MCX653106A-HDAT Mellanox ConnectX-6 VPI Adapter Card Dual-Port HDR IB 200Gb/s PCIe 4.0 x16 QSFP56 x 2 Server Parts Network Adapter

Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT ConnectX-6 Adapter Outline

The Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT ConnectX-6 VPI Adapter Card is a high-performance dual-port networking solution engineered for enterprise servers, cloud computing platforms, AI clusters, HPC environments, and modern data centers. Designed with dual QSFP56 interfaces and PCI Express 4.0 x16 connectivity, this advanced server network adapter delivers exceptional throughput of up to 200Gb/s while supporting both InfiniBand and Ethernet networking. Its versatile architecture enables organizations to deploy a single adapter across multiple infrastructures, maximizing flexibility, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Built by Mellanox, the ConnectX-6 VPI adapter provides ultra-low latency, high bandwidth, and reliable connectivity for demanding workloads including virtualization, machine learning, database acceleration, distributed storage, and software-defined networking. The adapter supports copper and optical media, making it suitable for a wide range of enterprise networking deployments.

Product Information about this Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT

• Manufacturer: Mellanox
• Part Number: MCX653106A-HDAT
• Product Type: Network Adapter Card
• Series: ConnectX-6 VPI
• Form Factor: PCI Express Adapter
• Host Interface: PCIe Gen4 x16
• Network Ports: Dual QSFP56
• Supported Media: Copper and Optical

Key Performance Advantages

• Up to 200Gb/s network bandwidth
• Ultra-low latency communication
• Optimized for AI, HPC, and cloud workloads
• Excellent scalability for enterprise infrastructures
• High-speed PCI Express Gen4 x16 interface
• Reliable performance under continuous workloads

QSFP56 Port Benefits

• Dual-port architecture for increased bandwidth
• Support for optical fiber and direct attach copper cables
• Redundant network connectivity
• Improved fault tolerance
• Flexible deployment across various network topologies
• Excellent compatibility with modern switching platforms

Supported InfiniBand Modes

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

Supported Ethernet Standards

• 200GBASE-CR4
• 200GBASE-KR4
• 200GBASE-SR4
• 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
• SGMII
• 1000BASE-CX
• 1000BASE-KX

PCIe Features

• PCI Express Gen4 x16 interface
• 16GT/s PCIe Gen4 signaling
• 8GT/s PCIe Gen3 signaling
• Backward compatibility with earlier PCIe generations
• High-speed communication between CPU and network

Power Specifications

• Auxiliary Voltage: 3.3V AUX
• Maximum Current: 100mA
• Typical Power Consumption with Passive Cables: 23.6W
• Maximum QSFP56 Port Power: 5W

Cooling and Airflow Requirements

Passive Cable Configuration

• 350 LFM airflow at 55°C (heatsink to port)
• 250 LFM airflow at 35°C (port to heatsink)

NVIDIA Active 4.7W Cable Configuration

• 400 LFM airflow at 55°C (heatsink to port)
• 300 LFM airflow at 35°C (port to heatsink)

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

Physical Specifications

Adapter Dimensions

• Length: 6.6 inches
• Width: 2.71 inches
• Enterprise server expansion card form factor

Recommended Deployment Scenarios

• Artificial Intelligence infrastructure
• Machine Learning clusters
• High-Performance Computing (HPC)
• Enterprise virtualization platforms
• Cloud computing environments
• Software-defined networking
• Distributed storage systems
• Large-scale database servers
• Financial computing applications
• Research and simulation clusters

Key Features

• Dual-port QSFP56 connectivity
• Supports InfiniBand and Ethernet networking
• Maximum throughput up to 200Gb/s
• PCI Express Gen4 x16 interface
• Compatible with copper and optical cabling
• IBTA v1.4 InfiniBand support
• Broad Ethernet protocol compatibility
• Optimized for AI, HPC, cloud, and enterprise data centers
• Efficient power consumption and thermal management
• Reliable performance for mission-critical server environments

Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT Dual-Port 200Gb/s Adapter

The Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT ConnectX-6 VPI Adapter Card is engineered to meet the performance demands of modern enterprise data centers, cloud computing platforms, artificial intelligence environments, machine learning clusters, high-performance computing infrastructures, and enterprise virtualization deployments. Designed with advanced networking technologies, this dual-port HDR InfiniBand and Ethernet adapter provides exceptional bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and outstanding scalability for organizations that require high-speed server connectivity. Built around the proven ConnectX-6 architecture, the adapter enables efficient communication between servers, storage systems, and network infrastructure while supporting demanding workloads that require reliable, high-throughput data transfer.

