Zettar Advances Data Movement in Collaboration with MiTAC Computing and NVIDIA

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 20, 2024 — Zettar Inc. has announced a new production-ready solution, developed in collaboration with MiTAC Computing and NVIDIA, that leverages NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs for seamless, high-volume data operations on a global scale. In a world-first, a single NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPU with Zettar zx software transfers up to 500TB of data per day across any distance, all without traditional servers. This advanced capability reshapes high-speed bulk and streaming data transfer, setting new benchmarks for scalability and efficiency.

One of the MiTAC Computing Tyan 1U 1333 server hosting the NVIDIA B3220 DU with embedded Zettar zx.

This achievement demonstrates how Zettar’s compact zx software, with a footprint under 40MB, transforms data movement by embedding directly in NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs, each requiring only the power of a light bulb (75W-150W). The software’s zero-dependency design enables seamless integration with high-throughput instruments like genomics sequencers and photon-counting CT scanners, supporting wire-speed data streaming. Combined with Zettar-designed appliances, available through partners like MiTAC Computing, this solution replaces traditional data transport methods like AWS Snowball, advancing data movement across private, hybrid, and public clouds.

The integration enables seamless data migration between file and object storage systems, automatically handling diverse cloud protocols and APIs. A unified interface eliminates the need for multiple cloud-specific tools while overcoming HTTPS inefficiencies, latency, and file size limitations. This efficient data movement capability is now as essential as the AI and HPC systems it serves in today’s data-intensive computing landscape.

Zettar’s solution pairs the BlueField-3 DPU’s Arm cores and hardware offload capabilities with the efficiency of zx software to transfer hundreds of terabytes to petabytes of data across any distance with post-quantum cryptographic security. Notably, the solution can transform a standard JBOF (Just a Bunch of Flash) into a cluster of collaborative data transfer nodes, achieving linear scalability in a compact form factor.

Testbed topology. Note the two servers can be replaced with Just a Bunch of Flash (JBOF) enclosures.

The validation was conducted at MiTAC Computing’s Lab in Newark, California, using two MiTAC 1U servers. Each server, equipped with an Intel Gen-6 Xeon CPU and an NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPU (B3220), functioned as an NVMe-oF target for transfer traffic coming through its respective DPU. This configuration also shows the feasibility and simplicity of offloading moving data at scale and speed from the CPUs of regular servers using DPUs—another important use case.

“With the growing demand for large language models (LLMs), moving hundreds of TBs to many PBs of data over distance for training is becoming a critical challenge,” said Chin Fang, Founder and CEO of Zettar Inc. “Our DPU-based solution, combined with Zettar-designed data movement appliances available through our hardware partners, significantly enhances the utilization and ROI of large-scale AI and HPC infrastructure while reducing energy consumption.”

“Getting data from the edge to the core is a core challenge for HPC and enterprise customers,” said Rob Davis, Vice President of Storage Technology at NVIDIA. “With AI applications on GPUs, we can distill key data quickly and efficiently, and with Zettar’s technology hosted on NVIDIA BlueField DPUs, we can then quickly move the resulting datasets to the core.”

“In the realm of high-volume data transfer, robust and high-speed hardware equipment is absolutely crucial,” said Hiro Suzuki, VP at MiTAC Computing. “The groundbreaking results showcase the remarkable capabilities of our servers. We’re excited to see how this collaboration can revolutionize data movement for the market, particularly in AI and HPC environments.”

About Zettar

Zettar enhances Exascale data transfer with zx, the industry’s leading data mover software. Trusted by HPC environments globally for its unmatched simplicity and efficiency, zx transfers massive datasets at wire speed, accelerating critical AI and HPC workflows. For advanced data movement solutions, contact [email protected].

About MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation

MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation, a subsidiary of MiTAC Holdings Corp. (TSE:3706), specializes in cloud, AI/HPC, and edge computing solutions and has over 30 years of design and manufacturing expertise. With a strong focus on large-scale data centers, MiTAC offers flexible and customized solutions for various systems and applications. Our product lineup includes TYAN servers, ORAN servers, high-performance AI servers, and other data center products.

Source: Zettar