Mellanox and Matrix Present Fast End-To-End Connectivity For The Defense Sector

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Mellanox and Matrix, distributor of Mellanox solutions in Israel, held a conference for tech experts in the Israeli defense sector – security industries, IDF, and other security bodies. In a special interview for I-HLS, Avi Ben Yosef, Mellanox Sales Manager at MATRIX, talks about the advantages of integrating Mellanox’s solutions in military systems and why cooperation between companies is the greatest opportunity for defense companies and military units.

Tell us about Mellanox’s solutions and the cooperation with Matrix.

Mellanox’s solutions provide end-to-end connectivity in a bandwidth of 10-100 GB per second with very low latency. This solutions offer transferring information between servers and storage units in the most efficient way. In the pastthe volums of information and Big Data applications didn’t require organization to spread fast networks, but today, the speed of data transferring, the decentralization of data processing and the cloud storage solutions move the bottleneck to the network. This is where Mellanox shows its capabilities which were already proven in many performance tests.

The solutions include switches, Network Interface Controllers, adapters, cables, network management software and chips, which accelerate applications and significantly reduce direct and indirect expenses of the computerization system by 50% and more. Mellanox’s products can be integrated in existing standard Ethernet, while the company promises full interoperability with existing equipment. The collaboration between Matrix, which has knowledge, experience and familiarity with companies and organizations in Israel and especially in the field of defense, and Mellanox is meant to leverage the value offer we provide. Matrix is a center of knowledge and solutions for all defense industries, and Mellanox is an important and complementary building block for our solutions in that field.

What distinguishes Mellanox from other companies in the field?

Mellanox is a Data moving company. That might sound simplistic, but with all its technological complexity and unique solutions, that is eventually what the company does, and better than anyone. Its solutions allow to transfer data between two important data centers – from Computer, where data is processed, to Storage, where data is stored in memory and discs. Mellanox’s advantage is in that it uses its own silicon while most other brands in the market use another manufacturer’s silicon, so they are unable to achieve technological difference bandwidth, data transfer quality, consumption and compressibility wise.

Decentralized computerized systems are being laid out for Big Data applications and Scale Out Storage solutions – which is exactly where Mellanox brings its accumulated knowledge to the world of Ethernet. For the company, this isn’t a technological trend, but an architecture it has been cultivating for 15 years.

In systems designed for military use, the key word is SWAP – Size, Weight, and Power. That means products that take up less volume, consume less power and weigh less. These are of critical importance and these traits are what led the US military to incorporate Mellanox’s products in special military projects on land, air and sea. Since the company produces its own silicon it can reveal its latest and newest products a step ahead of the competition. For example, today the company is already busy developing 200 GB/s bandwidth.

How are Mellanox’s advantages realized in military systems?

In many military systems such as aerial control and radar systems, as well as other systems, there is a demand for Zero Packet Loss, as well as low latency. The way these networks are managed today have the processors waste 30-40% of its resources in network management. Mellanox, on the other hand, has a smart network which transfers network management operations from the processors to the card and switch, leaving the CPU resources more power for processing. There is also the SWAP factor which is critical for military systems.

In conclusion, what about the advantages for the Israeli defense sector?

Mellanox, as an Israeli company, develops its silicon and switches in the country, thus providing high level of certainty of its products, unlike other companies who manufacture some components in the East, which causes many concerns in terms of information security. On top of that, the defense sector doesn’t need to work with manufacturers who are far away overseas. A large part of Mellanox’s employees are located in Israel so it’s more comfortable in terms of support and knowledge sharing.

As I’ve mentioned, Mellanox provides technologically leading products, with proven experience in the US military and most important – with development, production and support all in Israele. I have no doubt that these are major advantages for the defense sector.