SOW GPU.docx

Naval Research Laboratory 1005 Balch Boulevard Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 Code 7340

Cognitive Geospatial Systems Section General-Purpose Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) Server for Geospatial Artificial Intelligence Statement of Work (SOW)

1.0 BACKGROUND

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) requires the procurement of two (2) identical, high-performance 4U rackmount servers (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) to provide localized, high-performance computing resources for three critical artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) initiatives: the Airborne Multimodal Feature Retrieval (AMFR) project, the Information Security Learning and Decision-support (ISLanD) project, and Project Centaur. These pre-assembled, fully integrated barebone compute clusters will localize computation and storage to support the training of deep neural networks for real-time building roofline detection in satellite imagery, as well as the benchmarking and optimization of locally run, open-source Large Language Model (LLM) architectures. Consolidating these advanced workloads onto two dedicated servers ensures optimal hardware resource utilization, removes the need to move massive geospatial datasets off-site, and maintains strict localized data security.

2.0 PRIMARY CAPABILITIES & SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

The systems must meet or exceed the following physical, functional, and performance specifications:

2.1 System Chassis & Form Factor

Form Factor: 4U Rackmount Server.

Dimensions (WxHxD): Maximum of 17.2" (437mm) x 7.0" (178mm) x 29.0" (737mm) to ensure physical compatibility with standard NRL server racks.

Expansion Slots: Minimum of nine (9) PCIe 5.0 x16 Full-Height, Full-Length (FHFL) slots to support high-speed peripheral expansion.

Drive Bays: Minimum of twenty-four (24) 2.5" hot-swap NVMe/SATA/SAS drive bays, with at least four (4) bays dedicated directly to NVMe drives.

M.2 Interface: Minimum of one (1) onboard M.2 NVMe/SATA slot (supporting 80mm or 110mm form factors) for boot-drive redundancy.

Onboard Graphics: Integrated ASPEED AST2600 BMC (or equivalent) for system management and basic display rendering.

2.2 Processing Power (CPU)

Architecture: Dual-socket x86-64 server architecture.

Processor Type: Two (2) AMD EPYC 9224 Processors (or equal) per server.

Core/Thread Count: Minimum of 24 physical cores and 48 threads per processor (providing a total of 48 physical cores and 96 threads per server).

Base Clock Speed: Minimum of 2.50 GHz.

Cache: Minimum of 64MB L3 Cache per processor.

Thermal Design Power (TDP): Maximum of 200W TDP to comply with local rack power-delivery constraints.

Socket Compatibility: AMD SP5 socket.

2.3 System Memory (RAM)

Capacity: 768 GB total system memory per server.

Configuration: Twenty-four (24) x 32GB RDIMMs to maximize multi-channel memory bandwidth.

Type: DDR5 ECC Registered Server Memory.

Speed: Minimum of 5600 MHz (PC5-41600).

Form Factor: 288-pin DIMM.

2.4 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) - Brand Name Mandatory

Quantity: Eight (8) GPUs per server (total of sixteen $$16$$ GPUs across both systems).

Model: NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition (or direct NVIDIA Blackwell equivalent).

Memory: Minimum of 96GB GDDR7 ECC memory per GPU.

Interface: PCIe 5.0 x16.

Cooling: Active Cooling (integrated fan configuration).

Display Output: Minimum of four (4) DisplayPort (DP) outputs per GPU.

Justification for Brand Name Restriction:

The NRL software stack, military simulation tools, and mission-critical algorithms are developed natively on the proprietary NVIDIA CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) API platform.

Alternative architectures (such as AMD Instinct or Intel Xe) do not natively support CUDA compilation.

Using non-NVIDIA GPUs would require a total software stack rewrite, resulting in extreme delays to the mission timeline and substantial, duplicative software engineering costs.

While the GPU brand is legally restricted to NVIDIA, the overall server integration is fully open to competitive bidding among qualified system integrators.

2.5 High-Speed Storage

Quantity: Eight (8) drives per server (total of sixteen $$16$$ drives across both systems).

Capacity: 960GB per drive.

Type: 2.5" Solid State Drive (SSD).

Interface: SATA 6.0Gb/s.

Performance Metrics:

Sequential Read Speed: Minimum of 540 MB/s.

Sequential Write Speed: Minimum of 520 MB/s.

Random Read IOPS: Minimum of 95,000 IOPS.

