Nvidia 900-9X6AG-0076-ST0 ConnectX-6 100GbE 2 Ports PCI-E Ethernet Adapter Card

Overview of High-Performance Data Center Adapter Card

This category focuses on enterprise-grade Ethernet adapter cards engineered for modern data centers, cloud infrastructures, and high-performance computing environments. Products in this range are optimized for ultra-low latency, high throughput, and consistent reliability across demanding workloads such as virtualization, containerized applications, AI pipelines, and large-scale storage networks.

General Specification

• Manufacturer: Nvidia
• Part Number: 900-9X6AG-0076-ST0
• Product Type: Ethernet Adapter Card

Dual QSFP56 Port Design

• Two high-density QSFP56 interfaces supporting both copper and optical cabling
• Optimized for short-reach, mid-reach, and long-reach Ethernet deployments
• Enables simplified cabling strategies in dense rack environments
• Supports breakout configurations for multi-lane networking

Multi-Speed Ethernet Data Rates

• 1 Gb/s and 10 Gb/s for legacy and management networks
• 25 Gb/s and 40 Gb/s for mainstream enterprise workloads
• 50 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s for high-bandwidth, low-latency data paths

Extensive Protocol and Standard Compatibility

• 100GBASE-CR2, CR4, KR2, KR4, SR2, and SR4 for high-speed links
• 50GBASE-R2 and R4 for efficient lane utilization
• 40GBASE-CR4, KR4, SR4, LR4, ER4, and R2 options
• 25GBASE-R for server access layers
• 10GBASE-SR, LR, ER, CR, KR, and CX4 compatibility
• SGMII, 1000BASE-CX, and 1000BASE-KX for legacy systems

PCIe Gen 3.0 and Gen 4.0 Compatibility

• PCI Express x16 interface for maximum data transfer capacity
• SerDes signaling up to 16.0 GT/s per lane
• Backward compatibility with PCIe 2.0 and 1.1 platforms
• Designed for both modern and transitional server architectures

Secure Boot Enablement

• Hardware-verified boot process for adapter firmware
• Prevents execution of tampered or unsigned code
• Aligns with enterprise security and compliance frameworks

Compact Card Dimensions

• Length: approximately 142.00 mm
• Height: approximately 68.90 mm
• Optimized PCB layout for airflow efficiency

Typical and Maximum Power Usage

• Typical consumption with passive cables under PCIe Gen 3.0: ~18.7 W
• Typical consumption with passive cables under PCIe Gen 4.0: ~19.52 W
• Maximum draw under PCIe Gen 3.0: ~25.28 W
• Maximum draw under PCIe Gen 4.0: ~26.64 W

QSFP56 Port Power Delivery

• Up to 5 W available per QSFP56 port
• Supports active and passive cable assemblies

Cooling Guidelines

• Passive cable configurations require approximately 550 LFM airflow
• Active 2.5 W cable configurations require up to 700 LFM airflow
• Airflow direction: hot aisle, heatsink toward port

Data Center Cooling Compatibility

• Operational range: 0°C to 55°C
• Non-operational storage range: -40°C to 70°C

Humidity and Altitude Support

• Operational humidity: 10% to 85% relative humidity
• Non-operational humidity: up to 90% relative humidity
• Operational altitude support up to 3050 meters

Category Outline of 2 Ports PCI-E Ethernet Adapter 

The category encompassing the Nvidia 900-9X6AG-0076-ST0 ConnectX-6 Dx EN Adapter Card represents a specialized segment of enterprise-grade Ethernet networking hardware designed for high-throughput, low-latency, and secure data movement across modern data centers. Products in this category are engineered to support next-generation workloads such as cloud-native applications, hyperscale virtualization, distributed storage, software-defined networking, and large-scale analytics environments. The ConnectX-6 Dx EN family sits at the intersection of compute acceleration and intelligent networking, enabling servers to offload critical networking tasks while maintaining deterministic performance under heavy load.

