Intel's Tofino P4 Software Is Now Open Source
12 comments
·January 16, 2025dfex
wmf
Yes, Intel canceled Tofino two years ago.
I'm not complaining but it's weird that they're open sourcing the SDK now. Maybe it's to support Mount Evans.
ggm
I also was told tofino was looking EOL. Like NUC, dropped from some C suites KPI set and longterm roadmap.
I'd love to be wrong, this is just what people said.
dvtkrlbs
They didnt switch supplier iirc they are still using Tofino since it is is still a capable hardware and they see it being useful for years to come
danpalmer
They spoke on their podcast (I think it was there?) about ditching Tofino for the next generation of the Oxide computer. So it sounds like the current model will always ship with Tofino, but due to no future product development they won't use it again in a new machine. It sounded like they had just secured a replacement for the future but I can't remember who it was.
bcantrill
We've talked about it a bunch, most recently when talking about Intel after Gelsinger.[0] I went into more detail on Intel's total mishandling of Tofino in my blog entry describing why Gelsinger was the wrong choice to lead Intel in 2021.[1]
As you might imagine, this move from Intel is something that we at Oxide have advocated for strenuously -- and it is a tremendous tribute to the former Tofino team at Intel that this got done. As I hope I made clear in my blog entry: the folks working on Tofino at Intel have been great to work with; they deserved much better than their (former) executive leadership.
[0] https://oxide-and-friends.transistor.fm/episodes/intel-after...
[1] https://bcantrill.dtrace.org/2024/12/08/why-gelsinger-was-wr...
gnabgib
Related P4: open-source programming language for high-performance packet switching (98 points, 2016, 19 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11903478
deivid
After having used & automated configuration of "traditional" switching/routing devices for years (Cisco , Arista, Juniper), I can't wait for P4 devices to take over
fishstock25
I believe that Arista has (had?) P4 devices in their lineup, but after Intel's sunsetting of that platform, they probably axed them.
wmf
What do you want to use P4 for?
unit149
[dead]
Am I mistaken or has Intel pretty much shelved the Tofino switching hardware that supports P4 in the first place?
I seem to recall Oxide having to switch suppliers over this?