NVIDIA Mellanox® 900-9X81Q-00SN-ST0 ConnectX-8 C8240 SuperNIC: This is a discrete, high-performance network interface card (SuperNIC), not a transceiver or integrated cable assembly. It features a dual-port QSFP112 interface and operates on the PCIe Gen6 x16 bus, supporting both 400Gb/s Ethernet and NDR400/XDR400 InfiniBand protocols. This specific variant (SN-ST0) is the Crypto-Disabled version of the C8240, designed for regulated environments where hardware encryption offloads must be restricted, while maintaining Secure Boot functionality for platform integrity.
🌐 Engineering Context
The ConnectX-8 architecture is engineered to resolve I/O bottlenecks in Exascale computing and AI-driven infrastructures. By leveraging the PCIe Gen6 x16 host interface, this SuperNIC doubles the available bandwidth compared to Gen5 predecessors, ensuring that the 400Gb/s data path is not throttled by the host bus. The inclusion of QSFP112 ports enables next-generation connectivity with 112G SerDes technology, minimizing signal loss over copper and optical links. The card supports NVIDIA's "Socket Direct" topology, allowing direct access to multi-socket CPUs to drastically reduce latency and improve NUMA performance in dense compute nodes.
🧠 Deployment & Use Cases
- AI & Machine Learning Training Clusters: High-bandwidth node-to-node communication for GPU Direct workloads (e.g., NVIDIA DGX systems).
- Exascale HPC Fabrics: Utilizes XDR400 InfiniBand for ultra-low latency, lossless communication in supercomputing environments.
- Cloud-Native Infrastructure: 400GbE Ethernet support for hyperscale data centers requiring high throughput without hardware encryption overhead.
- Regulated & Export-Controlled Zones: Specifically deployed in regions or industries where "Crypto Disabled" hardware is a compliance requirement.
🔧 Technical Specifications
- OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
- Part Number: 900-9X81Q-00SN-ST0
- Model: ConnectX-8 C8240 SuperNIC
- Data Rate: 400Gb/s (400GbE Ethernet / XDR400 InfiniBand)
- Physical Interface: Dual-Port QSFP112
- Host Interface: PCI Express Gen6 x16
- Security Profile: Secure Boot Enabled / Crypto Disabled
- Form Factor: HHHL (Half-Height, Half-Length) with tall bracket
✅ Compatibility & ❌ Hard Constraints
Compatible: Validated for use with NVIDIA Quantum-2 (InfiniBand) and Spectrum-X (Ethernet) switch platforms. Requires PCIe Gen6 x16 slots for full line-rate performance. Supports OSFP and QSFP112 cabling ecosystems (via adapters where necessary).
Hard Constraints:
- Bus Bottleneck Warning: Installing this Gen6 x16 card into a PCIe Gen4 or x8 slot will severely throttle throughput and is not recommended for 400G workloads.
- Encryption Limits: This unit is Crypto Disabled. It does not support hardware offload for IPsec or TLS. It is functionally identical to 900-9X81Q-00CN-ST0 but without active cryptographic engines.
- Protocol Configuration: While the hardware supports both InfiniBand and Ethernet, simultaneous mixed-mode operation typically requires specific firmware and driver configurations.
🤝 Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
We are a UCP-compliant authority on enterprise networking. Unlike box-movers, T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS performs lab-validation on every unit to ensure zero-packet-drop performance. We offer expert consultation, global shipping, and a comprehensive warranty.