The Open Programmable Infrastructure (OPI) Project announced a California-based resource lab on 29 April 2024 to test and explore a common framework for provisioning and lifecycle management of data processing units (DPUs) and infrastructure processing units (IPUs). Its initial purpose was to run CI/CD for OPI code and support member demonstrations and proofs of concept—not to certify that all vendors’ platforms already work together.
What is the OPI testing lab?
The lab is a shared resource for OPI members to contribute hardware and test software as the project develops its DPU/IPU infrastructure framework. The Linux Foundation’s 29 April 2024 announcement described the lab as a place to test and explore common provisioning and lifecycle management. It was initially intended to support continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) while OPI code was being built and tested, as well as demonstrations and proofs of concept as members explored use cases.
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The announcement placed the lab in California and said it was available to OPI members. It did not provide a hardware inventory or establish public access for nonmembers.
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OPI said member-contributed hardware and testing would help evaluate conformance, portability, interoperability, and compatibility. Its stated priorities for the test environment were:
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- COMPATIBILITY: Designed specifically for use with Nvidia BlueField-2 DPU systems, ensuring seamless integration.
- DUAL-PORT DESIGN: Features two SFP56 ports for flexible and redundant network connectivity options.
- HIGH-SPEED NETWORKING: Supports 25GbE speeds, delivering fast and reliable data transfer for demanding workloads.
- MODEL SPECIFIC: Engineered for the MBF2H332A-AEEOT configuration, providing a precise and reliable hardware match.
- DATA CENTER READY: Built to meet the performance and reliability demands of modern data center environments.
- Reliability: tests should run without false-positive results.
- Neutrality: the same automatic tests and configurations should run across hardware and software platforms.
- Security: access should be controlled to prevent unexpected changes.
These are announced goals and operating principles, not published test outcomes or independent validation. The announcement did not identify supported device versions, describe test coverage in detail, or report which platforms passed.
How the lab fits OPI’s broader work
OPI’s stated aim is a community-driven, standards-based ecosystem for DPU/IPU infrastructure, with vendor-agnostic frameworks, common APIs, and implementation examples for validating proposed architectures and interfaces. Its work areas span provisioning and lifecycle management, API and behavioral models, developer platforms, use cases, telemetry, virtual and hardware proofs of concept, simulation, and CI/CD. SNIA’s 2023 OPI technical presentation outlines that scope.
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- Versatile Compatibility – The Ethernet Network Adapter is backwards compatible with multiple data rates(2.5 Gbps, 1 Gbps, 100 Mbps Base-T connectivity). The 2.5G Ethernet port automatically negotiates between higher and lower speed connection.
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- Wake on LAN – Remotely power on or off your computer with WOL, helps to manage your devices more easily
- Low-Profile and Full-Height Brackets: In addition to the standard bracket, a low-profile bracket is provided for mini tower computer cases
A shared lab can give developers a place to integrate components and experiment across platforms. Common interfaces and cross-platform tests can support portability, but having a lab does not itself demonstrate compatibility between every vendor’s hardware and software.
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Does the OPI lab prove DPU and IPU hardware is interoperable?
No. The announcement says interoperability and compatibility are objectives for testing; it does not publish results establishing universal compatibility, a complete platform matrix, or a production-ready conformance program. It also does not document production deployments resulting from the lab’s work. Readers evaluating a specific platform should look for documented device and firmware support, test coverage, provisioning and lifecycle features, CI/CD integration, access controls, and reproducible published results.
Rank #3
- COMPATIBILITY: Designed specifically for use with the BlueField-3 DPU B3140H 900-9D3D4-00NN-HA0 platform.
- HIGH-SPEED NETWORKING: 400G network card delivers ultra-fast data transfer rates for demanding workloads.
- DATA PROCESSING UNIT: Integrates DPU architecture to offload, accelerate, and isolate data center infrastructure tasks.
- PART NUMBER: Exact replacement or upgrade identified by part number 900-9D3D4-00NN-HA0 for precise system matching.
- ENTERPRISE-GRADE PERFORMANCE: Built for high-performance computing, cloud, and data center networking environments.
A historical example of the kind of work involved
In October 2023, Marvell described a demonstration in which an F5 NGINX container acted as a proxy in a single-node OpenShift installation on a Marvell OCTEON 10 DPU. The release said OPI could use the example in lab CI/CD workflows against DPUs from multiple member vendors. This was a demonstration example, not evidence of the lab’s current hardware coverage or of production readiness for that integration. See Marvell’s October 2023 announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the announcement does—and does not—establish
Paul Pindell, principal architect at F5, said: “With the new OPI Project Lab, members can contribute hardware to help validate the compatibility and interoperability of the common DPU/IPU framework.” The statement captures the lab’s intent: member contributions would help test a shared framework, rather than certify that all implementations already interoperate.
Rank #4
- COMPATIBILITY: Designed as a replacement or upgrade for NVIDIA 900-9D3B4-00CC-EA0 BlueField-3 DPU systems.
- HIGH-SPEED NETWORKING: Supports 100GbE and HDR100 InfiniBand connectivity for demanding data center workloads.
- DATA PROCESSING UNIT: Offloads networking, storage, and security tasks from the host CPU for improved performance.
- ADVANCED OFFLOADING: Enables software-defined networking and infrastructure acceleration with a programmable DPU architecture.
- DATA CENTER READY: Built for high-performance computing, cloud, and enterprise environments requiring reliable, low-latency networking.
The Linux Foundation’s June 2022 OPI launch announcement provides launch-era context, including the project’s broader goals and IPDK as an initial subproject. It also mentions NVIDIA DOCA in connection with BlueField. Those references do not establish current OPI releases, current hardware coverage, or interchangeability between implementations.
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Quick Recap
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- COMPATIBILITY: Designed for use with Mellanox NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPU BF3220 systems, ensuring seamless integration.
- HIGH-SPEED NETWORKING: Supports 200 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity for ultra-fast data transfer and low-latency performance.
- PART NUMBER: Corresponds to model 900-9D3D4-00NN-HA0, making it easy to verify compatibility before purchase.
- DATA CENTER READY: Built to meet the demands of high-performance computing, virtualization, and advanced networking workloads.
- RELIABLE PERFORMANCE: Engineered for stable, high-throughput network operations suitable for enterprise and data center environments.
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