The Fabric Wars is a deep dive into the battle for AI & HPC networking. This series dissects the Ethernet vs. InfiniBand rivalry, analyzing performance gaps, market shifts, and TCO. We explore how the Ultra Ethernet Consortium is closing the gap and envision the future architecture of AI data centers, providing critical insights for engineers and architects.
Network
For over two decades, InfiniBand has powered the fastest AI clusters through native lossless design, RDMA, and in-network computing—making it the performance king. Yet, NVIDIA’s tight integration and high costs have hyperscalers seeking open, Ethernet-based alternatives.
Data Center
AI breakthroughs aren’t just about GPUs—networks are the real bottleneck. Large-scale AI training jobs depend on rapid, lossless communication; even a 0.1% packet loss can slash GPU utilization by 13%. Job completion time now depends on robust, predictable network design.