Mellanox BlueField-2 MBF2H332A DPU 25GbE Dual-Port SmartNIC

Mellanox BlueField-2 MBF2H332A DPU 25GbE Dual-Port SmartNIC

Brand: Mellanox | Category: Network Adapters & NICs

SKU: MELL-MBF2H332AAEEOT | Part #: MBF2H332A-AEEOT | MPN: MBF2H332A-AEEOT

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About the Mellanox BlueField-2 MBF2H332A DPU 25GbE Dual-Port SmartNIC

The Mellanox BlueField-2 MBF2H332A is a purpose-built Data Processing Unit (DPU) that integrates a full ARM-based processor with dedicated networking silicon, enabling hardware-accelerated packet processing, encryption, and storage I/O operations directly at the network interface. Unlike traditional SmartNICs that provide stateless offload, the BlueField-2 executes complete network and security functions independently, freeing the host CPU from interrupt handling, tunnel encapsulation, and threat inspection overhead. The device implements dual 25GbE ports supporting RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), allowing simultaneous high-throughput data movement and security processing without host CPU intervention.

Architecturally, the MBF2H332A houses an 8-core ARM Cortex-A72 processor running at 3.5GHz, paired with 16GB of GDDR6 memory and a dedicated cryptographic accelerator supporting AES, SHA, and ChaCha20. The adapter interfaces with the host via PCIe 4.0 x16, delivering up to 32Gbps of host bandwidth while maintaining independent data plane operation. The integrated Open vSwitch and DPDK-optimized firmware enable line-rate switching and filtering at 25GbE without consuming host CPU cycles.

Deployed extensively in enterprise environments since Q1 2021, the BlueField-2 addresses the architectural inflection point where traditional NIC-based offload becomes insufficient for security-first and disaggregated infrastructure models. Financial institutions standardizing on DPU-based security perimeters, telecommunications providers implementing 5G packet gateway functions, and enterprises deploying encrypted storage networks rely on this adapter to decouple network/security processing from application compute tiers.

Ideal for

  • Encrypted storage traffic acceleration—offload AES-NI and SHA operations for iSCSI/NVMe-oF sessions at wire rate while host CPUs remain available for database workloads
  • Microsegmentation and east-west encryption—enforce per-flow encryption and authentication policies within the data center fabric without CPU overhead
  • 5G packet gateway and MEC—execute GTP decapsulation, DPI, and traffic steering functions on the DPU, leaving packet payload processing to application VMs
  • Intrusion detection and inline threat inspection—perform stateful packet inspection and malware detection at 25Gbps using dedicated crypto and memory subsystems
  • RDMA-enabled disaggregated storage—support RoCE v2 protocol directly on the adapter for low-latency, CPU-bypass access to remote NVMe arrays
  • Hypervisor network stack offload—replace kernel network driver overhead with DPU-resident forwarding in virtualized environments running hundreds of VMs

Technical specifications

ManufacturerMellanox (NVIDIA Networking)
ModelMBF2H332A
Product CategoryData Processing Unit (DPU) / SmartNIC
Form FactorHalf-Height, Half-Length (HHHL) PCIe Adapter Card
Host InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16
Host Bandwidth32 Gbps (PCIe 4.0 x16)
Network Ports2x 25 Gigabit Ethernet SFP28
Network ProtocolsEthernet, IPv4/IPv6, RoCE v2, UDP, TCP, VXLAN, Geneve, GRE, Ipsec
Processor8-core ARM Cortex-A72 @ 3.5GHz
Processor Memory16 GB GDDR6
Crypto AcceleratorHardware AES (256-bit), SHA-256/SHA-512, ChaCha20-Poly1305
Packet Buffer Memory32 MB on-device packet buffer
Maximum Throughput50 Gbps aggregate (25 Gbps per port)
Latency (Port-to-Port)<1 microsecond cut-through switching
Power Consumption25W typical operating
Operating Temperature0°C to 50°C ambient
FirmwareNVIDIA DOCA (Data Center Acceleration Framework) with Open vSwitch and DPDK support
Supported HypervisorsKVM, Hyper-V, VMware ESXi (with NVIDIA DOCA vDPA driver)
Launch DateQ1 2021
Regulatory CertificationsFCC, CE, RoHS Compliant

Available from Omnixon Global. Submit an RFQ and our team will confirm configuration and availability for your order.

Technical Specifications

BrandMellanox
CategoryNetwork Adapters & NICs
SKUMELL-MBF2H332AAEEOT
Part NumberMBF2H332A-AEEOT
ConditionNew
ModelMBF2H332A
Product CategoryData Processing Unit (DPU) / SmartNIC
Form FactorHalf-Height, Half-Length (HHHL) PCIe Adapter Card
Host InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16
Host Bandwidth32 Gbps (PCIe 4.0 x16)
Network Ports2x 25 Gigabit Ethernet SFP28
Network ProtocolsEthernet, IPv4/IPv6, RoCE v2, UDP, TCP, VXLAN, Geneve, GRE, Ipsec
Processor8-core ARM Cortex-A72 @ 3.5GHz
Processor Memory16 GB GDDR6
Crypto AcceleratorHardware AES (256-bit), SHA-256/SHA-512, ChaCha20-Poly1305
Packet Buffer Memory32 MB on-device packet buffer
Maximum Throughput50 Gbps aggregate (25 Gbps per port)
Latency (Port-to-Port)<1 microsecond cut-through switching
Power Consumption25W typical operating
Operating Temperature0°C to 50°C ambient
FirmwareNVIDIA DOCA (Data Center Acceleration Framework) with Open vSwitch and DPDK support
Supported HypervisorsKVM, Hyper-V, VMware ESXi (with NVIDIA DOCA vDPA driver)
Launch DateQ1 2021
Regulatory CertificationsFCC, CE, RoHS Compliant