DPUsSmartNICs
DPUs, or data processing units, and SmartNICs are specialized network interface devices with on-board processing capable of performing tasks traditionally handled by host CPUs. The term DPUsSmartNICs describes NICs that embed DPU-style processing capability, enabling offload of data-plane and management tasks from servers.
Typical architectures include PCIe connection to the host, multi-core on-device processors (often ARM or RISC-V), memory,
Common workloads offloaded include TLS/IPsec offload, firewall and IDS, VPN, data-plane processing for virtual networks, storage
Benefits include reduced CPU load, lower latency, higher throughput, improved energy efficiency, and stronger isolation in
Challenges include software maturity and interoperability, management complexity, cost, potential vendor lock-in, and the need for
The DPU/SmartNIC market is evolving with cloud, data-center, 5G, and edge deployments, with major semiconductor and