Reference architectures and positioning: Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA
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RA landscape
Sizing
Dell AI Factory
Positioning
Reference architectures and positioning: Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA
Which RA governs the deal, how to size the fabric from GPUs to BOM, and how to win Ethernet vs InfiniBand on published facts.
The design layer above the NIC. Read the published NVIDIA reference architectures — DGX SuperPOD, Enterprise RA (HGX AI Factory, NVL72 AI Factory), and the per-platform validated stacks — and know which one governs a given Dell deal. Decode node nomenclature (2-8-9-400), separate NVLink scale-up from the RDMA fabric, and size a cluster end to end: GPUs to SuperNICs to planes to leaf/spine ports to optics to BOM, with every ratio cited to the page it came from. Then map the RA onto what Dell actually sells (PowerEdge XE9680/XE9780/XE9785, PowerSwitch SN-series and Q-series, PowerScale F710), learn the three real support paths, and run the Ethernet-vs-InfiniBand positioning conversation on published claims only. Ends with timed FAE scenarios and an NCP-AIN gap plan. Interactive sizing tools, two-variant labs (containerlab/NVIDIA Air/Cumulus VX with no NVIDIA switch, or the Dell-lab BlueField-3 and ConnectX hosts).
Who it is for: FAEs positioning Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA: sizing, BOMs, Ethernet vs InfiniBand.
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- A case closes when the lesson’s retrieval check reaches 80%.
Pick the governing reference architecture for a deal and speak its vocabulary: scalable units, node nomenclature, and the line between NVLink and the fabric.
- 1.1Which reference architecture governs this dealTwo leaf counts for the same serverUnderstand25 min
- 1.2Reading node nomenclature: 2-8-9-400Nine adapters and a cable nobody orderedAnalyze20 min
- 1.3Scale-up is not scale-out: NVLink vs the fabricThe commodity fabricAnalyze25 min
- 1.4The networks in an AI factory, and what the RA refuses to specifyThe chapter that is not missingUnderstand25 min
- 1.5The generation map: which SuperNIC is on the baseboardBlueField-3 is a family, not a speedAnalyze20 min
- Module 1 checkpoint14 questions · pass mark 80% · 12 min
Turn a GPU count into leaf, spine, optics and BOM arithmetic you can do out loud in front of a customer and defend line by line.
- 2.1Rail-optimized design and what breaks itThe pod that passed every testAnalyze25 min
- 2.2Dual plane: two fabrics, not a bondThe bond with no partnerAnalyze30 min
- 2.3The sizing chain: GPUs, NICs, planes, leaves, spinesThe quote that fit in half a chassisApply35 min
- 2.4The other three networks: converged, storage, out-of-bandThe call at 02:10Apply25 min
- 2.5Optics, cables and the power nobody budgetedWhere are the optics?Evaluate30 min
- Module 2 checkpoint14 questions · pass mark 80% · 12 min
Map the NVIDIA reference architecture onto Dell's real catalog, a real solution BOM, and the three real support paths.
- 3.1The PowerEdge AI server lineNine adapters, four slotsUnderstand25 min
- 3.2Dell's switch catalog: SN, Q and Z in one price listThe pallet that was four times too bigUnderstand20 min
- 3.3Reading a real Dell AI Factory BOMAn architecture with the reasoning deletedAnalyze30 min
- 3.4PowerScale back-end networking and the version-pin trapThe two switches procurement wanted backAnalyze25 min
- 3.5Who do I call: three support paths, one asset tagDell says NVIDIA, NVIDIA says DellEvaluate20 min
- Module 3 checkpoint13 questions · pass mark 80% · 12 min
Win the Ethernet-versus-InfiniBand conversation on published facts, stay neutral on competitors, and close the NCP-AIN gaps.
- 4.1The Ethernet vs InfiniBand decision frameworkTwo quotes, one serverEvaluate30 min
- 4.2Seven objections and the published answersSix months of PFC stormsEvaluate25 min
- 4.3Competitors, stated neutrallyThe sentence in yellowEvaluate25 min
- 4.4Scenario: a 256-GPU Dell AI Factory design reviewFriday's quote, Tuesday's reviewCreate35 min
- 4.5NCP-AIN: mapping the blueprint and closing the gapsWho answers at 02:10Analyze25 min
- Module 4 checkpoint13 questions · pass mark 80% · 12 min