Featuring dual QSFP56 ports and a PCI Express 4.0 x16 host interface, the MCX653106A-HDAT network adapter delivers outstanding performance for enterprise servers handling massive datasets, distributed computing, software-defined storage, virtualization, containerized applications, and GPU-based computing environments. Its versatile VPI architecture enables organizations to deploy either InfiniBand or Ethernet networking while maintaining investment flexibility and simplifying future infrastructure upgrades.

Enterprise-Class ConnectX-6 VPI Networking Technology

Designed for Modern Data Center Infrastructure

The ConnectX-6 VPI family represents one of the most advanced generations of intelligent network interface adapters developed for enterprise networking. The Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT combines high bandwidth, intelligent packet processing, hardware acceleration, and efficient CPU utilization to deliver consistent networking performance across a wide range of workloads. Organizations deploying virtualization clusters, enterprise databases, AI training environments, storage networks, and cloud computing platforms benefit from the adapter's ability to process enormous amounts of network traffic with minimal latency.

The dual-port architecture enables simultaneous connectivity to redundant switches or multiple network fabrics, improving availability and simplifying network design. PCI Express 4.0 x16 connectivity further ensures that the host server can fully utilize the available bandwidth without introducing bottlenecks between the server CPU and network interface.

Virtual Protocol Interconnect Flexibility

The Virtual Protocol Interconnect technology allows the ConnectX-6 adapter to operate within both InfiniBand and Ethernet environments. This flexibility provides organizations with greater deployment options while supporting infrastructure standardization across mixed networking environments. Businesses expanding their computing infrastructure can utilize the adapter in existing Ethernet deployments while preparing for future InfiniBand expansion, reducing migration complexity and protecting long-term infrastructure investments.

Dual QSFP56 Connectivity for High-Speed Networking

200Gb/s HDR InfiniBand Performance

The dual QSFP56 interfaces support HDR InfiniBand connectivity capable of delivering up to 200Gb/s of bandwidth per port depending on deployment configuration. This substantial throughput enables organizations to transfer massive datasets rapidly between servers, storage systems, GPU clusters, and high-performance computing nodes. Scientific simulations, genomic sequencing, financial modeling, engineering analysis, and deep learning applications all benefit from the exceptional bandwidth available through HDR InfiniBand networking.

High-Speed Server Interconnect

Servers connected through dual QSFP56 interfaces experience dramatically reduced communication delays compared to traditional networking technologies. Large-scale computational clusters rely on low-latency communication to synchronize processing tasks efficiently, and the ConnectX-6 architecture minimizes transmission overhead while maximizing application responsiveness.

Support for Optical and Direct Attach Connectivity

The QSFP56 interfaces are compatible with a broad selection of passive copper cables, active copper cables, active optical cables, and optical transceivers. This deployment flexibility enables data center architects to optimize infrastructure costs while selecting the most appropriate media for rack-level, row-level, or building-wide connectivity.

PCI Express 4.0 x16 Host Interface Advantages

Maximum Host Throughput

The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface provides significantly higher bandwidth than previous PCI Express generations, allowing modern multi-core processors to communicate efficiently with the network adapter. High-speed storage, GPU accelerators, virtualization hosts, and enterprise application servers benefit from reduced communication bottlenecks and improved workload efficiency.

Modern enterprise servers frequently process multiple virtual machines, containers, distributed databases, and storage services simultaneously. PCIe Gen4 bandwidth ensures that network traffic flows efficiently between the server processor, system memory, storage subsystem, and external network fabric without creating unnecessary latency.

Optimized Multi-Core CPU Performance

The intelligent architecture of the ConnectX-6 adapter distributes networking workloads efficiently across multiple processor cores while utilizing advanced hardware acceleration techniques. This design minimizes CPU overhead, allowing processors to dedicate more computational resources to business applications rather than software-based packet processing.

HDR InfiniBand for High-Performance Computing

Accelerating Scientific Applications

High-performance computing environments require networking solutions capable of supporting tightly coupled applications where communication latency directly impacts computational performance. The Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT enables research institutions, universities, engineering organizations, and scientific laboratories to build scalable clusters that efficiently process simulations, computational fluid dynamics, weather forecasting, molecular modeling, seismic analysis, and advanced mathematical computations.

GPU-to-GPU Communication

The advanced networking capabilities of ConnectX-6 complement modern GPU acceleration platforms by enabling rapid communication between distributed processing resources. This capability is especially valuable for neural network training, image processing, scientific visualization, and large-scale analytics workloads.

