Oracle Unveils Enhanced Networking Features in Oracle Acceleron
Oracle has revealed new networking functionalities within Oracle Acceleron, a component of its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) that focuses on network software and architecture. These enhancements aim to enable clients to execute various workloads more efficiently and at a reduced cost. Built on over ten years of advancements in cloud networking, Oracle Acceleron transforms data movement in the cloud, ensuring a secure infrastructure that operates at peak performance while minimizing expenses. The platform integrates dedicated network fabrics, streamlined data pathways, and a converged Network Interface Card (NIC) to enhance performance and reduce costs, complemented by host-level zero-trust routing and multi-planar designs that bolster security and resilience.
Oracle Acceleron’s innovative software architecture simplifies multiple layers of complexity into a programmable foundation, merging advanced networking, storage, and security capabilities that function uniformly across a wide array of hardware. This architecture allows clients to experience line-rate encryption throughput, ultra-low latency, and potentially double the network processing capacity and storage IOPS, alongside resilient security policies that are enforced directly at the host level. Consequently, every OCI customer, from large-scale web applications to cutting-edge AI models, can take advantage of the most advanced, secure, and efficient cloud infrastructure available in the industry.
Oracle’s Commitment to Customer Needs
“Our customers are seeking cloud infrastructure that enables them to innovate more rapidly, operate with greater efficiency, and scale their operations with assurance,” stated Clay Magouyrk, CEO of Oracle. “For over a decade, Oracle has been at the forefront of cloud networking innovation, and these recent improvements extend the capabilities of Oracle Acceleron to provide unparalleled performance, scalability, and security for any cloud workload.”
Comprehensive Capabilities in Network Architecture
The new features encompass advancements in fabric network architecture, fabric accelerators, and host network accelerators:
Dedicated Fabric Network Architecture: This architecture ensures predictable low-latency and high-bandwidth connectivity at any scale by utilizing dedicated, performance-optimized fabrics that effectively isolate traffic. This design supports Oracle Exadata, high-performance computing workloads, and extensive AI/ML clusters by replacing conventional three-tier networks with specialized fabrics optimized for throughput and latency.
Multi-Planar Networking: This feature enhances network resilience and flexibility by allowing customer Network Interface Cards (NICs) to interface with multiple, isolated network planes and seamlessly redirect traffic if one plane encounters difficulties. This capability not only boosts throughput but also mitigates tail latency, thereby preventing stalls and restarts in customer clusters and ensuring that jobs remain on schedule.
Fabric Accelerator Disintermediated: This advancement aids customers in minimizing latency and variability while enhancing efficiency and security by eliminating unnecessary intermediaries and hops. This approach streamlines the flow of traffic from host to destination, following the most direct route across various tiers, thereby reducing bottlenecks and improving overall consistency.
Host Network Accelerator Converged NIC: This feature allows clients to enhance throughput and cut costs while maintaining strong isolation between customers and providers by partitioning a SmartNIC into separate planes. This capability enables storage acceleration using NVMe over TCP, achieves line-rate encryption, and permits bare-metal NIC patching, resulting in potential throughput improvements of up to two times compared to previous methods—without the cost and performance drawbacks associated with dual-NIC designs.
Zero-Trust Packet Routing (ZPR): This functionality enhances the security of customer workloads through least-privilege enforcement at the initial packet and simplifies policy management, irrespective of network topology. Recent updates to ZPR enforce private service access for sensitive endpoints and employ deny-based policies for identity and access management, effectively blocking unauthorized inspection paths at the host.
Industry Leaders Harness Oracle Acceleron for AI Progress and Security Enhancements
“Arista has a longstanding partnership with Oracle, and we are excited to continue driving innovation and progress for our clients through Oracle Acceleron,” remarked Ken Duda, President and CTO of Arista Networks. “As the industry transitions to the next generation of AI networking infrastructure, Arista’s unique network platforms, complemented by rich software suites, are poised to deliver significant value to customers through Oracle Acceleron.”
“Forrest Norrod, Executive Vice President and General Manager of AMD’s Data Center Solutions Business Group, stated, “AMD and Oracle share a strong dedication to providing high performance and robust security in cloud computing. OCI debuted with AMD Pensando DPUs, and our collaboration has led to remarkable performance and security across all workloads. We are eager to continue innovating within Oracle Acceleron with converged NICs powered by AMD Pensando DPUs, which are set to launch early next year.”
