Disrupting HPC & AI: Cornelis Networks’ Bold Alternative to Infiniband and Ethernet

Key Points

• New Networking Player: Cornelis Networks, born from Intel’s Omni-Path team, launches its first platform, CN5000, to compete with Ethernet and InfiniBand in high-performance networking for AI and HPC.
• Performance Boost: CN5000 claims 2X higher message rates, 35% lower latency, and 6X faster collective communication for AI workloads compared to other 400Gbps solutions, which can boost compute utilization.
• Future Interoperability: Cornelis plans to integrate Ethernet compatibility in future products (CN6000 and CN7000), making it easier for users to adopt the new technology while maintaining seamless integration with existing Microsoft Azure and Windows Server ecosystems.

Cornelis Networks Revolutionizes High-Performance Networking with CN5000 Platform

In a significant move for the high-performance networking market, Cornelis Networks, a spin-off from Intel’s Omni-Path team, has unveiled its inaugural platform, CN5000. This 400Gbps networking solution is specifically designed to address the bottlenecks plaguing AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads, which often leave expensive compute resources underutilized. This innovation is particularly relevant for users of Microsoft’s Windows Server and Azure platforms, where optimized networking can significantly enhance performance in cloud and enterprise environments.

For over five decades, Ethernet has been the go-to networking solution, while InfiniBand has dominated HPC environments for 25 years. However, both architectures struggle to keep pace with the demands of modern AI and HPC applications. Cornelis Networks’ CEO, Lisa Spelman, highlights the severity of the issue: "Compute utilization in AI and HPC clusters often sits below 30%, and even with customized network engineering, it rarely exceeds 50%." For Microsoft Azure users, this means that optimized networking can lead to more efficient resource utilization, reducing costs and improving scalability.

The CN5000 platform represents a third architectural approach, diverging from both Ethernet and InfiniBand. By building upon Intel’s Omni-Path technology, Cornelis has created a solution tailored to the unique demands of scale-out parallel computing environments. This is especially important for Windows Server users, as it complements Microsoft’s focus on hybrid cloud and AI-driven workloads. Key technical differentiators include:

• Credit-based flow control for lossless data transmission
• Dynamic fine-grained adaptive routing for real-time path optimization
• Enhanced congestion control to maintain performance under heavy loads

These innovations enable the CN5000 to achieve 2X higher message rates and 35% lower latency compared to other 400Gbps solutions. For AI workloads, the platform boasts 6X faster collective communication performance than Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) implementations. This enhancement can significantly accelerate AI training and inference workloads on Microsoft Azure, benefiting users relying on Azure’s AI and machine learning services.

Spelman emphasizes the practical benefits: "Swapping out the network from another 400Gbps solution to CN5000 can improve application performance by 30% without requiring new CPU generations." This seamless integration and performance boost align with Microsoft’s goals for efficient, high-performing cloud infrastructure.

Currently, the CN5000 is an end-to-end solution, necessitating both Cornelis SuperNICs and switches for optimal performance. However, the company’s future strategy focuses on expanding interoperability. Upcoming products, such as the CN6000 (800Gbps) and CN7000 (1.6Tbps), will incorporate dual-mode capabilities, supporting both native Omni-Path and Ethernet protocols. This future-proofing ensures compatibility with evolving Microsoft technologies and Azure’s dynamic ecosystem.

Spelman notes that initial deployments are underway at the Texas Advanced Computing Center and with the U.S. Department of Energy. As Cornelis Networks looks to scale globally, it’s poised to make a significant impact across industries, from automotive and energy to healthcare and life sciences. With its focus on high-performance networking and interoperability, Cornelis Networks’ innovations will likely resonate with Microsoft’s enterprise and cloud customers seeking optimized solutions for AI and HPC workloads. With the CN5000, Cornelis Networks is driving a new era in high-performance networking, one that promises to unlock the full potential of AI and HPC workloads.

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