Virtualization and Cloud Computing Optimization

Efficient Virtual Machine Networking

Enterprise virtualization platforms require network adapters capable of supporting hundreds of virtual machines without introducing excessive CPU overhead. The MCX653106A-HDAT incorporates hardware acceleration technologies that improve virtual machine networking performance while reducing processor utilization. Organizations deploying VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, Linux KVM, OpenStack, or container orchestration platforms benefit from consistent network responsiveness under heavy workloads.

Cloud Infrastructure Scalability

Cloud service providers demand networking hardware capable of supporting dynamic workloads across numerous tenants and applications. ConnectX-6 technology delivers predictable performance while supporting software-defined networking, network virtualization, and cloud-native infrastructure architectures. As workloads increase, the adapter maintains efficient packet processing and reliable throughput across multiple simultaneous network sessions.

Advanced Hardware Offloading Technologies

Reducing Processor Utilization

One of the major strengths of the ConnectX-6 architecture is its ability to perform networking operations directly within dedicated hardware. By offloading packet processing functions from the host CPU, the adapter allows servers to allocate more processing resources toward applications, databases, virtualization workloads, analytics, and business services.

Storage Traffic Acceleration

Enterprise storage environments utilizing NVMe over Fabrics, software-defined storage platforms, distributed file systems, and high-speed storage clusters benefit from reduced latency and efficient storage traffic handling. Hardware acceleration minimizes delays while supporting rapid data movement between storage arrays and application servers.

Intelligent Traffic Processing

Advanced packet processing capabilities improve networking efficiency by accelerating common operations that would otherwise consume processor resources. This hardware-assisted architecture contributes to improved scalability as network traffic continues to increase across enterprise environments.

Reliable Enterprise Server Connectivity

Built for Continuous Operation

Enterprise data centers require networking hardware capable of operating continuously under demanding workloads. The Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT is designed for mission-critical deployments where reliability, stability, and consistent throughput are essential. Dual-port connectivity further improves network availability by enabling redundant paths and failover configurations that reduce the risk of service interruptions.

Scalable Infrastructure Expansion

Organizations planning long-term infrastructure growth benefit from the scalability provided by ConnectX-6 networking technology. Additional servers can be integrated into existing clusters while maintaining high-speed communication across expanding compute environments. This scalability supports growing enterprise workloads without requiring complete network redesign.

Data Center Efficiency Improvements

Optimized Rack Density

Higher bandwidth per adapter enables organizations to consolidate networking infrastructure while supporting increasing application demands. Fewer adapters may be required to achieve target bandwidth levels, simplifying server configurations and reducing overall hardware complexity within enterprise racks.

Lower Network Latency

Latency-sensitive enterprise applications such as financial trading platforms, online transaction processing, distributed databases, and real-time analytics benefit from the adapter's advanced architecture. Rapid packet delivery improves application responsiveness while enabling more efficient workload execution across distributed computing environments.

Broad Compatibility with Enterprise Platforms

Server Platform Integration

The Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT is suitable for deployment within a wide variety of enterprise rack servers, blade servers, GPU servers, storage appliances, hyperconverged infrastructure systems, and custom-built high-performance computing platforms. PCIe 4.0 compatibility allows integration into modern server architectures while maintaining excellent compatibility with enterprise operating systems and virtualization platforms.

Operating System Support

Enterprise administrators can deploy the adapter across Linux distributions, Windows Server environments, virtualization hypervisors, cloud platforms, and specialized HPC operating systems. Comprehensive driver availability simplifies installation while ensuring optimal performance across diverse infrastructure environments.

Ideal Workloads for the Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT

Enterprise Storage Networks

Storage-intensive environments require consistent high-speed connectivity between servers and storage resources. The adapter enables rapid data transfer for distributed storage systems, backup infrastructure, software-defined storage platforms, and high-performance storage arrays where throughput and latency directly influence application performance.

Cloud Data Centers

Private cloud, hybrid cloud, and public cloud infrastructures rely on efficient server networking to support thousands of simultaneous users and applications. The Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT provides scalable networking performance capable of supporting evolving cloud architectures while maintaining predictable throughput and resource utilization.

High-Performance Computing Clusters

Engineering organizations, research institutions, universities, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturing facilities, and government laboratories utilize ConnectX-6 networking technology to accelerate distributed computation. The combination of HDR InfiniBand performance, PCIe 4.0 bandwidth, dual QSFP56 connectivity, intelligent hardware acceleration, and enterprise-grade reliability makes the Mellanox MCX653106A-HDAT ConnectX-6 VPI Adapter Card an outstanding solution for organizations seeking high-speed server networking capable of supporting today's most demanding enterprise workloads while remaining prepared for future infrastructure expansion.