Random Write IOPS: Minimum of 33,000 IOPS.

Endurance: Minimum of 1.5 Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD).

NAND Flash: Micron 176-layer 3D TLC NAND (or equal).

2.6 Storage Controller

Type: SAS/SATA Host Bus Adapter (HBA).

Model: Broadcom HBA 9500-8i (or equal).

Interface: PCIe 4.0 x8.

Data Transfer Rate: Up to 12Gb/s SAS.

Internal Ports: Minimum of eight (8) internal SAS/SATA ports.

I/O Processor: LSI SAS3808 (or equal).

2.7 Networking & Connectivity

Onboard Interface: Dual 10-Gigabit Ethernet (2x 10GbE BaseT RJ-45 ports).

Add-On Network Adapter: One (1) Broadcom NetXtreme 25-Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter P425G (or equal) per server.

Adapter Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16.

Ports: Four (4) SFP28 ports.

Cable Medium: Copper compatibility.

2.8 Power Supply Unit (PSU) & Efficiency

Quantity: Four (4) power supplies per server.

Configuration: 3+1 Redundant Hot-Swap configuration.

Capacity: 2000W per power supply.

Efficiency Level: Titanium Level Certified (to minimize waste heat and power draw).

Power Estimates (Steady State per Server):

AC Input Watts: ~1058.35W Volt-Amps: ~1114.05 VA BTU/hr Heat Output: ~3611.24 BTU/hr Amps: ~10.13A @ 110V; ~5.36A @ 208V

2.9 Operating System Environment

Requirement: Standard delivery must contain "No Operating System" installed. Operating systems, hypervisors, and security-hardening measures will be deployed post-delivery by cleared NRL systems administrators.

3.0 DEELIVERY, INSTALLATION, & WARRANTY

3.1 Required Delivery Dates

Delivery Timeline: Delivery of both completed, integrated servers is required within 30 to 60 Days After Receipt of Order (ARO).

Shipping Terms: FOB Destination. The vendor shall include all shipping, handling, and freight costs in their competitive quotation.

3.2 Required Location of Performance or Installation of Equipment Delivery Destination:

US Naval Research Laboratory 1005 Balch Blvd., Code 7343 Stennis Space Center, MS 39529

Attn: Chris Michael

Installation Requirements: No professional onsite system installation or software configuration is required from the vendor. Deliverables are physical, unclassified COTS hardware items. The systems will be received at the designated unclassified receiving dock, physically inspected, and rack-mounted inside the secure server facility by NRL government personnel.

3.3 Warranty & Keep Your Hard Drive Provision

Coverage Term: Minimum of a 4-Year (48-Month) Advanced Parts Replacement and Next-Business-Day (NBD) Onsite Service warranty, covering all integrated hardware components (chassis, CPUs, memory, GPUs, storage, controllers, and power supplies).

Technical Support: Access to telephone and email technical support during standard business hours (0800 - 1700 CST, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays).

Special Storage Media Provision ("Keep Your Hard Drive"):

Due to Department of Defense and Department of the Navy information security mandates, any failed storage media (SSDs or M.2 boot drives) that have been introduced to NRL information networks cannot be physically returned to the vendor.

In the event of a storage drive failure, NRL will retain and destroy the defective drive under classified waste sanitization protocols.

The vendor must provide a replacement drive under the warranty program at no additional cost to the government, without receiving the defective unit in return.

3.4 Training Requirements

Requirement: No specialized training is required from the vendor. The hardware consists of standard x86 enterprise servers that will be operated and managed using standard industry practices by existing NRL engineering staff.

4.0 SECURITY

4.1 Security Considerations

Security Classification: All physical hardware components and deliverables under this contract are UNCLASSIFIED.

DD Form 254: A DD Form 254 is NOT REQUIRED for this procurement. There is no requirement for the vendor to access, store, or generate classified information during the assembly, packaging, or delivery phases of this hardware.

Onsite Warranty Service Escorts: Any vendor technician dispatched to NRL facilities to perform physical warranty maintenance must be escorted by a 100% continuous, government-furnished representative at all times.

Logical Network Access Restrictions: Under no circumstances will vendor personnel be granted logical, remote, or physical access to active Department of Navy information networks, databases, or sensitive project files.

5.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The Contract will define the period of performance to be 01 November 2026 – 31 October 2029.

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