VMware has quietly walked its SmartNIC ambitions

VMware has quietly discontinued selling SmartNIC firewalls, following a struggle with hardware compatibility. SmartNICs, or data processing units (DPUs), are network cards that include a modest processor to handle security and networking duties. Hyperscale clouds commonly utilize these devices to manage network functions as VMs on the SmartNIC’s processor, freeing up CPU cores for their customers.

This approach can also enhance data center infrastructure efficiency and security. VMware's venture into private cloud infrastructure assumed that customers would benefit from an on-prem version of public cloud operating models, prompting the company to adapt its hypervisor to run on SmartNICs for hosting network functions. Additionally, VMware developed a version of its NSX distributed firewall to run on these devices.

However, the company encountered challenges with Intel hardware, particularly due to microcode issues, leading to a struggle to generate interest among buyers. As conventional NICs evolved and increased throughput, SmartNICs provided fewer advantages. Consequently, VMware quietly stopped selling the distributed firewall. The Distributed Services Engine that enables VMware's Cloud Foundation suite to use SmartNICs remains part of the product and receives ongoing support.

VMware continues to explore methods to simplify the customer experience and adapt its product approach, such as developing direct offloading capabilities that accelerate network traffic using ConnectX-7 technology. Despite leaving SmartNICs in the past, the company remains innovative, with ongoing developments in memory tiering, global deduplication, and its AI Factory, which includes supporting SmartNICs in Nvidia's AI rigs.