Mellanox NVIDIA ConnectX-6 Dx MCX623106AC-CDAT 100GbE Dual-Port QSFP56 OCP 3.0 Network Interface Card

In a modern data center, where every microsecond counts, the Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx MCX623106AC-CDAT steps in as the network backbone for high-frequency trading platforms and AI training clusters. This dual-port 100 Gigabit Ethernet adapter, built on the OCP 3.0 small form factor, plugs directly into PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, delivering line-rate throughput with hardware offloads for RDMA, NVMe-oF, and stateless TCP/UDP/IP. System administrators rely on it to eliminate CPU bottlenecks, while cloud architects use its SR-IOV and VirtIO support to slice network resources across hundreds of virtual machines. Whether you are accelerating distributed storage or shaving latency off GPU clusters, this card brings the raw bandwidth and protocol flexibility that demanding workloads require.

Key specifications

• Chipset: NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx
• Host Interface: PCI Express 4.0 x16
• Network Interface: Ethernet
• Data Rate: 100 Gigabit Ethernet per port
• Number of Ports: 2
• Connector Type: QSFP56
• Form Factor: OCP 3.0 SFF (Small Form Factor)
• Supported Protocols: RoCE v2, NVMe-oF, GPUDirect RDMA
• Virtualization Support: SR-IOV, VirtIO
• Offload Engines: Hardware offloads for RDMA, NVMe-oF, TCP/UDP/IP stateless
• Security Features: No Crypto (w/o Crypto)
• Power Consumption (Typical): ~16.5 W
• Operating System Support: Linux, Windows, VMware ESXi, FreeBSD
• Management Features: NC-SI, PLDM, MCTP over SMBus/PCIe

Why choose it

The MCX623106AC-CDAT is engineered for environments where performance and efficiency are non-negotiable. Its dual 100GbE ports deliver up to 200 Gbps of aggregate bandwidth, while hardware offloads free the CPU for application logic, reducing latency and jitter. The OCP 3.0 form factor ensures compatibility with modern open compute servers, and the low typical power draw of 16.5 W keeps operational costs in check. With broad OS support and robust management interfaces, it integrates seamlessly into existing infrastructure.

Ideal use cases

• High-performance computing (HPC) clusters requiring low-latency interconnects
• AI/ML training and inference servers leveraging GPUDirect RDMA
• NVMe-oF storage fabrics for disaggregated storage architectures
• Cloud data centers needing SR-IOV for multi-tenant virtualization
• Financial services with high-frequency trading platforms

Good to know

This adapter does not include crypto offload capabilities, making it suitable for environments where encryption is handled at the application layer or not required. It supports advanced management protocols like NC-SI and PLDM for remote monitoring and firmware updates. The QSFP56 connectors accept both 100G QSFP56 and backward-compatible QSFP28 optics (with appropriate configuration), providing investment protection. Ensure your server has an available OCP 3.0 slot and adequate airflow for optimal performance.