Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter E810-CQDA2 for OCP 3.0

Intel Ethernet Network Adapter E810-CQDA2 for OCP 3.0

Introduction to Intel’s Next-Gen Networking

As enterprises demand ever-increasing bandwidth and lower latency for high-performance workloads, networking infrastructure must evolve to support emerging technologies like cloud-native apps, NFV (Network Function Virtualization), AI, and storage-intensive workloads. The Intel Ethernet Network Adapter E810-CQDA2 for OCP 3.0 delivers on this need—offering a powerful, scalable 100GbE solution purpose-built for the next generation of data centers.

What Is the Intel Ethernet Network Adapter E810-CQDA2?

The E810-CQDA2 is a dual-port 100GbE PCIe 4.0 network adapter built on Intel’s E810 series silicon. Specifically designed for the OCP 3.0 form factor, this adapter aligns with the latest data center hardware standards, providing seamless deployment, manageability, and performance tuning for hyperscale environments.

Key Features:

Benefits of Intel Ethernet Network Adapter E810-CQDA2 for OCP 3.0

1. OCP 3.0 Compliance: Ready for the Open Compute Era

OCP (Open Compute Project) 3.0 standardizes hardware interfaces and management to improve efficiency in hyperscale deployments. The E810-CQDA2 fits the OCP NIC 3.0 small form factor, allowing:

• Tool-less hot-swapping
• Sideband management for out-of-band updates
• Better airflow and thermal performance
• Interoperability across diverse OEM platforms

2. Exceptional Throughput and Low Latency

With support for 2x 100Gbps QSFP28 ports and PCIe Gen 4.0 bandwidth, the E810-CQDA2 is engineered to handle:

• Ultra-high bandwidth applications
• Latency-sensitive workloads (e.g., financial trading, real-time analytics)
• Multitenant cloud services

Intel’s Advanced Traffic Steering and intelligent offload capabilities enable reduced CPU overhead and deterministic latency—critical for edge computing and NFV use cases.

3. Enhanced Virtualization and Cloud Readiness

The adapter offers:

• SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization)
• Virtual Function (VF) Resource Allocation
• Quality of Service (QoS) for tenant isolation

This ensures reliable and efficient operation of virtualized network environments, making it ideal for large-scale cloud infrastructure providers.

4. Hardware Offloads and Programmability

The E810-CQDA2 supports a broad set of offloads:

• TCP/IP stateless offloads
• TSO, LRO, RSS, and checksum offload
• NVGRE/VXLAN/Geneve encapsulation offload

Moreover, with Intel DDP, users can dynamically load custom protocol profiles into the NIC to optimize packet filtering and classification—empowering intelligent service chaining.

5. RDMA Support: RoCEv2 and iWARP

With built-in Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA), both RoCEv2 and iWARP protocols are supported:

• Low-latency memory access between nodes
• Minimization of CPU usage
• Ideal for HPC, AI training, and storage disaggregation (NVMe over Fabrics)

Use Cases for Intel Ethernet Network Adapter E810-CQDA2 for OCP 3.0

Hyperscale Data Centers

The E810-CQDA2 supports massive east-west traffic, efficient VM/container networking, and orchestration compatibility via standard APIs.

AI/ML Infrastructure

High throughput and deterministic latency are essential for AI workloads. With RDMA and PCIe Gen 4.0, model training and inference are accelerated.

High-Frequency Trading (HFT)

Support for precision time protocol (PTP), TSN, and deterministic low-latency makes it ideal for financial institutions running ultra-low latency trading applications.

Telco & Edge Deployments

In 5G/edge scenarios, where compact, high-efficiency systems are critical, this adapter delivers excellent thermal design power (TDP) and energy efficiency metrics.

Comparison with Previous Generations

Compatibility and Driver Support

Intel provides broad driver support for Linux (e.g., ice driver), Windows Server, VMware ESXi, and DPDK for NFV workloads. Firmware updates and tuning are accessible via Intel Network Adapter Command Line Tools or the OCP Redfish API.

Security and Manageability

Built-in security features include:

• Secure firmware signing and verification
• Platform Firmware Resilience (PFR) support
• Telemetry and monitoring capabilities

This ensures tamper-resistant operation in multi-tenant environments or regulated industries (finance, healthcare, defense).

Summary: Why Choose the E810-CQDA2 for OCP 3.0?

The Intel Ethernet Network Adapter E810-CQDA2 for OCP 3.0 represents a leap in high-performance networking for modern data centers. With its compact OCP 3.0 form factor, dual 100GbE capability, and extensive protocol support, it's a future-proof solution optimized for:

• Cloud service providers
• AI & ML infrastructure
• Storage networks
• High-performance computing (HPC)

By integrating this adapter into your infrastructure, you're investing in a scalable, energy-efficient, and highly programmable networking backbone—ready for the workloads of tomorrow