Choosing the Right Release Branch#

NVIDIA AI Enterprise offers four release branch types to support different use cases, industry requirements, and application lifecycles. This guide helps you select the appropriate branch for your needs.

Quick Decision Guide#

Use this flowchart to quickly determine which release branch is right for you:

Do you need the latest features and optimizations?

→ Yes: Use Feature Branch (FB)

Is your application mission-critical and requires API stability?

→ Yes: Continue to next question → No: Use Feature Branch (FB)

Do you work in a highly regulated industry requiring extended support?

→ Yes: Use Long-Term Support Branch (LTSB) → No: Use Production Branch (PB)

Are you deploying infrastructure components (GPU drivers, operators)?

→ Yes: Use Infrastructure Branch

Branch Type Recommendations by Use Case#

Feature Branch (FB) - Latest Innovation#

Best For:

  • Development and testing environments

  • Proof-of-concept projects

  • Research and experimentation

  • Applications requiring the newest features

  • Organizations with frequent update cycles

Not Recommended For:

  • Production systems requiring long-term stability

  • Regulated industries with strict change control

  • Applications with extended certification processes

Support Duration: 1 month (most products)

Update Frequency: Monthly releases

Production Branch (PB) - Balanced Stability#

Best For:

  • Production deployments

  • Mission-critical applications

  • Organizations requiring API stability

  • Applications with quarterly update windows

  • Standard enterprise environments

Not Recommended For:

  • Highly regulated industries requiring 3-year support

  • Organizations unable to update within 9 months

  • Environments requiring absolute latest features

Support Duration: 9 months

Update Frequency: Released every 6 months, monthly security updates

Long-Term Support Branch (LTSB) - Extended Stability#

Best For:

  • Highly regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government)

  • Applications with multi-year certification cycles

  • Environments with strict change control processes

  • Mission-critical systems requiring extended support

  • Organizations with annual or less frequent update windows

Not Recommended For:

  • Development environments

  • Applications requiring frequent feature updates

  • Non-regulated production environments

Support Duration: 3 years

Update Frequency: Released every 30 months, quarterly security updates

Infrastructure Branch - Platform Foundation#

Best For:

  • GPU driver deployments

  • Kubernetes orchestration (GPU Operator, Network Operator)

  • Container runtime management

  • vGPU environments

  • Base infrastructure components

Not Recommended For:

  • AI frameworks and applications (use FB, PB, or LTSB instead)

  • Software development (use appropriate software branch)

Support Duration: 1 year (3 years for LTSB Infrastructure releases)

Update Frequency: Major releases every 6 months, minor releases every 3 months

Industry-Specific Recommendations#

Healthcare and Life Sciences#

Recommended: Long-Term Support Branch (LTSB)

Reasoning: Healthcare applications often require FDA approval or certification processes that can take years. LTSB provides the 3-year stability needed for regulatory compliance and long certification cycles.

Alternative: Production Branch (PB) for applications with faster approval cycles

Financial Services#

Recommended: Long-Term Support Branch (LTSB) or Production Branch (PB)

Reasoning: Financial institutions require stability and security but may have faster update cycles than healthcare. LTSB for core trading systems, PB for risk analytics and fraud detection.

Government and Defense#

Recommended: Long-Term Support Branch (LTSB) with Government Ready containers

Reasoning: Government applications require FedRAMP compliance, STIG hardening, and FIPS 140-3 cryptography. LTSB provides extended support for long approval cycles.

For Government Ready containers, refer to Government Ready Containers.

Retail and E-Commerce#

Recommended: Production Branch (PB) or Feature Branch (FB)

Reasoning: Retail applications benefit from newer features (recommendation engines, computer vision) but require production stability. PB for customer-facing systems, FB for internal analytics.

Manufacturing and Automotive#

Recommended: Long-Term Support Branch (LTSB) or Production Branch (PB)

Reasoning: Manufacturing equipment and automotive systems have long lifecycles and safety certifications. LTSB for embedded systems, PB for quality control and predictive maintenance.

Migration Strategies#

Moving Between Branches#

FB → PB Migration:

Organizations often start with FB for development, then migrate to PB for production. Plan migration when:

  • Application reaches production readiness

  • API stability is required

  • Extended support is needed

PB → LTSB Migration:

Consider migrating from PB to LTSB when:

  • Regulatory requirements change

  • Certification cycles extend beyond 9 months

  • Change management becomes more restrictive

LTSB → PB Migration:

Migrate from LTSB to PB when:

  • Regulatory requirements relax

  • Faster innovation is prioritized

  • Update cycles shorten

Staying Current Within a Branch#

Feature Branch: Update monthly to receive latest features and security patches

Production Branch: Apply monthly security updates, plan for major updates every 6 months

Long-Term Support Branch: Apply quarterly security updates, evaluate new LTSB every 30 months

Infrastructure Branch: Apply minor releases every 3 months, major releases every 6 months

Support and Security Considerations#

Security Update Timelines#

All branches receive security updates for high and critical vulnerabilities:

  • FB: Included in next monthly release

  • PB: Monthly security updates during 9-month support period

  • LTSB: Quarterly security updates during 3-year support period

  • Infrastructure Branch: Regular updates during 1-year support period (3 years for LTSB Infra)

End of Life Planning#

Plan migrations before branches reach end-of-life:

  • FB: 1 month notice (next release supersedes current)

  • PB: 9 months from first release to EOL

  • LTSB: 3 years from first release to EOL

  • Infrastructure Branch: 1 year from first release to EOL

For current EOL notices, refer to End of Life Notices.

Additional Resources#