There are two primary applications for Aries Smart Cable Modules.

The first is to enable higher bandwidth and lower latency GPU-to-GPU and GPU-to-Switch multi-rack connectivity for larger AI clusters. As larger clusters of GPUs are deployed to address the increasing bandwidth and memory demands of AI workloads, AI infrastructure must scale GPU clusters across racks as server racks can only accommodate a certain number of GPUs due to power and thermal management constraints. Aries SCMs extend high-bandwidth PCIe 5.0. and CXL signal reach at 128 GB/s up to 7 meters to enable larger GPU clusters in a multi-rack architecture. Also, Aries SCMs improve cable routing, serviceability, and air flow with thin copper cables to maintain existing rack power and thermal density.

The second is to enable extended CXL reach for low-latency memory fabric connectivity in high-capacity in-memory compute architectures. Hyperscalers are deploying CXL memory expansion and pooling solutions to achieve higher application performance and the distances between the processor and expanded memory resources are increasing. Aries SCMs extend high-bandwidth PCIe 5.0 and CXL signal reach at 128 GB/s up to 7 meters to enable low-latency memory fabrics for scalable cloud infrastructure.

General-purpose AECs lack advanced cable and fleet management features essential managing data center infrastructure, while AECs with Aries SCMs offer system-wide visibility and management features through COSMOS that enable enhanced security, quick debug, and flexible firmware upgrade. 

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There are two key differences between Ethernet AECs vs PCIe AECs:

1. Protocol complexity: PCIe’s backwards compatibility and link training requirements make AECs more complex for PCIe compared to Ethernet.
2. Interoperability: The variety of device types and ecosystem players is significantly more for PCIe compared to Ethernet

Aries SCMs extend high-bandwidth PCIe 5.0 signal reach at 128 GB/s up to 7 meters to enable larger GPU clusters in a multi-rack architecture and low-latency memory fabrics for scalable cloud infrastructure.

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Aries SCMs are an offering within Astera Labs’ COSMOS suite enables system baseboard/system management controllers (BMCs/SMCs) to utilize an array of customizable diagnostics and telemetry features to enable continuous monitoring of critical server-to-JBOG, JBOG-to-JBOG, and Switch-to-JBOG links. Parameters such as eye opening, equalization levels, junction temperature, and more are monitored, and interrupts to the host can be enabled whenever configurable limits are crossed. A full set of self-test features—host-side and line-side loopback, pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) generation and checking, etc.—enable rapid troubleshooting to minimize link down time and accelerate fault isolation.

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Aries Smart Cable Modules support the multiple form factors and cable configurations for diverse AI topologies.

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Aries Smart Cable Modules can support a variety of gauges up to 7 meters.

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“RAS” is the ability of the system to provide resilience starting from the underlying hardware all the way to the application software through three components collectively referred to as “RAS” features: ​

1. Reliability: the ability of the system to detect and correct faults​
2. Availability: how the system guarantees uninterrupted operation with minimal degradation
3. Serviceability: the ability of the system to proactively diagnose, repair, upgrade or replace components at scale​