NVIDIA showcased an interesting update at Computex 2024 with the display of a bare NVIDIA HGX B200 motherboard at the Ingrasys booth. This board featured a significant change with the NVLink Switch chips being reduced from four to two and relocated to the motherboard itself. This shift marks a departure from the previous design where the NVLink switches were located on the edge of the board.
In the evolution of NVIDIA’s 8 GPU motherboards, we have moved from PCIe switches on 8-way SXM motherboards in the P100/V100 generation, where NVLink was present but the switches were PCIe. Fast forward to the DeepLearning12 era in 2018 and the construction of the DeepLearning12 board required additional components such as heatsinks. The NVIDIA HGX-2 board took a step forward by integrating the NVLink Switch chips, now called NVSwitches, into the pre-assembled platform, eliminating the need for additional manufacturing steps.
The HGX A100 era saw further advancements with larger heatsinks for the NVLink Switches and a fully integrated platform shipped to suppliers. The latest NVIDIA HGX B200 motherboard showcased at Computex 2024 features PCIe retimers near the edge connectors instead of NVLink switches, with a configuration of two NVLink Switch chips placed in the middle of the board.
NVIDIA has confirmed the shift from four NVSwitches to two NVLink Switch chips, clarifying the naming convention in the process. This adjustment is likely to optimize track lengths and signaling efficiency on the board. The placement of the NVLink Switch chips in the center of the board and the inverted GPU arrays suggest a strategic design choice by NVIDIA to minimize path lengths to the switches, improving overall performance.
Overall, the unveiling of the NVIDIA HGX B200 motherboard at Computex 2024 showcases NVIDIA’s commitment to innovation and optimization in GPU motherboard design. The transition from four NVSwitches to two NVLink Switch chips marks a significant improvement in board layout and signaling efficiency, reflecting NVIDIA’s continuous advancements in high-performance computing technology.
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