Infrastructure Layer Software

NVIDIA AI Enterprise Infrastructure software manages GPU drivers, orchestration, and networking. Infrastructure components follow a consistent lifecycle with compatibility across stack layers, enabling independent updates and seamless upgrades.

Infrastructure Branch

An Infrastructure Branch contains software for managing and optimizing infrastructure and workloads. The GPU Drivers (NVIDIA vGPU for Compute and the Data Center GPU Driver) are supported for 1 year unless the branch is designated as an LTSB Infrastructure Branch, in which case it is supported for 3 years. During that period, GPU drivers receive regular bug fixes and security updates.

Table 12 Infrastructure Release Types

Release Type	Cadence	Description
Major Release (x.0)	Every 6 months	First release in an Infrastructure Branch. Introduces significant new functionality and can also contain bug fixes and security updates.
Minor Release (x.y)	Every 3 months	Updates a Major Release within the same Infrastructure Branch. Does not introduce significant new functionality but contains bug fixes and security updates.

Certain Infrastructure Releases are designated as LTSB Infrastructure Releases, extending the support window from 1 year to 3 years.

Table 13 LTSB Infrastructure Designation

Policy	Details
Designation cadence	An Infrastructure Release is designated as an LTSB Infrastructure Release at least once every 2 years and at least once for each hardware architecture.
Notification timeline	An Infrastructure Release will be designated an LTSB release within 6 months of its general availability. Customers will be notified if the current Infrastructure Release is designated an LTSB Infrastructure Release before the general availability of the next Infrastructure Release.

The NVIDIA Infrastructure releases include products such as the NVIDIA Container Toolkit, the NVIDIA GPU Operator, the NVIDIA Network Operator, and NVIDIA Run:ai. Each product has a different lifecycle. For more information, refer to the individual product documentation.

Products available as an Infra Branch can be found in the Infra Collections on the NGC Catalog.

Interactive Lifecycle and Compatibility Explorer

Use the interactive explorer below to check cross-stack compatibility between infrastructure components. Select one of four query modes:

• By Software Branch — Select an Infrastructure Branch to see all releases and compatible component versions.

• By Release — Select a specific release to view the complete compatibility matrix.

• By Component — Enter a component type and version to find which releases include it.

• Full Stack Check — Enter your GPU driver version to identify your release and validate compatibility.

Note

Refer to the Infra Collections on the NGC Catalog for the latest release information.

Infrastructure Lifecycle and Compatibility Explorer

🖥️ By Software Branch Browse releases and component versions within a branch 📋 By Release View the complete compatibility matrix for a specific release 📦 By Component Find which releases include a specific component version ✅ Full Stack Check Enter your driver version to identify your release

Include archived branches (End of Support)

Select Software Branch -- Select a software branch -- NVIDIA AI Enterprise Infra 7.x (R580) — LTSB NVIDIA AI Enterprise Infra 4.x (R535) — LTSB

Show Releases Reset

Select Release -- Select a release -- Infra 7.4 (January 2026) Infra 7.3 (November 2025) Infra 7.2 (October 2025) Infra 7.1 (September 2025) Infra 7 (August 2025) Infra 4.9 (January 2026) Infra 4.8 (October 2025) Infra 4.7 (July 2025) Infra 4.6 (April 2025) Infra 4.5 (February 2025) Infra 4.4 (November 2024) Infra 4.3 (August 2024) Infra 4.2 (June 2024) Infra 4.1 (March 2024) Infra 4 (January 2024)

View Compatibility Reset

Component -- Select a component -- NVIDIA GPU Operator NVIDIA Network Operator NVIDIA Run:ai NVIDIA DOCA Driver for Networking NVIDIA Fabric Manager NVIDIA DOCA Microservices NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager NVIDIA vGPU for Compute Guest Driver NVIDIA Container Toolkit NVIDIA DPU Operator (DPF) NVIDIA NIM Operator NVIDIA Base Command Manager (BCM)

