When the Offload Doesn't Earn Its Dependency
Offload dependency is the test every specialized-hardware bet eventually has to pass, and VMware just showed what happens when the dependency stops earning its keep. At VMware Explore this month, Broadcom VP/GM Umesh Mahajan told the room that VMware has "walked back from that space" — SmartNIC-based network offload, the layer VMware spent years building the Distributed Services Engine around.…
VMware has decided to abandon its SmartNIC-based network offload technology, according to comments from Broadcom VP/GM Umesh Mahajan at VMware Explore. The Distributed Services Engine (DSE), which was built around this technology, will no longer be sold as a specific product. However, the DSE will still be supported within VMware Cloud Foundation.
The decision comes after the offload dependency, which required new firmware, drivers, and a new failure domain, did not earn its keep in the market. While the technical work on AMD and Nvidia SmartNICs proved successful, Intel posed challenges due to microcode complexity. The commercial failure was driven by customers' lack of interest and the continuous improvement of conventional NICs. VMware's pivot now focuses on direct offload on Nvidia's ConnectX-7.
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