AI networking startups race to replace Nvidia's NVLink
- ID
- 24949
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 16 Sep 2026, 4:56 AM
- Fetched
- 16 Sep 2026, 9:06 AM
- Provider
- The Register
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.theregister.com/systems/2026/09/15/ai-networking-startups-race-to-replace-nvidias-nvlink/5296672
- Source URL
- https://www.theregister.com/headlines.atom
Summary
- Score
- 5.5
- Created
- 16 Sep 2026, 9:06 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersai_ml_learnerssaas_founders
What happened
At the AI Infra Summit, Intel spin-off Cornelis Networks introduced its Active Compute Fabric (ACF), an open architecture for scale-up and scale-out AI networking, alongside its upcoming 800 Gbps CN6000-series switches and NICs targeting the Ultra Ethernet protocol. Delos Data also entered the race to replace Nvidia's NVLink, which currently lets 576 GPUs act as a single accelerator. AMD is already tunneling the competing UALink protocol over Broadcom's 102.4 Tbps Tomahawk 6 switches with MI455X GPUs, but purpose-built UALink switches remain unavailable.
Why it matters
If you're procuring or architecting GPU clusters above a single rack, the NVLink lock-in tax is real and these open alternatives (UALink, Ultra Ethernet, ACF) may shift pricing and vendor options within 12-18 months. For builders renting cloud GPU capacity, this competition could eventually lower costs and reduce Nvidia dependency, but nothing here requires action today since purpose-built UALink switches aren't shipping yet.
Discussion angle
Whether open interconnects like UALink and Ultra Ethernet can actually break Nvidia's moat, or whether NVLink's software ecosystem (CUDA, SHARP) keeps builders locked in regardless of hardware alternatives