Version

Find Releases Reset

GPU Driver Version -- Select a GPU driver version -- 580.126.09 (Infra 7.4) 580.105.08 (Infra 7.3) 580.95.05 (Infra 7.2) 580.82.07 (Infra 7.1) 580.65.06 (Infra 7) 535.288.01 (Infra 4.9) 535.274.02 (Infra 4.8) 535.261.03 (Infra 4.7) 535.247.01 (Infra 4.6) 535.230.02 (Infra 4.5) 535.216.01 (Infra 4.4) 535.183.06 (Infra 4.3) 535.154.05 (Infra 4.2) 535.129.03 (Infra 4.1) 535.104.05 (Infra 4)

View Release Reset

Select a filter above and click Show Releases to display results.

Compatibility Matrix

×

Stack Architecture and Alignment

NVIDIA AI Enterprise Infrastructure software follows a consistent lifecycle approach across all stack layers, ensuring compatibility and seamless updates.

Attention

This diagram illustrates the alignment strategy for NVIDIA AI Enterprise Infrastructure components. Version numbers shown are examples only to demonstrate the branch alignment pattern across the stack.

Lifecycle State Definitions

The following lifecycle states define the support posture for each infrastructure component branch. These states apply to all layers of the NVIDIA AI Enterprise Infrastructure stack.

Table 14 Lifecycle State Definitions

State	Definition
Supported	Active support with committed resourcing. The branch receives CVE patches, bug fixes, and updates at the cadence defined for its branch type.
Deprecated	Still supported with CVE patches and bug fixes, but a deprecation date has been set and customers have been notified. Customers should plan migration to a newer supported branch during this window.
End of Support	No longer supported. Older versions of this artifact remain available on the NGC Catalog for download but are no longer supported. Only the latest supported version receives CVE patches, bug fixes, and new features. Upgrade to the latest supported version to continue receiving patches and support.
End of Life	The branch is no longer supported and no migration or update path is provided. The branch may remain available on the NGC Catalog as part of the release but is not maintained in any capacity. Customers should not use End of Life branches for any workload.

Key Observations:

• Staggered Releases: Upper stack components release on independent cadences with shorter branch lifecycles (6-8 months)

• Extended Driver Support: GPU Driver branches have longer support windows (12-month branch with 3-month overlap for datacenter; 36-month branch for LTS)

• Multiple Active Driver Branches: At any given time, multiple GPU driver branches are active and supported

• Cross-Stack Compatibility: Upper stack components are compatible across GPU driver branches where supported. Use the Interactive Explorer to verify component availability for a specific release.

• Seamless Updates: The overlap between branches enables zero-downtime infrastructure updates

Branch and Version Guidance

GPU Drivers

Note

Driver tier names (GPU Driver Current, GPU Driver Next, GPU Driver Future, GPU Driver LTS) and upper stack version numbers (2.2x, 20.x) are placeholders used to illustrate the branch alignment pattern. Refer to the Infra Collections on the NGC Catalog for actual release versions.

Table 15 GPU Driver Branch Selection

Driver Tier	Branch Duration	Overlap	Recommended For
GPU Driver Current	12 months	3 months	Most production deployments. Latest datacenter driver with full active development and support.
GPU Driver Next	12 months	3 months	Next datacenter driver branch with full support. Enables proactive migration from the current branch.
GPU Driver Future	Pre-release		Early validation and proactive compatibility verification before general availability.
GPU Driver LTS	36 months	3 months	Highly regulated environments requiring extended stability and support.

Upper Stack Components (NVIDIA Run:ai, NVIDIA Network Operator, NVIDIA GPU Operator)

Table 16 Upper Stack Component Guidance

Guidance	Details
Version selection	Choose any currently supported version. All versions are engineered to work with all active GPU driver branches.
Update cadence	Update independently based on your operational needs. Upper stack components do not require lockstep updates with GPU drivers.

Infrastructure Update Strategy

Table 17 Recommended Update Approach

Step	Practice	Details
1	Test in lower environments	Validate new branches in dev/staging before production.
2	Use overlap windows	Use the overlap period where multiple GPU Driver branches are under Supported simultaneously to plan migrations without downtime.