NVIDIA Infra Controller
NVIDIA Infra Controller: A specialized Kubernetes-based control plane for provisioning and operating GPU and DPU infrastructure. Ranked #7 of 28 in Bare Metal Provisioning Software by our editors (8.6/10); pricing: Open source; best for GPU and DPU infrastructure operators.
At a glance
- Editor score8.6 / 10
- PricingOpen source
- Best forGPU and DPU infrastructure operators
- Paid fromFree
- Bare-metal discoveryYes
- Founded1993 · Santa Clara, California, USA
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Covers discovery, validation, firmware, provisioning, monitoring, and sanitization
- Supports BlueField DPU OS, networking, firmware, PXE/iPXE, and tenant OS images
- Offers REST, gRPC, and CLI access with broad infrastructure integrations
Where it doesn't
- More specialized than general-purpose bare-metal provisioning platforms
- Requires a Kubernetes-based control plane
- Its scope is centered on NVIDIA AI infrastructure operations
Our verdict on NVIDIA Infra Controller
NVIDIA Infra Controller (NICo) is an open-source suite of microservices for site-local, zero-trust bare-metal lifecycle management. It is designed for NVIDIA Cloud Partners and infrastructure operators managing AI factory-scale infrastructure, with a particular fit for teams operating GPU and DPU environments. The platform covers hardware discovery, inventory collection, SKU validation, burn-in testing, firmware baseline enforcement, DPU provisioning, tenant OS installation, health monitoring, network isolation, lifecycle transitions, and secure sanitization. It runs as a Kubernetes-based control plane and provides REST and gRPC APIs alongside command-line interfaces.
Its strongest fit comes from the depth of its infrastructure-specific workflow. NICo supports Redfish-based discovery and inventory, out-of-band BMC and UEFI management, PXE/iPXE boot, and BlueField DPU OS, networking, and firmware provisioning. Health monitoring combines Redfish and DPU telemetry, while isolation covers Ethernet, InfiniBand, and NVLink. Tenant release and secure sanitization extend coverage beyond initial deployment into infrastructure reuse and lifecycle operations. Integrations include Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, Vault, Temporal, Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, OpenTelemetry, and Keycloak.
NICo should appeal to infrastructure operators that need an open-source control plane for NVIDIA-focused AI environments and want multiple API options for platform integration. Apache 2.0 licensing supports deployment and extension within those operating models. Its specialization is also the main boundary: teams seeking a broadly applicable bare-metal tool outside NVIDIA GPU and DPU infrastructure may prefer a more general-purpose option. The Kubernetes-based architecture further makes it a fit for organizations already operating Kubernetes as part of their infrastructure platform.
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NVIDIA Infra Controller pricing
NVIDIA Infra Controller fact sheet
| Free plan | Not verified |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Bare-metal discovery | Yes |
| OS image deployment | Yes |
| PXE bootstrapping | Yes |
| Lifecycle management | Yes |
| Hardware inventory | Yes |
| API access | Yes |
| Out-of-band management | Yes |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Support | Docs |
| Built for | Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 9 integrations: Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, Vault, Temporal, Prometheus, Grafana … |
| Pricing | Open source |
| Website | docs.nvidia.com |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
NVIDIA Infra Controller integrations
NVIDIA Infra Controller lists 9 integrations on its own site.
- Kubernetes
- PostgreSQL
- Vault
- Temporal
- Prometheus
- Grafana
- Loki
- OpenTelemetry
- Keycloak
Alternatives to NVIDIA Infra Controller
- MAASBroad bare-metal control with free self-support and paid support from $30 per machine annually.9.4
- ConfluentA free, open-source stack for provisioning, operating, and managing bare-metal clusters.9.2
- ForemanA self-hosted choice for Linux fleets that need provisioning, compliance, and lifecycle control.9.0
See all NVIDIA Infra Controller alternatives →
NVIDIA Infra Controller vs the competition
- NVIDIA Infra Controller vs MAAS
- NVIDIA Infra Controller vs Confluent
- NVIDIA Infra Controller vs Foreman
- NVIDIA Infra Controller vs MetalSoft Bare Metal Orchestrator
- NVIDIA Infra Controller vs OpenStack Ironic
- NVIDIA Infra Controller vs Tengan
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Also Ranked In
NVIDIA Infra Controller is ranked in 2 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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