The 2025 FPGA Conference Europe in Munich served as a platform for demonstrating technological advancement in high-speed networking.
Silicom Denmark, in collaboration with DYNANIC, showcased a live demonstration of a 400G solution leveraging the ThunderFjord FPGA SmartNIC, highlighting the synergy between state-of-the-art hardware and innovative software architectures.
Technical Demonstration: ThunderFjord and DYNANIC Integration
At the core of DYNANIC´s exhibition was a fully operational, programmable FPGA packet-processing pipeline implemented on the Silicom ThunderFjord SmartNIC. Key technical features included:
- Dual QSFPDD 400GE ports
- PCIe Gen5 x16 interface
- Altera Agilex 7 FPGA, M-series with and without on-chip HBM
- 16x28Gbps expansion port for PCI or Extra Ethernet ports
ThunderFjor SmartNIC with 4xQSFP28 expansion PCI adaptor with 2xARC6-16 and sideband connector
The demonstration provided tangible evidence of the platform’s capabilities, attracting interest from engineers, researchers, product managers, and technology partners. Attendees observed how DYNANIC’s low-level HDL pipeline, in conjunction with Silicom’s high-performance hardware, delivers a robust and adaptable solution for demanding environments such as AI data centers, cybersecurity operations, and ultra-low-latency networking.
This solution distinguishes itself from conventional SmartNIC offerings by achieving a rare equilibrium: deep programmability combined with high throughput and resource efficiency.
Addressing the 400G Host Transfer Bottleneck
DYNANIC’s CTO, Lukáš Kekely, addressed a critical industry challenge—sustaining 400 Gbps host transfer rates, particularly with the prevalence of small packets in real-time and security-sensitive applications. The offered solution involved:
✓ Aggregation of small Ethernet frames into “superpackets”
✓ Optimized DMA transfer to the host
This approach yielded significant benefits:
✪ Reduced transfer overhead
✪ Enhanced PCIe efficiency
✪ Sustained full-rate ingress at the host
✪ Seamless compatibility with high-performance frameworks such as DPDK and XDP
Notably, this methodology was not merely theoretical; it was validated live on Silicom’s ThunderFjord, demonstrating practical, deployment-ready performance.
Ecosystem Collaboration and Platform Validation
The event also underscored the importance of ecosystem collaboration. Representatives from Altera (Intel) visited the booth, reinforcing the commitment to building a robust Agilex-based SmartNIC ecosystem. Discussions regarding future joint promotional activities further highlighted the collaborative spirit among hardware vendors, IP developers, and software framework providers.
Silicom’s ThunderFjord platform with the DYNANIC solution is engineered to facilitate this openness and flexibility, empowering developers and integrators to deploy custom solutions on the hardware of their choice with assured performance.
Strategic Implications for Silicom
Participation with DYNANIC in FPGA Conference Europe 2025 reinforced several strategic conclusions for Silicom:
📌 ThunderFjord is fully prepared for deployment in advanced, high-throughput packet processing scenarios, supporting 400G and PCIe Gen5.
📌 The modular FPGA architecture provides a robust foundation for partner-driven innovations, from DMA engines to sophisticated network pipelines.
📌Silicom is committed to fostering an open, collaborative ecosystem, driving flexibility, performance, and continuous innovation.
Silicom remains dedicated to supporting partners like DYNANIC and enabling customers to develop next-generation infrastructure across telecommunications, cloud, and AI edge and core networks.
Interested in learning more about the Thunderfjord and DYNANIC solution?
We’d be happy to continue the conversation—feel free to reach out to our team to explore how this powerful combination can accelerate your next project.
