900-9X81E-00EX-DT0 Nvidia 2 Port ConnectX-8 C8180 HHHL 800GB XDR IB 2x400GbE OSFP PCI E 6 x16 With Network Adapter

Nvidia ConnectX-8 PCIE Network Adapter

The Nvidia 900-9X81E-00EX-DT0 is a high-performance dual-port ConnectX-8 C8180 HHHL SUPER NIC designed for advanced networking with 800GB XDR InfiniBand default mode and 2x400GbE Ethernet support. Featuring PCI Express Gen6 x16 lanes, this adapter ensures superior speed and reliability for enterprise-grade data centers.

General Information

• Manufacturer: Nvidia
• Part Number: 900-9X81E-00EX-DT0
• Device Type: Network Adapter

Technical Specifications

PCI Express Interface

• Gen6 Serdes @ 64GT/s, x16 lanes (Gen5 compatible)
• Optional PCIe x16 Gen5 @ 32GT/s via auxiliary card and MCIO harness

Networking Port

• Single cage OSFP supporting InfiniBand and Ethernet

Data Transmission Rates

InfiniBand (Default Mode)

• XDR / NDR / HDR / HDR100 / EDR / SDR

Ethernet Speeds

• 400 / 200 / 100 Gb/s Ethernet

Protocol Compatibility

InfiniBand Standards

• IBTA v1.7a
• Auto-negotiation: XDR, NDR, NDR200, HDR, HDR100, EDR, FDR, SDR

Ethernet Standards

• 400GAUI-4 C2M, 400GBASE-CR4
• 200GAUI-2 C2M, 200GAUI-4 C2M, 200GBASE-CR4
• 100GAUI-2 C2M, 100GAUI-1 C2M, 100GBASE-CR4/CR2/CR1
• 50GAUI-2 C2M, 50GAUI-1 C2M, 50GBASE-CR/R2
• 40GBASE-CR4/R2, 25GBASE-R, 10GBASE-R/CX4
• 1000BASE-CX, CAUI-4 C2M, 25GAUI C2M, XLAUI C2M, XLPPi, SFI

Capabilities

• Secure Boot enabled
• Cryptographic support with PCIe x16 downstream port extension option

Electrical and Thermal Details

Voltage Requirements

• 12V
• 3.3V
• 3.3VAUX

Environmental Conditions

Temperature Range

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

Humidity Levels

• Operational: 10% to 85% relative humidity
• Non-operational: 10% to 90% relative humidity

Altitude

• Operational up to 3050m

Regulatory Compliance

Safety Certifications

• CB
• cTUVus
• CE

Electromagnetic Compatibility

• CE
• FCC
• VCCI
• ICES
• RCM
• KC

Environmental Standards

• RoHS Compliant

900-9X81E-00EX-DT0 Network Adapter Overview

The category encompassing the Nvidia 900-9X81E-00EX-DT0 2 Port ConnectX-8 C8180 HHHL SUPER NIC represents the highest tier of modern data center networking adapters designed to support extreme bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and advanced offload capabilities. This category focuses on next-generation intelligent network interface cards built for hyperscale computing, artificial intelligence clusters, high-performance computing environments, and large-scale cloud infrastructures. Products within this category are engineered to meet the exponential growth of data movement demands driven by AI training, inference workloads, distributed storage systems, and high-throughput microservices architectures.

These networking adapters are purpose-built to deliver deterministic performance at scale, supporting modern interconnect standards such as XDR InfiniBand and high-speed Ethernet in a single, unified platform. The category emphasizes versatility, allowing deployment flexibility across different network fabrics while maintaining consistent performance characteristics. This adaptability is essential for organizations transitioning between InfiniBand and Ethernet or operating hybrid environments that require seamless interoperability.

ConnectX-8 Architecture and Category Differentiation

The ConnectX-8-based networking category is defined by its advanced silicon architecture, which integrates high-speed SerDes, programmable packet processing engines, and hardware-accelerated offloads into a compact PCI Express form factor. These adapters are designed around PCIe Gen 6 x16 connectivity, ensuring that the host interface does not become a bottleneck even when operating at aggregate bandwidths approaching 800 gigabits per second. This architectural approach distinguishes the category from earlier generations of network adapters that were constrained by host interface limitations.

Within this category, the emphasis on hardware-based acceleration reduces CPU overhead by offloading tasks such as encryption, packet steering, congestion control, and virtualization. This allows compute resources to remain focused on application processing rather than network management. The result is improved overall system efficiency, reduced power consumption per workload, and predictable latency characteristics even under heavy network load.

XDR InfiniBand and High-Speed Ethernet Convergence

A defining characteristic of this category is the convergence of XDR InfiniBand and ultra-high-speed Ethernet within a single adapter platform. Products are designed to operate in default InfiniBand mode while offering the flexibility to support Ethernet protocols as required. This dual-mode capability is critical for modern data centers that must support diverse workloads ranging from tightly coupled MPI-based HPC applications to large-scale Ethernet-based cloud services.