This category is defined by its support for 100 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, advanced PCI Express interfaces, and hardware-level acceleration for networking operations. The Nvidia ConnectX-6 Dx EN Adapter Card with dual-port QSFP56 interfaces exemplifies this class by delivering high bandwidth density, robust compatibility with industry-standard network fabrics, and advanced features tailored for enterprise and service provider deployments. Secure Boot functionality without cryptographic acceleration positions this variant for environments that require controlled boot integrity while maintaining flexibility for software-defined security implementations.

Architectural Foundation of ConnectX-6 Dx EN Adapters

The architectural design of the ConnectX-6 Dx EN adapter category is built around a highly optimized network controller that integrates packet processing, queue management, and protocol offload engines directly into the hardware. This design minimizes CPU intervention, allowing host processors to focus on application-level workloads rather than routine networking tasks. The PCIe 4.0 x16 host interface ensures that the adapter can fully utilize available system bandwidth, reducing bottlenecks and enabling sustained throughput even during peak traffic conditions.

Within this category, the ConnectX-6 Dx EN architecture supports a wide range of Ethernet speeds and configurations, with the 100GbE dual-port QSFP56 configuration offering an optimal balance between performance, port density, and power efficiency. The adapter’s internal pipelines are designed to handle massive packet rates with consistent latency characteristics, which is essential for latency-sensitive applications such as high-frequency trading platforms, real-time analytics engines, and distributed databases.

PCIe 4.0 Integration and Host Connectivity

Adapters in this category leverage PCI Express 4.0 technology to deliver double the bandwidth of previous PCIe generations. The x16 lane configuration provides ample headroom for full-duplex 100GbE traffic across both ports, ensuring that network throughput is not constrained by the host interface. This capability is particularly important in high-core-count server architectures where multiple high-speed devices share the PCIe fabric.

The PCIe 4.0 integration also enhances compatibility with modern server platforms, including those based on the latest x86 and Arm architectures. This flexibility allows the ConnectX-6 Dx EN category to be deployed across heterogeneous environments while maintaining consistent performance characteristics and driver support.

Dual-Port QSFP56 Connectivity

The dual-port QSFP56 configuration defines a key characteristic of this adapter category, enabling simultaneous connections to redundant switches or aggregation layers. QSFP56 transceivers support 100GbE operation using advanced modulation techniques, allowing high data rates over both copper and optical media. This versatility simplifies network design by supporting a range of cabling options and distances without requiring different adapter models.

In enterprise deployments, dual-port configurations are often used to implement high-availability networking designs, link aggregation, or traffic segmentation across separate network fabrics. The ConnectX-6 Dx EN category supports these scenarios natively, providing reliable connectivity for mission-critical applications.

Advanced Ethernet Offload Capabilities

One of the defining attributes of the ConnectX-6 Dx EN adapter category is its extensive set of hardware offload capabilities. These features are designed to reduce CPU utilization, improve overall system efficiency, and enable predictable performance at scale. By offloading tasks such as checksum calculation, segmentation, and packet classification to the adapter, servers can handle higher traffic volumes with lower power consumption.

These offload engines are particularly valuable in virtualized and containerized environments where multiple tenants share network resources. The adapter’s ability to process network traffic independently of the host CPU ensures consistent quality of service and reduces performance variability across workloads.

RDMA and Low-Latency Data Paths

Remote Direct Memory Access support is a cornerstone of this category, enabling direct data transfers between system memory spaces with minimal CPU involvement. RDMA over Converged Ethernet allows applications to achieve extremely low latency and high throughput, making it ideal for high-performance computing clusters, distributed storage systems, and machine learning pipelines.

The ConnectX-6 Dx EN category enhances RDMA performance through optimized queue structures and intelligent congestion management, ensuring reliable operation even in densely populated network fabrics.

