consistent access to mission-critical information across enterprise infrastructures.

Enterprise Security and Reliability

Designed for Mission-Critical Operations

Enterprise networking environments require hardware that maintains dependable operation under continuous workloads. The MCX653105A-ECAT incorporates enterprise-grade engineering focused on stability, reliability, and long-term operational consistency. Its architecture supports continuous data transfer while minimizing interruptions across demanding production environments.

Advanced error detection, intelligent traffic management, and optimized packet handling contribute to dependable communication between servers, storage systems, and network infrastructure components.

Supporting Business Continuity

Reliable networking infrastructure is essential for maintaining application availability, protecting business operations, and ensuring uninterrupted access to critical services. The ConnectX-6 adapter provides the networking foundation required for organizations operating mission-critical workloads around the clock.

Deployment Across Diverse Computing Environments

Versatile Enterprise Applications

The Mellanox MCX653105A-ECAT ConnectX-6 1-Port VPI QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Network Adapter is suitable for numerous enterprise deployment scenarios including virtualization clusters, cloud computing infrastructures, software-defined networking, storage networking, edge computing, telecommunications platforms, research laboratories, financial institutions, media production environments, and hyperscale data centers.

Its combination of PCIe Gen4 performance, QSFP56 connectivity, Virtual Protocol Interconnect flexibility, intelligent hardware acceleration, and enterprise reliability enables organizations to build scalable networking infrastructures capable of supporting today's demanding applications while preparing for future technological advancements.

Long-Term Infrastructure Investment

Organizations investing in high-performance networking infrastructure benefit from the adapter's advanced ConnectX-6 technology, scalable architecture, and broad compatibility with modern server platforms. These characteristics help reduce infrastructure complexity while providing a foundation for future growth, increased workload density, higher network utilization, and continued digital transformation initiatives across enterprise computing environments.