Data centres are going through a transformation. Gradually, we will see a new type of equipment attached to servers in almost every data centre: smartNICs are here. They will be the enablers of converged data centres where common infrastructure tasks are offloaded from a host server to attached network interface cards (NIC).
Think of it this way: host servers will only run the applications that drive the actual return on investment. Operating the infrastructure itself will be the task of a fleet of smartNICs, effectively helping out the servers with the necessary networking, storage, and security tasks, among many others. In other words, data centres will do what they are actually supposed to do: run applications. The overhead will be offloaded, driving efficiency.
What is a smartNIC?
The obvious question is then: how can a simple interface…