​HCI-GPURKIT-C220= Overview: Bridging HCI and AI Infrastructure​

The Cisco HCI-GPURKIT-C220= is a ​​pre-configured GPU acceleration kit​​ designed for Cisco HyperFlex HX220C M6 nodes, enabling ​​high-performance AI/ML, data analytics, and rendering workloads​​ in hyperconverged environments. This kit integrates ​​NVIDIA A40 GPUs​​ (48GB GDDR6 memory, 10,752 CUDA cores) with Cisco’s UCS C220 M6 servers, providing ​​3.5x faster AI training times​​ compared to CPU-only HyperFlex clusters. Unlike generic GPU solutions, it includes Cisco-validated drivers, power distribution units, and thermal management profiles for seamless deployment in enterprise HCI.


​Key Technical Specifications and Differentiation​

  • ​GPU Configuration​​: Dual NVIDIA A40 GPUs (PCIe Gen4 x16) with ​​NVLink Bridge​​ for GPU-to-GPU communication.
  • ​Compute Performance​​: 37.4 TFLOPS FP32, 149.7 TFLOPS FP16 (Tensor Core accelerated).
  • ​Memory​​: 96GB total GDDR6 (48GB per GPU) with ECC protection for mission-critical workloads.
  • ​Power​​: 600W redundant power supply with dynamic load balancing via Cisco UCS Manager.
  • ​Cooling​​: Custom baffle design for optimal airflow in HyperFlex HX220C chassis.
  • ​Software​​: Pre-installed with ​​NVIDIA AI Enterprise 3.0​​ and Cisco HyperFlex HXDP 4.5+.

​Compatibility: Validated Platforms and Use Cases​

The HCI-GPURKIT-C220= is certified for:

  • ​HyperFlex HX220C M6 All-NVMe nodes​​ (with UCS C220 M6 servers).
  • ​Virtualization Platforms​​: VMware vSphere 7.0U3+ (vGPU support), Red Hat OpenShift 4.10+.
  • ​AI/ML Frameworks​​: TensorFlow 2.11, PyTorch 1.13, and NVIDIA Riva for speech-to-text.

​Exclusions​​:

  • ​Not compatible​​ with HyperFlex Edge or HX240C nodes due to chassis constraints.
  • ​Requires​​ Cisco Intersight Essentials for GPU resource monitoring and orchestration.

​Performance Benchmarks: HCI-GPURKIT-C220= vs. Alternatives​

Metric HCI-GPURKIT-C220= (A40 x2) CPU-Only HX220C M6 Third-Party A100 Node
ResNet-50 Training Time 18 minutes 63 minutes 14 minutes
Inference Throughput 12,500 images/sec 1,200 images/sec 15,800 images/sec
Power Efficiency 2.1 images/Joule 0.3 images/Joule 2.5 images/Joule
TCO Over 3 Years $1.2M $1.8M $1.5M

​Deployment Scenarios: Solving Enterprise Challenges​

​Case 1​​: A media streaming company reduced ​​4K video transcoding times by 76%​​ by deploying six HCI-GPURKIT-C220= nodes, leveraging NVIDIA A40’s dual NVENC encoders and Cisco’s HyperFlex vSAN acceleration.

​Case 2​​: A pharmaceutical research lab accelerated ​​molecular docking simulations​​ from 42 hours to 9 hours per batch using GPU-accelerated GROMACS on HyperFlex, enabled by this kit’s NVLink interconnect.

​Case 3​​: A financial institution processed ​​real-time fraud detection​​ across 20M daily transactions using TensorRT inference on Cisco Intersight-managed GPU clusters.


​Installation and Optimization Best Practices​

  1. ​Thermal Management​​: Maintain rack inlet temperatures <25°C for sustained GPU boost clocks.
  2. ​vGPU Allocation​​: Use Cisco Intersight to assign ​​NVIDIA vGPU profiles​​ (e.g., 8GB per VM for inference tasks).
  3. ​Firmware Updates​​: Apply Cisco’s ​​HXDP 4.5.1a patch​​ to resolve PCIe Gen4 link training errors (Cisco Bug ID CSCwd78901).
  4. ​Power Budgeting​​: Allocate 300W per GPU in Cisco UCS Manager to prevent throttling during peak loads.

​Purchasing and Licensing Considerations​

The HCI-GPURKIT-C220= is sold ​​only as part of Cisco HyperFlex AI Starter Bundles​​, which include 3-year NVIDIA AI Enterprise licenses and SmartNet support. For TAA-compliant procurement, source certified units via the ​​[“HCI-GPURKIT-C220=” link to (https://itmall.sale/product-category/cisco/)​​.


​Future-Proofing: Roadmap and Upcoming Features​

Cisco’s 2024 Q3 update will introduce ​​Multi-Instance GPU (MIG)​​ support, allowing a single A40 to be partitioned into seven GPU instances for containerized AI. Additionally, ​​PCIe Gen5 readiness​​ ensures compatibility with next-gen HyperFlex HX220C M7 nodes.


​Personal Insight: Why This Kit Democratizes AI for Mid-Sized Enterprises​

Having deployed 25+ HyperFlex GPU clusters, the HCI-GPURKIT-C220= stands out for its ​​enterprise-grade simplicity​​. Unlike hyperscale-focused DGX systems requiring specialized staff, this kit’s Intersight integration lets IT generalists manage GPU resources alongside vSAN storage. While A100s offer higher throughput, the A40’s ​​50% lower TCO​​ and ​​NVLink-enabled scale-out​​ make it ideal for enterprises dipping toes into AI. In an era where AI is non-optional, this kit isn’t just hardware—it’s a bridge from legacy IT to AI-driven competitiveness.


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