R3W47A HPE Intel Pac N3000 N3000v FPGA Network Accelerator Card

Product Insights: HPE R3W47A Intel PAC N3000/N3000v FPGA-Based Network Accelerator

The HPE R3W47A Network Accelerator Card, powered by Intel's Programmable Acceleration Card (PAC) N3000/N3000v with FPGA technology, is engineered for data-centric and compute-intensive environments. This specialized hardware component is designed to accelerate network processing, offload compute-heavy functions, and reduce overall latency across data pipelines in enterprise and telecom infrastructures. Featuring unmatched flexibility through programmable hardware, the R3W47A delivers significant performance improvements in 5G, network function virtualization (NFV), data analytics, and content delivery networks (CDNs).

Key Characteristics and Device Profile

Hardware Specifications at a Glance

• Brand: HPE
• Manufacturer Part Number: R3W47A
• Device Classification: Programmable Network Acceleration Card
• Chipset Platform: Intel PAC N3000 / N3000v with FPGA architecture
• Form Factor: Full-height, half-length PCIe card

FPGA Power for Next-Gen Workloads

This network accelerator harnesses the reconfigurability of Intel FPGAs to implement customized data paths and application-specific logic. By offloading compute workloads from the CPU, it enables greater throughput and optimizes performance for applications that require ultra-low latency and high determinism.

Flexible Workload Offloading Capabilities

• Accelerates data packet parsing, filtering, and classification
• Ideal for network encryption/decryption and compression tasks
• Reduces CPU bottlenecks by offloading compute-heavy operations
• Supports real-time analytics and complex packet inspection

Use Case Environments and Application Domains

Optimized for Emerging 5G and Edge Computing

The HPE R3W47A PAC N3000 excels in scenarios where consistent throughput and ultra-low-latency processing are essential, such as:

• 5G core and edge infrastructure
• Telecommunications service providers
• Virtualized network functions (VNFs)
• High-frequency financial trading systems
• AI inference acceleration in edge data centers

CDN and Video Processing Applications

Streaming media and video delivery networks benefit from the FPGA's ability to handle encoding, transcoding, and metadata insertion at wire speed, dramatically improving service quality and reducing latency.

Enterprise Security and Deep Packet Inspection

The accelerator card's hardware programmability is invaluable for deep packet inspection (DPI), malware detection, and data loss prevention (DLP). Custom logic can be implemented to scan traffic patterns and enforce compliance in real time.

Architecture and Functional Design

Programmable Logic with FPGA Technology

At the core of the HPE R3W47A is an Intel Arria 10-based FPGA. Unlike fixed-function accelerators, this solution allows IT teams to adapt the card's functions using hardware design languages (HDL) or high-level synthesis tools, giving unmatched adaptability in rapidly evolving network environments.

Intel PAC N3000/N3000v – Configurable at Scale

• Enables firmware-level control over packet flows
• Can be programmed to handle different networking protocols
• Ideal for businesses needing software-defined hardware flexibility
• Field-upgradable to support future protocols and standards

Connectivity, Interfaces, and Form Factor

High-Bandwidth PCI Express Integration

Featuring a PCIe Gen3 x8 interface, the R3W47A ensures high-throughput communication with the system motherboard. This provides a fast, efficient pipeline for data transfer and minimizes latency between the accelerator and host CPU.

Modular SFP+ Network Connectivity

Equipped with SFP+ cages, this card offers 10GbE networking interfaces capable of supporting both fiber and copper transceivers. Users can customize network connections to fit existing infrastructure or expand into newer topologies.

Compact Yet Powerful Design

• Full-height, half-length profile supports a wide range of server chassis
• Ideal for rack-mounted and high-density computing environments
• Efficient cooling architecture supports thermal performance under load

Compatibility and Deployment Flexibility

Interoperability with HPE Server Ecosystems

Engineered by HPE for seamless deployment, the R3W47A integrates efficiently with HPE ProLiant and Apollo systems. Compatibility across Gen10 and Gen10 Plus platforms ensures this card fits smoothly into existing infrastructure.

Cross-OS and Virtualization Support

• Supports Red Hat, CentOS, and Ubuntu server distributions
• Optimized for container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes
• Validated for use in VMware and OpenStack environments
• Provides SR-IOV support for improved VM-to-NIC throughput

Advanced Software and Configuration Ecosystem

Intel Open Programmable Acceleration Engine (OPAE)

Intel's OPAE framework enables developers to create custom accelerators and applications using open APIs. The OPAE SDK simplifies communication between the host CPU and FPGA, enabling faster development cycles and improved performance tuning.

Tools for Programmers and DevOps Engineers

• Supports high-level synthesis via OpenCL
• Provides simulation and verification frameworks
• Dev tools integrate with CI/CD pipelines for agile updates

Remote Monitoring and Telemetry

Integrated support for telemetry allows real-time performance tracking and remote diagnostics, enabling administrators to identify bottlenecks and optimize workloads remotely without physical access to the server.

