CIQ has significantly expanded the capabilities of its Rocky Linux distributions by integrating NVIDIA DOCA OFED support. This addition, combined with the previously available NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit, makes Rocky Linux from CIQ the first Linux distribution licensed to deliver the complete NVIDIA AI and networking software stack, ready to run immediately upon deployment. This integration is poised to accelerate enterprise AI adoption by drastically reducing setup complexity and time.
Quick Intel
CIQ integrates NVIDIA DOCA OFED networking drivers into Rocky Linux from CIQ (RLC) and its AI variant (RLC-AI).
This creates the first Linux OS with a fully licensed, integrated NVIDIA AI and networking stack.
Enterprises can move from installation to AI inference 9x faster, based on internal benchmarks.
The platform solves key challenges in scaling AI from development to production clusters with thousands of nodes.
It includes enterprise-grade networking features like RDMA and support for tier-one server hardware.
The solution eliminates configuration guesswork, reduces TCO, and includes built-in security features.
The Challenge of Scaling AI Infrastructure
As accelerated computing becomes essential for AI and scientific computing, organizations face significant hurdles. Deploying complex AI software stacks is often hampered by driver conflicts and configuration issues. A greater challenge emerges when scaling a proof-of-concept into a production cluster with thousands of nodes, where network optimization and efficient GPU-to-GPU communication become critical bottlenecks that can stall innovation.
A Unified Solution for Development and Scale
Rocky Linux from CIQ addresses these challenges head-on with pre-built, validated images containing the complete NVIDIA stack. This includes the CUDA Toolkit, DOCA OFED network drivers, and all supporting components. For developers, this delivers an appliance-like experience for GPU computing. For enterprises, it provides the critical networking and interconnect capabilities, including RDMA and IDPF, needed to deploy and optimize large-scale clusters on hardware from partners like Dell and HPE.
Tangible Enterprise Advantages
The integrated platform delivers measurable benefits that streamline the entire AI workflow. Organizations can deploy production-ready environments in a fraction of the time, with setup reduced from 30 minutes to just 3 minutes. This instant productivity is coupled with enterprise-scale readiness, allowing for seamless scaling to thousand-node clusters. The solution also lowers the total cost of ownership by minimizing setup time and troubleshooting, while built-in features like fully signed drivers and secure boot support address critical security concerns in modern IT environments.
By integrating the full NVIDIA software stack, CIQ has positioned Rocky Linux as a definitive platform for GPU-accelerated development and large-scale cluster deployment. This strategic enhancement removes the traditional barriers of infrastructure configuration, allowing development and infrastructure teams to focus their efforts entirely on innovation and building advanced AI applications rather than managing complex system setups.
About CIQ
CIQ is building the next-generation secure and performant software infrastructure stack for the AI era. Founded in 2020 by open source pioneer Gregory Kurtzer, CIQ helps organizations simplify, unify, and democratize high-performance computing and enterprise IT. CIQ is the founding support and services partner of Rocky Linux and the creator of products like Fuzzball, Warewulf Pro, Ascender Pro, and Rocky Linux from CIQ. The company provides scalable, open infrastructure solutions that empower innovation from the operating system up. Rooted in a community-first philosophy, CIQ is trusted by organizations modernizing for a future defined by data and AI.
TechIntelPro empowers B2B technology decision-makers with the latest industry trends, deep insights, leadership perspectives and actionable intelligence to drive both organizational and professional milestones—and thrive on the tech pulse.