The starting point - the hardware
First, let’s clarify what most people think of when they think of a NIC (Network Interface Card) whether that is a traditional NIC, a SmartNIC, or a DPU (Data Processing Unit). While the underlying hardware is important, it’s not really the most important story. The real story is the same story that we have been struggling with in tech forever,“what does it do, and how does it make things better for me?”
The hardware - to risk a crossover simplification, a NIC of any flavor has 3 main features: input/output ports, connectivity to the server (PCIe for the most part) and some type of network processor. Yes, there’s the printed circuit board and power supplies, heat sinks, and connectors, and, yes, that network processor can be very simple or highly evolved. However, the 3 main components are common across all network cards: I/O, server connectivity, and a processor.
That is the hardware. Now let’s move onto those important questions and how Xelera addresses them. At Xelera we like to look at the world and ask “how can we make it faster and more useful? ” To that end, we focus on the software that makes SmartNICs and DPUs provide value. If you would like a more detailed dive into what makes a SmartNIC, please check out our previous blog post What is a SmartNIC.
What do we do, and how do we make things better for you?
We start with incredibly fast hardware, like AMD Alveo and Napatech NT NICs and build from there. Our approach is modular: a foundational software layer that provides its own value and supports accelerated applications. To date, our primary focus is on network security acceleration and AI Inference acceleration. Let’s start with our foundational layer, the Xelera Acceleration Platform (Xelera AP).
The Foundational Layer - Xelera AP
The hardware that we run on is best-in-class, but it does not provide comprehensive network functionality out of the box. For that, there needs to be a network layer that provides functionality and enables network applications – this is the SmartNIC. Given our focus on accelerated throughput and secure access to data, that network layer needs to be high-performance, optimized for throughput and latency, and incredibly adaptable. Our solution for this challenge is Xelera AP which provides SmartNIC functionality while supporting our applications such as Xelera Silva, which can provide single-microsecond AI Inference latency, and Xelera Net, which enables accelerated network security. With both Linux and FreeBSD drivers Xelera AP provides users with a choice of operating systems to meet their needs. Same Xelera AP, same performance, choice of O/S.
What does it do?
Xelera AP provides comprehensive network functionality for up to 400Gbps Ethernet, providing network and storage offloads, saving critical server resources, and enables Xelera applications to accelerate critical data center tasks.
How does it make things better for me? By providing a foundation for accelerated applications, Xelera AP enables datacenter managers to solve problems: security bottlenecks, faster AI inference, and network performance, all on standard hardware that installs in almost any server.
Today, Xelera AP provides the accelerated foundation for both Xelera Net for network security and Xelera Silva, as previously mentioned for accelerated AI Inference, while also enabling future accelerated applications that we are developing.
This post is to provide a brief overview of Xelera AP. We have introduced Xelera Silva and Xelera Net, and those will be covered in detail in subsequent posts.
If you would like more information about Xelera AP or any of our products– their feature sets, performance, or how we may support your SmartNIC/DPU needs, please do not hesitate to contact us at sales@xelera.io. We are always up for a good conversation about networking.
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