In today's high-performance networking market, the Broadcom BCM957608(Thor2) and NVIDIA CX7 are two important network interface cards (NICs). Each has its own benefits in terms of performance, energy efficiency,and cost-effectiveness, etc. Thor2 is known for its low power consumption and multi-port configuration capabilities, while the CX7 is gaining attention for its RDMA technology and high performance acceleration. The different features of Thor2 and CX7 NICs also leads to differences in application scenarios. Thor2 is more suited for large-scale data centers, with a particular focus on high throughput and flexible scalability. CX7 is primarily targeted at high-performance computing, AI, and deep-learning applications, optimized for low-latency and high-throughput requirements.

Although these 2 are different in many aspects, they both demonstrate strong technical advantages in their own fields. No doubt that they are both great choices for powering AI/ML workloads and optimizing high-performance network infrastructures.

To ensure the excellent operation of AI clusters, besides focusing on performance and technical advantages of products, compatibility is also a crucial consideration. In particular, optical transceiver& cable, as the link between the switches and NICs, have a non-negligible role in the stability of the cluster. 

NADDOD focuses on compatibility with the latest mainstream devices to ensure that our products work seamlessly with a wide range of network devices, optimizing performance while reducing deployment and maintenance costs. Particularly, NADDOD has demonstrated significant strengths in product compatibility with leading technology providers such as Broadcom and NVIDIA. To validate this, we conducted comprehensive compatibility testing, which proved that our products operate reliably on Thor2 and CX7, providing strong support for large-scale network deployments.

NADDOD Test on Broadcom BCM957608(Thor2)

The Broadcom BCM957608 Thor2 NIC has demonstrated significant advantages in the fields of AI, datacenter, HPC, and virtualization due to its high-performance, low-power consumption, flexible configuration options, and hardware acceleration features.

Testing modules on complex platforms such as the Broadcom BCM957608 Thor2 is not an easy task. With strong R&D capabilities, NADDOD team developed its own testing tools to more efficiently conduct comprehensive tests and verify compatibility with different devices.

Test Environment:

Tests the compatibility of different types of optical modules and their BER on Broadcom Thor2 NIC.

• Test Device: Broadcom Thor2
• Model: BCM957608-P1400  
• Firmware Version: 229.2.32.0/pkg 229.2.34.0

Tested transceiver:

Test Result：

(e.g. Q112-400G-SR4 Four-channel BER)

In the test result, it shows that NADDOD optical transceivers are perfectly compatible with Broadcom Thor2 and also have excellent performance. NADDOD Q112-400G-SR4 modules are offically certified by Broadcom, supports interconnect with Broadcom BCM957608 (Thor 2) adapters. In addition, we can see that the actual BER（FEC off) is less than -11 on average, and after FEC correction, the BER tends to be close to zero, which can satisfy the stringent requirements for high performance and stable connection. 

Low BER has a comprehensive impact on clustering, not only improving the accuracy and efficiency of data transmission, but also enhancing the stability and reliability of the system, reducing the cost of error correction, and ultimately enhancing the user experience. In this test, NADDOD used self-developed automated test tools to accurately and quickly conduct extensive tests on the compatibility and adaptability of common 400G optical modules with Broadcom Thor2 NICs, ensuring full compatibility, stable operation of optical modules and excellent BER.

NADDOD Test on NVIDIA CX7

With its 400Gb/s high throughput, ultra-low latency, and support for InfiniBand and Ethernet protocols, the ConnectX-7 NIC provides powerful acceleration, scalability, and rich hardware acceleration in areas such as high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, data center and storage acceleration.

As far back as version 28.34.400, the CX7 NIC has a record of 8x50G applications, but subsequent versions have not fully opened up the use of this feature.

NADDOD always pays attention to the version iteration on customers' product experience. In the test of the latest version, it was found that CX7 was again open to support 8x50G applications. For this, NADDOD quickly conducted the test verification and delivered the first OSFP-400G-SR8 module to the market. It has a flat-top design(different from most finned top 400G OSFP SR8 on the market) and offers higher port density and cost-effective systems. For example, using OSFP-400G-SR8 modules in a network architecture with 256 server nodes (each with 8 GPU cards), it will results in a 19.38% reduction in overall system costs.

Test Environment:

Tests the compatibility of OSFP-400G-SR8 on NVIDIA CX7 NIC.

• Test Device: NVDIA ConnectX-7 NIC
• Model：MCX75310AAS-NEAT
• Firmware Version：28.43.1014
• Switch：NVIDIA / Mellanox Spectrum-3 SN4700
• Test Transceiver: OSFP-400G-SR8

Test Result：

From the test results, it can be seen that NADDOD 400G SR8 8x50G PAM4 modulation module can be used on the ConnectX-7 NIC card. This also means the CX7 card supports 400G_8x application.

NADDOD has set up real customer environments in the lab for numerous tests to ensure that the compatibility, stability, and transmission quality of optical modules in real cluster link environments can meet customer requirements.

Based on our product solution, using SN4700 switches and OSFP-400G-SR8 modules on the CX7 NIC side can reduce connectivity costs by more than 30% compared to the regular OSFP-400G-SR4 scheme in 400G RoCE networking clusters.

Conclusion

Through detailed testing on Broadcom BCM957608 Thor2 and NVIDIA CX7 NICs, NADDOD optical modules demonstrate perfect compatibility and ultra-low BER. All along, we have been committed to providing not only high-performance optical modules/AOC&DAC cables in complex InfiniBand and ROCE interconnections, but also to staying at the forefront to provide our customers with the most innovative networking solutions. Whether in traditional data centers or emerging high-performance AI networking environments, our stable, efficient and compatible solutions will help customers reduce costs while maintaining network performance.

Contact us to get full test report and learn how NADDOD solutions optimize your network!