InfiniBand vs. Ethernet—the Race is
On!
REDWOOD CITY,
Calif., July 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/
-- According to the new AI Networks for AI Workloads report by
Dell'Oro Group, the trusted source for market information about the
telecommunications, security, networks, and data center industries,
spending on switches deployed in AI back-end networks is forecast
to expand the Data Center Switch Market by 50 percent. Current data
center switch market spending is on front-end networks used
primarily to connect general-purpose servers. AI workloads will
require a new back-end infrastructure buildout. The competition
intensifies between InfiniBand and Ethernet as manufacturers vie
for market dominance in AI back-end networks. While InfiniBand is
expected to maintain its lead, Ethernet is forecast to make
substantial gains, such as 20 revenue-share points by 2027.
![Dell'Oro Group Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Dell'Oro Group) Dell'Oro Group Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Dell'Oro Group)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/323880/delloro_group_logo.jpg)
"Generative AI applications usher in a new era in the age of AI,
standing out for the sheer number of parameters that they have to
deal with," said Sameh Boujelbene, Vice President at Dell'Oro
Group. "Several large AI applications currently handle trillions of
parameters, with this count increasing tenfold annually. This rapid
growth necessitates the deployment of thousands or even hundreds of
thousands of accelerated nodes. Connecting these accelerated nodes
in large clusters requires a data center-scale fabric, known as the
AI back-end network, which differs from the traditional front-end
network used mostly to connect general-purpose servers.
"This predicament poses the pivotal question: what is the most
suitable fabric that can scale to hundreds of thousands and
potentially millions of accelerated nodes while ensuring the lowest
Job Completion Time (JCT)? One could argue that Ethernet is one
speed generation ahead of InfiniBand. Network speed, however, is
not the only factor. Congestion control and adaptive routing
mechanisms are also important. We analyzed AI back-end network
build-outs by the major Cloud Service Providers (such as Google,
Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, Baidu, and others) as well as
various considerations driving their choices of the back-end fabric
to develop our forecast," continued Boujelbene.
Additional highlights from the AI Networks for AI Workloads
Report:
- AI networks will accelerate the transition to higher speeds.
For example, 800 Gbps is expected to comprise the majority of the
ports in AI back-end networks by 2025, within just two years of the
latest 800 Gbps product introduction.
- While most of the market demand will come from Tier 1 Cloud
Service Providers, Tier 2/3 and large enterprises are forecast to
be significant, approaching $10 B
over the next five years. The latter group will favor
Ethernet.
About the Report
Dell'Oro Group's AI Networks for AI Workloads Advanced Research
Report explores the use cases that optimize InfiniBand vs.
Ethernet in AI back-end networks, as well as the choices made by
large Cloud Service Providers. The report also provides a 5-year
market forecast on a worldwide basis, by customer type, by
InfiniBand vs. Ethernet, and by port speed. For more information
about the report, please contact us at dgsales@delloro.com.
About Dell'Oro Group
Dell'Oro Group is a market research firm that specializes in
strategic competitive analysis in the telecommunications, security,
enterprise networks, and data center infrastructure markets. Our
firm provides in-depth quantitative data and qualitative analysis
to facilitate critical, fact-based business decisions. For more
information, contact Dell'Oro Group at +1.650.622.9400 or visit
https://www.delloro.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai-workloads-require-new-network-buildouts-expanding-data-center-switch-market-by-50-percent-according-to-delloro-group-302194331.html
SOURCE Dell'Oro Group