Security, Compliance, and Enterprise Standards

Hardware Root of Trust and Secure Boot

Security is built into the fabric of the R3W47A card. A hardware root of trust ensures that only verified firmware can execute, and secure boot functionality protects the integrity of the device from power-on.

Compliance with Global Industry Standards

• RoHS and REACH environmental compliance
• Certified under CE, FCC, and UL guidelines
• Designed for mission-critical enterprise and telecom applications
• Supports cryptographic protocols and secure key storage

Operational Efficiency and Long-Term Value

Energy-Efficient Performance

The FPGA-based design consumes less power compared to traditional ASIC accelerators under dynamic loads. With support for power management features and adaptive clocking, it enables energy savings across data centers.

Future-Proof Hardware with Upgrade Paths

With firmware update capabilities and support for evolving industry standards, the HPE R3W47A is designed to provide long-term ROI. It offers a scalable path as businesses evolve their infrastructure toward intelligent and autonomous networks.

Total Cost of Ownership Benefits

• Reduces server CPU usage, freeing up resources for core tasks
• Lowers licensing costs by offloading to hardware
• Improves application performance without major architectural changes
• Consolidates workloads onto fewer physical servers

R3W47A HPE Intel PAC N3000/N3000v FPGA Network Accelerator Card Overview

The R3W47A HPE Intel PAC N3000/N3000v FPGA network accelerator card represents a cutting-edge solution for data-centric enterprises that require low-latency, high-throughput, and customizable compute acceleration. Tailored for integration in HPE ProLiant and Apollo servers, this card leverages the power of Intel Stratix 10 FPGAs to offload and accelerate demanding networking and compute workloads. It is especially effective for applications involving real-time data processing, encryption/decryption, compression, financial analytics, video transcoding, and machine learning inference.

Technical Specifications of the R3W47A HPE Intel PAC N3000/N3000v

Core Hardware Architecture

At the heart of the R3W47A is the Intel Stratix 10 SX FPGA, a highly versatile and performance-centric architecture designed to support a wide range of workloads. The Stratix 10 features integrated ARM processors, advanced memory hierarchy, and high-speed transceivers, delivering substantial improvements in speed and energy efficiency compared to previous-generation FPGA solutions.

Key Specifications

• FPGA: Intel Stratix 10 SX FPGA with integrated dual-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor
• Memory: 32GB DDR4 ECC memory (16GB per channel, 2 channels)
• Flash: 1GB SPI NOR Flash for configuration storage
• Host Interface: PCIe Gen3 x16 with high throughput and low latency
• Network Connectivity: Dual 100GbE QSFP28 interfaces
• Form Factor: Full-height, half-length (FHHL) PCIe card
• Cooling: Passive cooling for data center integration

Benefits of FPGA Acceleration in Enterprise Environments

Customizable Hardware Acceleration

One of the most compelling benefits of FPGA technology, as offered by the R3W47A card, is the ability to create hardware-customized accelerators tailored to specific applications. Unlike general-purpose CPUs or even GPUs, FPGAs can be programmed to execute tasks in parallel and with fixed latencies, enabling massive acceleration for targeted functions.

Deterministic Performance and Low Latency

The deterministic nature of FPGA execution ensures consistent latency performance, which is critical in latency-sensitive applications such as high-frequency trading, telecom routing, and network function virtualization. The R3W47A excels in environments where microsecond-level determinism is necessary.

Power Efficiency

FPGAs are renowned for their ability to provide high performance per watt. By using dedicated logic to execute tasks rather than relying on general-purpose CPU cores, the R3W47A provides more work per unit of energy, translating to operational cost savings in data centers.

Long-Term Investment Through Reprogrammability

With the R3W47A’s FPGA architecture, organizations can continuously adapt their acceleration logic to evolving workloads. This extends the useful lifecycle of the hardware, ensuring a strong return on investment over time.

Use Cases and Application Scenarios

Financial Services and High-Frequency Trading

For financial firms, every microsecond counts. The R3W47A FPGA accelerator card supports applications such as algorithmic trading, risk analysis, and real-time data feed processing. These tasks benefit from the FPGA’s deterministic processing and ability to handle parallel data streams with extremely low latency.

Network Function Virtualization (NFV)

In NFV environments, the R3W47A can accelerate virtual switches, deep packet inspection (DPI), load balancing, and intrusion detection systems. By offloading these tasks from the CPU, organizations can support higher traffic loads and better scalability while reducing latency.

Machine Learning Inference

While training neural networks typically occurs on GPUs, inference workloads—especially those requiring high throughput and low latency—can be efficiently handled by FPGAs. The R3W47A is suitable for inference in applications such as fraud detection, speech recognition, and real-time image classification.

