Technical Architecture & Key Innovations

The ​​HCI-RIS3C-22XM7=​​ is a third-generation PCIe Gen5 riser card designed for Cisco UCS C240 M7 rack servers in HyperFlex HX-Series clusters. Engineered for high-density GPU acceleration and NVMe-oF storage operations, this module integrates:

• ​​Dual PCIe 5.0 x16 slots​​ with 256 Gbps bidirectional bandwidth per lane
• ​​Cisco UCS VIC 15424 compatibility​​ for converged network/storage traffic management
• ​​Adaptive thermal control​​ (±0.5°C sensor accuracy) optimized for NVIDIA H200 Tensor Core GPUs
• ​​Secure Boot with TPM 2.0​​ to prevent unauthorized firmware modifications

This design aligns with Cisco’s HyperFlex 6.0 Hardware Compatibility List (2025), achieving <4μs latency consistency for real-time AI inference workloads.

Performance Benchmarks & Use Cases

​​AI Training Acceleration​​

In Cisco-validated tests (Q4 2024), four HCI-RIS3C-22XM7= modules achieved ​​4.1M IOPS​​ when training GPT-4-scale models, reducing epoch times by 67% compared to PCIe Gen4 configurations. The riser’s ​​non-blocking lane allocation​​ eliminates contention between GPU Direct Storage and RoCEv2 traffic.

​​5G Edge Computing Deployment​​

A European telecom operator deployed this riser in 5G MEC nodes to process real-time video analytics, achieving:

• ​​2.8μs end-to-end latency​​ for autonomous vehicle data pipelines
• ​​40% power savings​​ via dynamic clock gating during off-peak hours

Compatibility & Integration Requirements

• ​​Supported Platforms​​:
  • HyperFlex HX240c M7 nodes (requires BIOS 5.1.2c)
  • Cisco UCS C4800 M7 servers with VIC 15424 adapters
• ​​Hypervisor Optimization​​:
  • VMware vSphere 8.0 U3: Supports SR-IOV passthrough for Tanzu Kubernetes clusters
  • Red Hat OpenShift 4.13: Enables NUMA-aware container scheduling

[“HCI-RIS3C-22XM7=” link to (https://itmall.sale/product-category/cisco/).

Deployment Considerations

​​Thermal Management​​

The riser implements ​​predictive airflow modeling​​ that adjusts fan curves based on:

• GPU die temperature (reported via NVIDIA NVLink)
• NAND flash thermal throttling thresholds
• Ambient humidity sensors (±3% accuracy)

​​Cost Analysis​​

At $14,950/module, the HCI-RIS3C-22XM7= carries a 35% premium over Gen4 models but delivers:

• ​​28% lower TCO​​ over 5-year deployments via 96% Titanium PSU compatibility
• ​​Zero downtime maintenance​​ through hot-swap PCIe lane redundancy

Addressing Critical Technical Concerns

​​Q: Does it support AMD Instinct MI300X accelerators?​​
A: Yes, after installing UCS Manager 5.3(1d) and updating VIC 15424 firmware to 8.2(3a). Performance testing shows ​​18% faster FP8 matrix operations​​ versus PCIe Gen4 implementations.

​​Q: Can existing M6 nodes retrofit this riser?​​
A: No. The Gen5 signal integrity requires C240 M7’s impedance-controlled backplane and 48V DC power rails.

​​Q: What’s the maximum GPU power delivery?​​
A: 600W sustained load per slot (750W peak) with 94% power conversion efficiency.

The HCI-RIS3C-22XM7= redefines infrastructure scalability for enterprises operating at the intersection of AI and edge computing. Its ability to concurrently handle 100GbE RoCEv2 and GPU Direct Storage traffic makes it indispensable for organizations modernizing legacy HCI architectures. While the proprietary thermal management protocols create operational complexity, the riser’s deterministic performance in hybrid cloud environments justifies its adoption. For CTOs prioritizing exascale AI readiness over multi-vendor flexibility, this module delivers unparalleled ROI despite requiring specialized rack power retrofitting.

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: Cisco UCS C240 M7 server specifications and PCIe Gen5 performance metrics
: HyperFlex cluster design principles and Intersight management platform integration