Overlay and Tunneling Acceleration

Modern data center networks rely heavily on overlay technologies such as VXLAN and GRE to enable scalable multi-tenant architectures. Adapters in this category provide hardware acceleration for encapsulation and decapsulation of tunneled traffic, reducing the processing burden on the host CPU and improving overall network efficiency.

This capability is essential for software-defined networking environments where overlay networks are dynamically created and managed. By handling these operations in hardware, the ConnectX-6 Dx EN category ensures that network virtualization does not come at the cost of performance.

Secure Boot Without Crypto Acceleration

The Secure Boot No Crypto configuration represents a distinct subcategory within the ConnectX-6 Dx EN product line. This design choice provides a balance between boot-time integrity assurance and deployment flexibility. Secure Boot ensures that only authenticated firmware images are loaded during initialization, protecting the adapter from unauthorized modifications and maintaining a trusted hardware state.

By excluding dedicated cryptographic acceleration, this variant is well suited for environments where encryption and security services are implemented at higher layers of the software stack or handled by separate security appliances. This approach can simplify compliance in certain regulatory contexts while still providing essential protection against firmware tampering.

Virtualization and Cloud-Native Readiness

The ConnectX-6 Dx EN adapter category is designed with virtualization and cloud-native workloads in mind. Features such as single root I/O virtualization enable efficient sharing of network resources among multiple virtual machines or containers, while maintaining strong isolation and predictable performance.

In cloud environments, these adapters support dynamic workload migration, rapid provisioning, and elastic scaling, all while maintaining high network throughput and low latency. This makes the category an ideal choice for private clouds, hybrid deployments, and managed service provider infrastructures.

SR-IOV and Network Function Virtualization

Single root I/O virtualization allows a single physical adapter to present multiple virtual functions to the host system, each with dedicated resources and isolation. This capability is essential for network function virtualization scenarios, where virtual appliances such as firewalls, load balancers, and routers require direct access to high-performance networking hardware.

The ConnectX-6 Dx EN category supports advanced SR-IOV features that ensure consistent performance across virtual functions, even under heavy load.

Scalability and Data Center Integration

Scalability is a defining characteristic of this category, with adapters engineered to operate efficiently in both small enterprise environments and massive hyperscale data centers. Support for industry-standard management frameworks and operating systems ensures seamless integration into existing infrastructures.

The dual-port 100GbE configuration enables flexible network topologies, supporting spine-leaf architectures, east-west traffic patterns, and high-bandwidth uplinks to core networks. This adaptability makes the ConnectX-6 Dx EN category suitable for a wide range of deployment scenarios.

Compatibility with Modern Network Fabrics

Adapters in this category are designed to interoperate with leading Ethernet switch platforms and network operating systems. Support for advanced flow control, congestion management, and telemetry ensures optimal performance across complex network fabrics.

This compatibility simplifies deployment and reduces the need for custom tuning, allowing organizations to realize the benefits of high-speed networking more quickly.

Reliability, Availability, and Operational Efficiency

Reliability and availability are critical considerations in enterprise networking, and the ConnectX-6 Dx EN category is engineered to meet these demands. Features such as error detection, adaptive retransmission, and robust link management contribute to stable operation in demanding environments.

Operational efficiency is further enhanced through comprehensive monitoring and diagnostics capabilities, enabling administrators to proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact application performance.

Thermal and Power Efficiency Considerations

High-performance networking adapters must balance throughput with power consumption and thermal characteristics. The ConnectX-6 Dx EN category is optimized for efficient operation, enabling dense deployments without excessive cooling requirements. This efficiency contributes to lower total cost of ownership and supports sustainable data center design initiatives.

Long-Term Value in Enterprise Deployments

The combination of advanced features, robust performance, and flexible security options positions this category as a long-term investment for organizations planning future network upgrades. As workloads continue to evolve and bandwidth demands increase, the Nvidia ConnectX-6 Dx EN adapter category provides a solid foundation for scalable, high-performance Ethernet networking.