InfiniBand
The InfiniBand Trade Association is a nonprofit standards body that develops and maintains the InfiniBand and RoCE specifications, serving HPC, AI infrastructure, and enterprise data center ecosystems through its 40+ member companies and compliance testing programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersBeaverton, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What InfiniBand does
The InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA) is a Beaverton, Oregon-based nonprofit trade association founded in August 1999 by seven industry leaders and now comprising more than 40 member companies, including HPE, IBM, Intel, NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Marvell on its Steering Committee. The IBTA develops, maintains, and promotes the InfiniBand Architecture Specification (channel-based switched-fabric interconnect with Remote Direct Memory Access) and the RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) specification, including RoCEv2 for routed Ethernet networks. Its operational programs include the Plugfest compliance and interoperability testing program (hosted at the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab), the InfiniBand and RoCE Integrators' Lists, the InfiniBand Product Directory, the Methods of Implementation documentation set, and the RoCE Initiative launched in 2015.
The association's core technology deliverables have evolved across multiple specification generations, culminating in the XDR 800Gb/s InfiniBand specification released in October 2023 and the current Volume 1 / Volume 2 Release 2.0 specifications issued in November 2025. Native InfiniBand deployments accelerate 271 of the TOP500 supercomputers as of June 2025; combined with RoCE, InfiniBand-family fabrics power 71% of TOP500 systems and 7 of the top 10 Green500 energy-efficient supercomputers. Named deployments include Microsoft Azure HPC cloud instances, Fugaku (Riken/AIST), the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, Eni's HPC5 platform, Meteo France, the Beijing Meteorological Service, and Fujitsu's PRIMEHPC FX700.
The IBTA operates as a membership-based trade association, generating revenue primarily through annual membership dues from its 40+ member companies and one-time specification licensing fees to non-members. Membership tiers and pricing are confidential and disclosed only to members through the membership agreement and bylaws. Go-to-market is event-driven, anchored by the annual IBTA Technical Forum, presence at the SC (Supercomputing) conference series, regular TOP500 announcement cycles, semi-annual newsletters, and PR/media relations managed via the IBTA website and Causeway member portal. The organization has a very small administrative staff (1-10 employees) and outsources testing and event execution to partners including UNH-IOL.
InfiniBand firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- InfiniBand
- Legal name
- InfiniBand Trade Association
- Website
- https://infinibandta.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The InfiniBand Trade Association is a nonprofit standards body that develops and maintains the InfiniBand and RoCE specifications, serving HPC, AI infrastructure, and enterprise data center ecosystems through its 40+ member companies and compliance testing programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
InfiniBand industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Network Interconnect Standards
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)
- SIC
- Computer Communications Equipment (3576)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fabric & High-Performance Networking (InfiniBand/RoCE) (HDABAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AI Networking for Clusters (InfiniBand/Ethernet/RDMA) (HDAAAAAE), High-Performance Networking Adapters (InfiniBand/RDMA/Ultra-Low Latency) (HDAFAEAD)
Keywords
Where InfiniBand is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beaverton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
InfiniBand business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: IBTA operates as a membership-based trade association with member companies paying dues. Membership is open to any company, government department or academic institution interested in the development of InfiniBand architecture.
- Specification Sales: Non-members can obtain specifications by emailing IBTA Administration. Members can directly download specifications from the members area.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Membership tiers not publicly disclosed |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
InfiniBand product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IBTA develops and maintains the InfiniBand Architecture Specification and the RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) specification, providing an industry standard channel-based switched fabric interconnect for server and storage connectivity with RDMA capabilities. The association runs compliance and interoperability testing programs (Plugfest events) at UNH-IOL, publishes Integrators' Lists for InfiniBand and RoCE, and unites industry stakeholders (HPE, IBM, Intel, NVIDIA) on its Steering Committee to advance high-performance networking standards up to 800Gb/s.
Product overview
The InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA) is a global standards organization that develops and maintains the InfiniBand and RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) specifications. The IBTA's core offerings include the InfiniBand Architecture Specification (Volumes 1 and 2) that defines the switched fabric interconnect standard, along with the RoCE specification for RDMA over Ethernet. The association provides compliance and interoperability programs including the InfiniBand Integrators' List and RoCE Integrators' List, which certify products meeting IBTA specifications. Through IBTA Plugfest events, member products are tested at UNH-IOL for compliance. Additional resources include the RoCE Product Directory, InfiniBand Roadmap, Methods of Implementation documents, and the RoCE Initiative educational program. The association unites industry stakeholders including HPE, IBM, Intel, and NVIDIA on its steering committee to advance high-performance RDMA networking technology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RoCE Initiative: An education and resource program of the IBTA dedicated to advancing RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) technology and promoting RoCE awareness.
Products and services
- InfiniBand Architecture Specification
- RoCE Product Directory
Quantifiable outcome
- 71% of TOP500 supercomputers use InfiniBand or RoCE
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use InfiniBand
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
InfiniBand technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability3 records
Feature9 records
InfiniBand partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Marvell Technology GroupcoreMarvell Technology Group is a member of the IBTA Steering Committee, contributing to the advancement of InfiniBand and RoCE specifications.
