X4542 - Catapult Technologies

AMD

Solarflare X4542

Overview Specifications Brochure

The AMD Solarflare X4542 is a high-performance, dual-port 100GbE NIC designed for ultra-low latency, tailored for electronic trading, AI inference, and data center environments. It features PCIe 5.0, two QSFP56 connectors, and utilizes specialized hardware acceleration to provide up to 1.55x lower latency than previous generations.

Key Features and Benefits

Performance: Delivers 100Gbps speed with ultra-low latency, ideal for time-sensitive trading, leveraging PCIe 5.0 x8 connectivity.
Connectivity: Features dual QSFP56 ports, supporting 10/25/40/50/100 GbE.
Low-Latency Technology: Employ Cut-Through Programmed Input/Output (CTPIO) for accelerated packet transmission.
Software Acceleration: Supports Onload Kernel bypass, ef_vi for direct API access, and TCPDirect, significantly reducing CPU overhead.
Hardware Security: Features secure firmware updates and a hardware root of trust.
Data Path Option: Includes a dedicated "Express Data Path" for minimal latency and an "Enterprise Data Path" for standard, feature-rich networking.

Card Specifications	AMD Solarflare X4542 Ethernet Adapter
Production product SKU	X4542 X4542-PLUS X4542-PLUS-5YW
Add regulatory product code	SR243
Typical electrical card load	23.2W using DAC cables (2 x 100 GbE, both cages active)
Thermal cooling	Passive
Form factor	Half height, half length
Network interface	2 x QSFP56, each of which supports a single port at 1 GbE/ 10 GbE / 25 GbE /40 GbE / 50 GbE / 100 GbE. Alternatively, one QSFP cage supports four ports at 1 Gbe / 10 GbE / 25 GbE, and the other QSFP56 cage is administratively shutdown and is assigned for future expansion
PCIe interface	Gen5 x8, PCIe CEM 5.0 compliant
Feature summary	Secure firmware upgrade and hardware root of trust OS support Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Ubuntu UFEI boot support PXE over UFEI NC-SI/PLDM McTP over SMBus PCIe VDM Onload support TCPDirect support ef_vi support

Product Brief
Data Sheet