Introduction
The NVIDIA Quantum-3 family of fixed-configuration switches revolutionizes the performance, scalability, and efficiency of high-performance computing and AI infrastructures, enabling faster and more effective AI processing and computation. These switches are available in both 4U and 2U systems.
The NVIDIA Quantum-X800 Q3400-RA/Q3401-RD 4U switches, the first to leverage 200Gb/s-per-lane serializer/deserializer (SerDes) technology, significantly enhance network performance and bandwidth. They feature 144 ports at 800Gb/s distributed across 72 octal small form-factor pluggable (OSFP) cages. The switches’ high radix supports a two-level, fat-tree topology capable of connecting up to 10,368 network interface cards (NICs) with minimal latency and optimal job locality, as well as other topologies providing connectivity to tens of thousands of GPUs.
The Q3400-RA is an air-cooled system designed for standard 19-inch rack cabinets, while the Q3401-RD offers the same air-cooled design with support for rack cabinets utilizing DC power. For smaller-scale platforms or integration with existing infrastructures, the NVIDIA Quantum-X800 Q3200 2U air-cooled configuration switch is ideal. This system houses two independent switches within a single enclosure, each providing 36 ports at 800Gb/s. The Q3200 fixed-configuration switches are well-suited for connecting new compute clusters to previous-generation Quantum and Quantum-2 InfiniBand storage infrastructure.
All NVIDIA Quantum-X800 switches include a dedicated OSFP InfiniBand in-band management port specifically for NVIDIA UFM® (Unified Fabric Manager), separated on the front panel from the other ports. This separation allows the full set of standard ports to be used for data network connectivity, simplifying port allocation and streamlining topology design. Additionally, NVIDIA Quantum-X800 switches feature optional router capabilities, facilitating the expansion of InfiniBand clusters to support a large scale of nodes located across multiple sites.
NVIDIA is advancing data center networking into the agentic AI era with co-packaged optics (CPO). By integrating silicon photonics directly with the InfiniBand switch ASIC, the Q3450-LD eliminates the need for pluggable optical transceivers—reducing electrical loss, enhancing signal integrity, and improving overall power and thermal efficiency.
With 144 800Gb/s ports connected via direct MPO connectors, the Q3450-LD delivers unmatched port density and radix—ideal for building high-performance AI fabrics at scale. CPO technology reduces the high-speed electrical path to just a few millimeters within the substrate, slashing insertion loss to ~4 dB—compared to 22 dB in traditional pluggable designs. This results in 63× better signal integrity, enabling higher data rates with lower DSP complexity and reduced power per bit.
As part of the NVIDIA Quantum-X800 InfiniBand platform, the Q3450-LD is purpose-built for AI workloads that require ultra-low latency, high bandwidth, and deterministic performance across multiple thousands of GPUs. It also simplifies thermal design and cable management, accelerating the deployment and scaling of power-efficient InfiniBand-based AI Factories.
Q3200-RA Front View
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Q3200-RA Rear View
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Q3400-RA Front View
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Q3400-RA Rear View
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Q3401-RD Front View
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Q3401-RD Rear View
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Q3450-LD Front View
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Q3450-LD Rear View
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The table below describes maximum throughput and interface speed per system model.
The 4U switches offer a radix of 144 ports of 800Gb/s on 72 physical octal small form-factor pluggable (OSFP) connectors
The 2U systems come with 72 (2 x 36) ports of 800 Gb/s and are ideal for small-scale platforms.
System Model | XDR 800Gb/s OSFP Interfaces | Max Throughput |
Q3200-RA | 72 XDR ports over 36 OSFP cages | 57.6 Tb/s |
Q3400-RA | 144 XDR ports over 72 OSFP cages | 115.2 Tb/s |
Q3401-RD | 144 XDR ports over 72 OSFP cages | 115.2 Tb/s |
Q3450-LD | 144 XDR ports over MPO connectors | 115.2 Tb/s |
The table below lists the various management interfaces and available replacement parts per system model.
System Model | USB and I2C | MGT | FNM - Fabric Management Port | Console | Replaceable PSU | Replaceable Fan |
Q3200-RA | Front (USB 2.0 type A) | Front (2 ports) | Front | Front | Yes, 4 | Yes, 5 |
Q3400-RA | Front (USB 2.0 type A) | Front (2 ports) | Front | Front | Yes, 8 | Yes, 10 |
Q3401-RD | Front (USB 2.0 type A) | Front (2 ports) | Front | Front | No, Busbar powered | Yes, 8 |
Q3450-LD | Front (USB 2.0 type A) | Front (2 ports) | Front | Front | No, Busbar powered | Yes, 2 |
For a full feature list, please refer to the system’s product brief. Go to https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/networking/. In the main menu, click on Products > InfiniBand > Switch Systems , and select the desired product page.
The list of certifications (such as EMC, Safety and others) per system for different regions of the world is located on the NVIDIA website at https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/networking/environmental-and-regulatory-compliance/.