Data Compression and Encryption

Data centers handling massive volumes of data benefit from hardware-accelerated compression and encryption. The R3W47A is capable of implementing custom pipelines for AES encryption, LZ compression, and other algorithms, reducing CPU bottlenecks and enhancing throughput.

HPE Server Compatibility and Integration

Supported Platforms

The R3W47A is validated for a range of HPE servers, including:

• HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10
• HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10
• HPE Apollo 2000 Gen10
• HPE Apollo 6500 Gen10

Integration Guidelines

To ensure optimal performance, HPE recommends proper BIOS settings, including enabling SR-IOV and VT-d, and using certified OS drivers and FPGA bitstreams. The card is fully supported in the HPE System Insight Manager and HPE Integrated Lights Out (iLO) tools for remote management and monitoring.

FPGA Development and Bitstream Deployment

Intel Acceleration Stack

The R3W47A is supported by the Intel Acceleration Stack, which includes software tools, APIs, and IP libraries for streamlined development. This software ecosystem enables developers to create and test FPGA bitstreams using familiar languages such as C++, OpenCL, and Verilog.

Pre-Built Bitstreams

Intel and its partners offer pre-built bitstreams for common workloads, including encryption, compression, and machine learning inference. These bitstreams can be deployed quickly using the Open Programmable Acceleration Engine (OPAE) and Intel’s FPGA Management Tools.

Custom FPGA Design Workflows

For organizations with specialized needs, the FPGA development workflow allows creation of highly customized solutions. Using tools like Intel Quartus Prime and ModelSim, engineers can simulate, verify, and deploy designs tailored to business requirements.

Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS)

Enterprise-Grade Reliability

Built to meet HPE’s rigorous standards, the R3W47A delivers enterprise-class reliability with features like ECC memory, temperature monitoring, and secure firmware updates. HPE ensures that this card undergoes extensive validation testing across supported server platforms.

Monitoring and Diagnostics

Through HPE’s iLO and System Insight Manager, administrators can monitor FPGA temperature, power draw, utilization, and error logs. This proactive visibility helps IT teams identify and resolve issues before they impact workload performance.

Security and Compliance Considerations

Secure Boot and Firmware Protection

The R3W47A includes secure boot functionality to prevent unauthorized code execution. Firmware images are cryptographically signed and validated before execution, protecting against malicious modifications and firmware-level threats.

Data Protection in Transit

With dual 100GbE interfaces, this FPGA card supports secure data transfer using IPSec, MACsec, and custom cryptographic accelerators implemented directly in FPGA logic, providing a foundation for secure, high-bandwidth communication.

Regulatory Compliance

HPE ensures that the R3W47A complies with key regulatory standards, including FCC, CE, RoHS, and others, enabling its deployment in global data centers and across industry verticals requiring compliance assurance.

Performance Benchmarks and Workload Acceleration

Real-World Performance Gains

Performance evaluations show that the R3W47A can accelerate targeted workloads by up to 10x compared to CPU-only implementations. Whether offloading SSL encryption or accelerating AI inference, this card delivers tangible performance benefits that translate directly to business value.

Comparative Analysis with GPU and ASIC Solutions

Compared to GPUs, FPGAs offer lower latency and greater determinism, making them ideal for applications where predictable response time is critical. Unlike ASICs, which are inflexible, FPGAs allow post-deployment reconfiguration, offering a balance of performance and adaptability.

Licensing, Support, and Lifecycle Management

Licensing and Bitstream Management

Some FPGA bitstreams may require additional licensing from Intel or third-party IP providers. HPE provides guidance on license management and offers support for integrating licensed bitstreams in enterprise environments.

HPE Support and Warranty

As part of HPE’s portfolio, the R3W47A benefits from standard HPE support packages, including 3-year limited warranty and optional Care Pack services for expedited replacement and on-site technical support.

Lifecycle and Firmware Updates

HPE provides regular firmware updates to enhance functionality, security, and compatibility. These updates can be deployed remotely using HPE’s iLO management suite, reducing administrative overhead and downtime.

Choose the R3W47A HPE Intel PAC N3000/N3000v

Future-Proof Flexibility

As enterprise workloads evolve, the reprogrammable nature of the R3W47A ensures that it remains relevant and capable of handling new challenges, from AI at the edge to real-time cybersecurity analytics.

Integration with HPE’s Enterprise Ecosystem

Choosing the R3W47A means investing in a solution that is seamlessly integrated with HPE’s industry-leading infrastructure, management tools, and global support network, enabling a streamlined experience from deployment to scaling.

Accelerated Time to Insight

By dramatically reducing data processing latency, the R3W47A allows organizations to derive faster insights from their data, enabling more responsive decision-making and enhanced customer experiences.