The category prioritizes support for 2x400GbE configurations through advanced OSFP single-cage designs, enabling dense port layouts without compromising signal integrity or thermal performance. This approach allows data center architects to maximize rack-level bandwidth while minimizing cabling complexity and power draw. The result is a scalable networking foundation that can grow alongside increasing workload demands.

Form Factor and Deployment Flexibility

The HHHL form factor featured in this category ensures broad compatibility with a wide range of server platforms, including standard enterprise servers, high-density compute nodes, and specialized AI accelerator systems. By adhering to half-height, half-length specifications, these adapters can be deployed in space-constrained environments without sacrificing performance or functionality. This flexibility is essential for organizations seeking to standardize on a single networking solution across heterogeneous hardware platforms.

The PCIe Gen 6 x16 interface further enhances deployment flexibility by providing ample bandwidth headroom for future workload growth. As servers adopt faster CPUs, GPUs, and accelerators, the networking subsystem must scale accordingly. This category is designed with forward compatibility in mind, ensuring that investments made today remain relevant as data center architectures evolve.

Thermal Design and Power Efficiency Considerations

High-performance networking at 800Gb/s introduces significant thermal and power challenges, and this category addresses these concerns through advanced thermal engineering and power management features. Adapters are designed with optimized airflow paths, high-efficiency heat sinks, and intelligent power regulation to maintain stable operation under sustained heavy loads. These design considerations are critical for maintaining reliability in densely populated racks where thermal margins may be limited.

Power efficiency is also a key differentiator within this category. By offloading network processing tasks to dedicated hardware engines, overall system power consumption is reduced compared to software-based networking solutions. This efficiency translates into lower operating costs and improved sustainability metrics for large-scale data center deployments.

Advanced Offload Capabilities and Intelligent Networking

The category places a strong emphasis on intelligent networking features that enhance application performance and simplify network management. Hardware-accelerated offloads for RDMA, GPUDirect, and advanced congestion control protocols enable low-latency, high-throughput data transfers between compute nodes and accelerators. These capabilities are essential for AI training workloads that require rapid synchronization across thousands of GPUs.

In addition to performance-focused offloads, the category supports advanced security features such as inline encryption, secure boot, and trusted firmware validation. These capabilities help protect sensitive data as it traverses the network while maintaining line-rate performance. Security is increasingly important in multi-tenant and cloud environments, and this category is designed to meet stringent compliance and data protection requirements.

Virtualization and Cloud-Native Integration

Products within this category are optimized for virtualized and containerized environments, offering features such as SR-IOV, hardware-based switching, and network namespace isolation. These capabilities enable cloud service providers and enterprise IT teams to deliver high-performance networking to virtual machines and containers without compromising isolation or security. The result is a consistent networking experience across bare-metal, virtualized, and cloud-native deployments.

The integration of programmable networking engines allows for dynamic adaptation to changing workload requirements. Network policies, traffic steering rules, and quality-of-service parameters can be adjusted in real time, enabling fine-grained control over network behavior. This flexibility is essential for modern DevOps and cloud-native workflows where agility and automation are paramount.

Storage Networking and Data Pipeline Acceleration

Beyond compute-intensive workloads, this category also excels in storage networking and data pipeline acceleration. High-speed Ethernet and InfiniBand support enable rapid data movement between storage systems and compute nodes, reducing I/O bottlenecks and improving overall application performance. This is particularly important for data analytics, real-time processing, and large-scale database workloads.

Hardware offloads for storage protocols and data reduction techniques further enhance efficiency by minimizing CPU overhead and reducing network congestion. These features allow organizations to build high-performance storage fabrics that can keep pace with growing data volumes and increasingly complex workloads.

Scalability and Future-Proof Design Philosophy

The category is built around a future-proof design philosophy that anticipates continued growth in network speeds, workload complexity, and deployment scale. By adopting cutting-edge standards such as PCIe Gen 6 and XDR InfiniBand, these adapters provide a solid foundation for next-generation data center architectures. This forward-looking approach helps organizations protect their investments while preparing for emerging technologies and use cases.

Scalability is addressed not only in terms of raw bandwidth but also in manageability and operational efficiency. Centralized management tools, telemetry capabilities, and integration with software-defined networking frameworks enable administrators to monitor and optimize network performance across large deployments. This holistic approach ensures that the networking infrastructure can scale alongside the organization’s operational needs.

Interoperability and Ecosystem Compatibility

Interoperability is a key consideration within this category, as modern data centers often comprise equipment from multiple vendors. These networking adapters are designed to integrate seamlessly with a wide range of switches, cables, and optical modules, ensuring compatibility across diverse environments. Support for open standards and industry protocols further enhances flexibility and reduces the risk of vendor lock-in.

The category also benefits from a robust software ecosystem that includes drivers, firmware, and management tools optimized for various operating systems and orchestration platforms. This comprehensive ecosystem simplifies deployment, reduces time to value, and ensures consistent performance across different use cases.