Network Security For AI/HPC: From MACsec/IPsec Towards Ultra Ethernet

The article discusses the importance of network security for AI/HPC systems, focusing on Ethernet-based connectivity in scale-out networks and data center interconnects. It highlights the need for high-scale AI compute systems and the standardization efforts in the industry to build these systems efficiently. The Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) aims to enhance Ethernet capabilities for AI/HPC by introducing a new transport protocol and a Transport Security Sub-layer (TSS) for protection. The article also covers the use of MACsec and IPsec protocols, their limitations in scale-out networks, and the role of UEC TSS in securing AI/HPC networks.