SXM
The module form factor of NVIDIA data center GPUs: the chip sits on a module mounted on the server's baseboard rather than on a PCIe card.
SXM is the physical form factor of NVIDIA's high-end data center GPUs. Instead of a card that plugs into a PCIe slot, the GPU and its memory are mounted on a flat module, attached by a high-density connector to a server baseboard. SXM5 is the version used by the H100 and H200, and Blackwell data center GPUs follow the same principle.
This form factor has two advantages. It supports much higher power than most PCIe cards, up to 700 W per GPU on the Hopper generation, with a large heatsink or even liquid cooling. And it routes the NVLink connections through the baseboard, so all the GPUs in the server communicate at very high speed. The result: for the same GPU model, the SXM version is generally faster than the PCIe version.
An SXM GPU is not something you buy on its own to install in a PC: it lives in a server designed for it, usually an HGX platform with 4 or 8 GPUs. On a product page, check the form factor (SXM or PCIe), the total power draw, often several kilowatts, and the electrical supply required, sometimes three-phase. Also consider the noise and heat of such a machine, which belongs in a rack or a server room.
We offer SXM GPU servers on quotation, and we work with you on the electrical installation and cooling they need.