CDI: The Future of Specialized Hardware in Containers - Christopher Desiniotis, NVIDIA

CDI: The Future of Specialized Hardware in Containers - Christopher Desiniotis, NVIDIA
There is no standard for accessing specialized hardware in containers, yet as more compute-intensive workloads are being deployed, the demand for using specialized hardware and accelerators increases significantly. Without a standard, device vendors have historically implemented their own solutions and/or integrated differently with different container runtimes, leading to varying end-user experiences and a significant maintenance burden. The Container Device Interface (CDI) is a CNCF-sponsored initiative that standardizes how third-party devices are exposed in containerized environments. In this talk, we will introduce what CDI is, why it’s important, and how to use it in practice. End users will learn about the uniform experience CDI offers for accessing devices across all major container runtimes. Device vendors will learn how to easily support their devices in containerized environments leveraging the CDI specification. Additionally, those interested in contributing to the CDI project will learn how to get involved in the community driving this CNCF-sponsored initiative.