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NVIDIA Infra Controller

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What NVIDIA Infra Controller is

NVIDIA Infra Controller, or NICo, is an open-source Apache 2.0 suite of microservices for site-local, zero-trust bare-metal lifecycle management. It automates hardware discovery, firmware validation, DPU provisioning, tenant network isolation, tenant provisioning, and sanitization. Redfish discovery, SKU checks, hardware testing, and UEFI and BMC firmware baselines are used before hosts become available. Isolation covers Ethernet, InfiniBand, NVLink, and Spectrum-X. NICo documents measured-boot attestation, credential management, and secure erasure of NVMe storage, GPU memory, and system memory between tenants. REST and gRPC APIs, an administrator CLI, and a debugging UI support integrations with IAM systems, observability tools, and Kubernetes. Deployment uses Kubernetes microservices in the managed datacenter, with at least three nodes for high availability and dependencies such as PostgreSQL, Vault, Temporal, cert-manager, and External Secrets Operator.

Who it suits

NICo is aimed at NVIDIA Cloud Partner infrastructure operators, bare-metal fleet operators, platform engineers, and ISV developers integrating through APIs. It suits teams managing tenant hardware lifecycle rather than host operating-system maintenance.

What it does well

Open-source Apache 2.0 license
Automates discovery, validation, provisioning, and sanitization
REST and gRPC APIs plus administrator CLI
Supports multiple tenant-isolation technologies
Integrates with Kubernetes and observability stacks

What to know first

Requires Kubernetes and several external dependencies
Does not patch or configure host operating systems
Does not schedule workloads
Measured Boot is not continuous during tenant use

Limits

NICo leaves operating-system patching, upgrades, image generation, and runtime configuration to the platform operator. Its hardware compatibility list is not an exhaustive certification, and Measured Boot attestation does not run continuously while a tenant uses a host.

Getting started

Open the NICo documentation website
Prepare a Kubernetes cluster in the managed datacenter
Provide at least three Kubernetes nodes for high availability
Deploy PostgreSQL, Vault, Temporal, cert-manager, and External Secrets Operator
Install NICo microservices with Helm charts or Kubernetes Kustomize manifests
Connect operators and systems through the REST or gRPC APIs

Verdict

NICo provides a broad control layer for onboarding, isolating, and retiring bare-metal hosts. Operators must supply Kubernetes infrastructure, dependencies, operating-system management, and functions outside NICo’s stated scope.

Questions

Is NVIDIA Infra Controller free?

Yes. NICo is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license.

Which interfaces does NICo provide?

It provides REST and gRPC APIs, an administrator CLI, and a debugging UI. The REST service can run beside the site controller or centrally in the cloud.

What must be installed before NICo?

The documented architecture requires PostgreSQL, Vault, Temporal, cert-manager, and External Secrets Operator before NICo installation.

Does NICo manage host operating systems?

No. Operating-system patching, upgrades, configuration, and image generation remain the user's responsibility.

Where does NICo run?

Its documented deployment runs microservices on a Kubernetes cluster co-located in the managed datacenter, with Helm charts or Kustomize manifests.

Facts from NVIDIA Infra Controller's own pages

APIs and deployment: NICo exposes REST and gRPC APIs to higher-level systems, and its REST service can run alongside the site controller or centrally in the cloud. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
APIs and interfaces: NICo provides REST and gRPC APIs, an administrator CLI, and a debugging UI; its REST API can be deployed alongside the site controller or centrally in the cloud. · docs.nvidia.com, 3 Oct 2026
Attestation limit: Measured Boot attestation occurs during managed-host ingestion and after a host is released by a tenant; NICo says it does not attest hosts continuously during tenant use. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment and support boundary: NICo commonly runs as microservices on a Kubernetes cluster and can be deployed with Helm charts or Kubernetes Kustomize manifests; operating system patching, upgrades, and runtime configuration are the platform's responsibility. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment requirements: The documented architecture deploys NICo microservices on a Kubernetes cluster co-located in the managed datacenter and specifies at least three nodes for high availability. · docs.nvidia.com, 3 Oct 2026
DPU management: NICo installs the DPU operating system, provisions HBN, manages DPU firmware, and runs an agent that retrieves desired configuration over gRPC. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
External dependencies: NICo requires externally deployed components including PostgreSQL, Vault, Temporal, cert-manager, External Secrets Operator, MetalLB, and the NVIDIA NGC Registry; telemetry and logging components are described as optional but strongly recommended. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
Founded: 1993 · docs.nvidia.com, 28 Sept 2026
Hardware compatibility: The hardware compatibility list says it is not an exhaustive platform certification or qualification, and directs users to hardware manufacturers for that information. · docs.nvidia.com, 3 Oct 2026
Hardware limits: NVIDIA says its Hardware Compatibility List identifies hardware currently supported from NICo's perspective and is not an exhaustive platform certification or qualification. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
Hardware onboarding: NICo discovers hardware through Redfish, validates machine SKUs, supports hardware burn-in and testing, and enforces firmware baselines during ingestion. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
Hardware validation: NICo supports Redfish discovery, SKU validation, hardware testing, and enforcement of UEFI and BMC firmware baselines before hosts become available to tenants. · docs.nvidia.com, 3 Oct 2026
Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA · docs.nvidia.com, 28 Sept 2026
Integrations: Documented integrations include Keycloak and compatible IAM solutions, Prometheus metrics, Grafana, Loki, OpenTelemetry-compatible stacks, and Kubernetes. · docs.nvidia.com, 3 Oct 2026
Intended users: The documentation identifies NVIDIA Cloud Partner infrastructure operators and infrastructure operators managing bare-metal fleets as users, and also addresses ISV developers and platform engineers integrating through NICo APIs. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
License: NICo is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
Lifecycle management: It automates hardware discovery, firmware validation, DPU provisioning, network isolation, tenant provisioning, and sanitization. · docs.nvidia.com, 3 Oct 2026
Network isolation: NICo describes tenant isolation across Ethernet using BlueField HBN, InfiniBand using UFM P_Key assignments, NVLink using NMX-C, and Spectrum-X partitioning. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
Purpose: NICo is an open-source suite of microservices for site-local, zero-trust bare-metal lifecycle management aimed at NVIDIA Cloud Partners and infrastructure operators. · docs.nvidia.com, 3 Oct 2026
Scope limits: NICo does not manage host OS patching or runtime configuration, workload scheduling, physical network underlay design, or deployment and management of UFM. · docs.nvidia.com, 3 Oct 2026
Security: The site controller's services communicate over mTLS/gRPC, and its operator debug web UI uses HTTPS with OIDC authentication. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026
Support model: NICo documentation says operating-system management, including patching, configuration, and image generation, is the user's responsibility. · docs.nvidia.com, 3 Oct 2026
What it does: NICo is an open-source suite of microservices for site-local, zero-trust bare-metal lifecycle management. · docs.nvidia.com, 4 Oct 2026

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