The world has modified dramatically since generative AI made its debut. Companies are beginning to use it to summarize on-line evaluations. Customers are getting issues resolved via chatbots. Workers are carrying out their jobs quicker with AI assistants. What these AI functions have in widespread is that they depend on generative AI fashions which have been educated on high-performance, back-end networks within the information heart and served via AI inference clusters deployed in information heart front-end networks.
Coaching fashions can use billions and even trillions of parameters to course of large information units throughout synthetic intelligence/machine studying (AI/ML) clusters of graphics processing unit (GPU)-based servers. Any delays—similar to from community congestion or packet loss—can dramatically impression the accuracy and coaching time of those AI fashions. As AI/ML clusters develop ever bigger, the platforms which are used to construct them must help increased port speeds in addition to increased radices (such because the variety of ports). A better radix permits the constructing of flatter topologies, which reduces layers and improves efficiency.
Assembly the calls for of high-performance AI clusters
Lately, we now have seen the GPU wants for scale-out bandwidth enhance from 200G to 400G to 800G, which is accelerating connectivity necessities in comparison with conventional CPU-based compute options. The density of the information heart leaf should enhance accordingly, whereas additionally maximizing the variety of addressable nodes with flatter topologies.
To deal with these wants, we’re introducing the Cisco 8122-64EH/EHF with help for 64 ports of 800G. This new platform is powered by the Cisco Silicon One G200—a 5 nm 51.2T processor that makes use of 512G x 112G SerDes, which permits excessive scaling capabilities in only a two-rack unit (2RU) kind issue (see Determine 1). With 64 QSFP-DD800 or OSFP interfaces, the Cisco 8122 helps choices for 2x 400G and 8x 100G Ethernet connectivity.
Cisco Silicon One structure, with its totally shared packet buffer for congestion management and P4 programmable forwarding engine, together with the Silicon One software program improvement equipment (SDK), are confirmed and trusted by hyperscalers globally. By way of main improvements, the Cisco Silicon One G200 helps 2x the efficiency and energy effectivity, in addition to decrease latency, in comparison with the previous-generation system.
With the introduction of Cisco Silicon One G200 final yr, Cisco was first to market with 512-wide radix, which will help cloud suppliers decrease prices, complexity, and latency by designing networks with fewer layers, switches, and optics. Developments in load balancing, link-failure avoidance, and congestion response/avoidance assist enhance job completion occasions and reliability at scale for higher AI workload efficiency (see Cisco Silicon One Breaks the 51.2 Tbps Barrier for extra particulars).
The Cisco 8122 helps open community working techniques (NOSs), similar to Software program for Open Networking within the Cloud (SONiC), and different third-party NOSs. By way of broad software programming interface (API) help, cloud suppliers can use tooling for administration and visibility to effectively function the community. With these customizable choices, we’re making it simpler for hyperscalers and different cloud suppliers which are adopting the hyperscaler mannequin to satisfy their necessities.
Along with scaling out back-end networks, the Cisco 8122 will also be used for mainstream workloads in front-end networks, similar to electronic mail and internet servers, databases, and different conventional functions.
Bettering buyer outcomes
With these improvements, cloud suppliers can profit from:
- Simplification: Cloud suppliers can streamline networks by lowering the variety of platforms wanted to scale with high-capacity compact techniques, in addition to relying on fewer networking layers and optics and fewer cabling. Complexity will also be decreased via fewer platforms to handle, which will help decrease operational prices.
- Flexibility: Utilizing an open platform permits cloud suppliers to decide on the community optimization service (NOS) that most accurately fits their wants and permits them to develop customized automation instruments to function the community via APIs.
- Community velocity: Scaling the infrastructure effectively results in fewer potential bottlenecks and delays that would result in slower response occasions and undesirable outcomes with AI workloads. Superior congestion administration, optimized reliability capabilities, and elevated scalability assist allow higher community efficiency for AI/ML clusters.
- Sustainability: The facility effectivity of the Cisco Silicon One G200 will help cloud suppliers meet information heart sustainability targets. The upper radix helps cut back the variety of units through the use of a flatter construction to higher management energy consumption.
The way forward for cloud community infrastructure
We’re giving cloud suppliers the flexibleness to satisfy essential cloud community infrastructure necessities for AI coaching and inferencing with the Cisco 8122-64EH/EHF. With this platform, cloud suppliers can higher management prices, latency, area, energy consumption, and complexity in each front-end and back-end networks. At Cisco, we’re investing in silicon, techniques, and optics to assist construct scalable, high-performance information heart networks for cloud suppliers to assist ship high-quality outcomes and insights rapidly with AI and mainstream workloads.
The Open Compute Challenge (OCP) World Summit assembly is October 15–17, 2024, in San Jose. Come go to us in the neighborhood lounge to study extra about our thrilling new improvements; prospects can signal as much as see a demo right here.
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