- University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL)majorUNH-IOL hosts IBTA Plugfest events for compliance and interoperability testing. The lab provides the facility and engineering support for testing InfiniBand and RoCE cables and devices against IBTA specifications.
- MicrosoftcoreMicrosoft joined the IBTA Steering Committee to help lead and drive RDMA specifications and standards for large, mainstream data centers and clouds. Microsoft also deployed 200G HDR InfiniBand for Azure high-performance computing cloud instances.
- OpenFabrics Alliance (OFA)majorThe OpenFabrics Alliance and IBTA collaborate on interoperability events. OFA conducts their interoperability event following IBTA Plugfests, focusing on industry-wide interoperability using the OpenFabrics Alliance Software Stack in both Windows (WinOF) and Linux (OFED) environments.
- OpenFabrics Enterprise Distributionmajor42 percent of world's most powerful computers listed on TOP500 use InfiniBand combined with OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution (OFED), demonstrating strong ecosystem integration.
- HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise)coreHPE is a member of the IBTA Steering Committee, contributing to the development and advancement of InfiniBand and RoCE specifications. HPE has been involved since 2011 when they joined the steering committee, helping develop and enhance InfiniBand for HPC dominance and enterprise data center expansion.
- IBMcoreIBM serves on the IBTA Steering Committee and provides senior technical staff for working groups, including Alan Benner as Chair of the ElectroMechanical Working Group. IBM contributes to specification development and promotion of InfiniBand technology.
- Intel CorporationcoreIntel is a member of the IBTA Steering Committee, contributing to the advancement of InfiniBand and RoCE specifications and promoting the technologies from an industry perspective.
- NVIDIAcoreNVIDIA is a member of the IBTA Steering Committee and has played a significant role in InfiniBand's success, particularly in AI and HPC deployments. NVIDIA (through Mellanox acquisition) provides key InfiniBand and RoCE products including adapters, switches, and cables.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
InfiniBand competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PCI-SIG: Consortium maintaining PCI Express specifications, the dominant general-purpose server interconnect standard. Peer as another industry standards body defining interconnect specifications used in data center systems.
- Ethernet Alliance: Industry consortium promoting Ethernet standards and interoperability. Directly comparable to IBTA as a peer trade association running Plugfest-style events; the two collaborated on Plugfest 39 to test RDMA/RoCE products alongside InfiniBand.
- Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC): Consortium developing Ethernet-based specifications optimized for AI/HPC workloads. Direct peer and competitor targeting the same high-performance networking segment, threatening InfiniBand's enterprise and cloud share.
- OpenFabrics Alliance (OFA): Alliance maintaining OFED software stack for RDMA fabrics including InfiniBand and RoCE. Direct peer as a complementary standards organization running interoperability events immediately after IBTA Plugfests.
Broad incumbents
- NVM Express (NVMe): Consortium defining NVMe storage interface specifications over PCIe and Fabrics. Broad peer as an industry standards body with overlapping Plugfest-style compliance programs and storage infrastructure relevance.
- SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association): Industry association covering storage networking standards and technologies broadly. Broad incumbent peer in adjacent networking/storage standards ecosystem, with overlapping membership and storage-focused programming complementary to IBTA's storage-over-InfiniBand work.
- DMTF (Distributed Management Task Force): Standards organization developing data center infrastructure management specifications (Redfish, etc.). Broad incumbent peer in data center standards with similar nonprofit trade-association structure and plugfest interoperability activities.
Emerging players
- CXL Consortium: Consortium developing Compute Express Link specifications for high-speed CPU-to-accelerator and memory interconnects. Emerging peer addressing overlapping data center interconnect use cases relevant to AI infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
InfiniBand social profiles
Digital presenceInfiniBand financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
InfiniBand leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
InfiniBand funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
InfiniBand M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about InfiniBand
What does InfiniBand do?
IBTA develops and maintains the InfiniBand Architecture Specification and the RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) specification, providing an industry standard channel-based switched fabric interconnect for server and storage connectivity with RDMA capabilities. The association runs compliance and interoperability testing programs (Plugfest events) at UNH-IOL, publishes Integrators' Lists for InfiniBand and RoCE, and unites industry stakeholders (HPE, IBM, Intel, NVIDIA) on its Steering Committee to advance high-performance networking standards up to 800Gb/s.
Is InfiniBand a public or private company?
InfiniBand is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was InfiniBand founded?
InfiniBand was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is InfiniBand based?
InfiniBand is headquartered in Beaverton, United States, in the North America region.
How does InfiniBand make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are specification Sales.
Who are InfiniBand's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PCI-SIG, Ethernet Alliance, Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) and OpenFabrics Alliance (OFA). Broad incumbents are NVM Express (NVMe), SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) and DMTF (Distributed Management Task Force). CXL Consortium is listed as an emerging player.
Does InfiniBand have an API?
No public API is recorded for InfiniBand.
What industry is InfiniBand in?
InfiniBand's product category is Network Interconnect Standards. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDABAFAL, Fabric & High-Performance Networking (InfiniBand/RoCE), with a secondary code of HDAAAAAE, AI Networking for Clusters (InfiniBand/Ethernet/RDMA). Its NAICS code is 5415 and its SIC code is 3576.