Dolphin ICS develops PCIe interconnect technology for systems in which hosts, PXIe platforms, GPUs, FPGAs, storage or acquisition devices must communicate across chassis boundaries with PCIe-class data movement.
PCIe Interconnect & Multi-System Computing
Dolphin ICSPCIe fabrics, NTB interconnect and low-latency data sharing.
Dolphin Interconnect Solutions provides PCI Express interconnect hardware and eXpressWare software for connecting computers, PXIe chassis and PCIe devices across cabled fabrics, enabling expansion, peer-to-peer I/O, shared memory and low-latency multi-node communication.
PCIe Gen 4 / 5NTB AdaptersPXIeExpansion SystemsReflective MemoryeXpressWare
Dolphin ICS
PCI Express system architecture
Extending PCIe beyond a single chassis
Hardware includes host/target and non-transparent bridge adapters, PXIe interconnect modules, switches, expansion systems and copper or optical connectivity across supported PCIe generations.
eXpressWare provides SISCI shared-memory APIs, DMA, interrupts, device-to-device access, reflective-memory/multicast functions and other communication models for applications that require more than transparent hardware expansion.
PCIe hardware & software
Adapters, PXIe interconnect, expansion and eXpressWare
PCIe Host and NTB Adapters
Host, target and non-transparent bridge adapters for connecting computers and PCIe domains over cable. Adapter selection depends on PCIe generation, lane width, cable type, host topology and whether transparent or non-transparent communication is required.
View productsPXIe Interconnect Modules
PXIe switch and interconnect modules for linking PXIe chassis, hosts and external PCIe systems. These modules connect PXIe chassis with servers, other PXIe systems and external PCIe expansion equipment.
View productsPCIe Expansion Systems
External expansion enclosures and backplanes for GPUs, FPGA cards, storage and other PCIe devices. Expansion platforms provide additional slots and power for accelerators, acquisition cards, FPGA boards and storage devices outside the host enclosure.
View productsPCIe Switches and Cables
Switch boxes, copper cables and optical connectivity for scalable PCIe fabric construction. Switching and cable options support point-to-point, fan-out and multi-host topologies over copper or optical links.
View productseXpressWare Software
Software stack for shared memory, sockets, IP-over-PCIe, SmartIO and application-level PCIe communication. The software layer provides SISCI, SuperSockets, IP over PCIe and management functions for connected PCIe systems.
View productsReflective Memory and SmartIO
Reflective-memory and multicast functions support replicated data across multiple nodes. SmartIO provides low-level access to supported PCIe devices through SISCI on applicable Dolphin hardware and software configurations.
View productsTechnical selection
Define topology, PCIe generation and software model
Transparent vs NTB topology
Determine whether the remote PCIe devices must appear in one transparent hierarchy or whether independent hosts require non-transparent bridge communication.
Generation, lane width & cabling
Match PCIe generation, x4/x8/x16 lane width, cable type, distance and switch topology to required payload bandwidth and host capabilities.
PXIe & device placement
For PXIe or external I/O, define which chassis owns the devices, how clocks/triggers are handled separately, and whether the PCIe path is for control, bulk data or peer-to-peer transfers.
Application software model
Choose transparent device access, SISCI shared memory, DMA, sockets/IP-over-PCIe, reflective memory or SmartIO according to latency, compatibility and application-development requirements.
Applications
Low-latency multi-system computing architectures
High-rate data acquisition
Move digitizer or FPGA data to processing and storage nodes over PCIe fabrics where high throughput and reduced network-stack overhead are important.
GPU & FPGA peer-to-peer
Enable supported PCIe devices to exchange data directly or access remote resources, reducing unnecessary host-memory copies in accelerated processing pipelines.
HIL & distributed simulation
Use shared-memory or reflective-memory communication for deterministic data exchange between simulation, I/O, control and visualization nodes.
External PCIe & PXIe expansion
Connect remote PCIe devices or PXIe chassis to host systems when slot count, chassis location, power or mechanical constraints prevent local installation.
Technical FAQ
Dolphin ICS technical FAQs
What is a PCIe non-transparent bridge (NTB)?
An NTB connects independent PCIe domains while preserving separate host hierarchies. Software then exchanges data across defined memory windows, messaging or higher-level APIs.
Can Dolphin connect two or more computers over PCIe?
Yes. Dolphin hardware and eXpressWare are designed for multi-computer PCIe interconnect, including NTB-based topologies, shared-memory communication and switched fabrics.
What is SISCI?
SISCI is Dolphin's shared-memory API for accessing local and remote memory resources over PCIe, with support for DMA, interrupts, device-to-device transfers and reflective-memory functions.
What is reflective memory in the Dolphin architecture?
Reflective-memory/multicast functions replicate selected data across participating nodes so multiple systems can work with synchronized shared data for simulation, control and monitoring.
Can GPUs or FPGAs participate in peer-to-peer transfers?
Supported systems can use PCIe peer-to-peer or device-to-device transfer mechanisms, but host platform, PCIe topology, IOMMU settings and device capabilities must be checked.
What information is needed to select a Dolphin interconnect?
Provide host models, PCIe generation and slot widths, number of nodes, PXIe or external-device requirements, cable distance, operating systems, expected data rate and preferred software communication model.