DPU (Data Processing Unit) is a data-plane dedicated processor designed for data centers and intelligent computing infrastructure. By supporting system-level functions such as elastic networking, cloud storage, virtualization, security, data management and acceleration, and low-latency transmission, it offloads burdens from computing chips (CPU/GPU), fully releases and optimizes computing power, and significantly enhances the overall energy efficiency of computing clusters.
NVIDIA first proposed in 2020 that DPU is one of the three primary data center chips alongside CPU and GPU. At the 2026 CES, NVIDIA further stated that DPU is a standard configuration for every computing node. In its latest Vera Rubin platform, two of the six primary chips are DPU chips, and DPU is gradually becoming a strategic high ground in global technology competition.
DPU is purpose-built for AI intelligent computing and large-scale data processing. In cloud computing scenarios, DPU offloads complex tasks originally borne by the CPU, including elastic networking, cloud storage, virtualization, security, and data management, thereby fully releasing CPU computing resources and reducing the “data center tax.” In AI intelligent computing scenarios, on the one hand, DPU significantly reduces communication latency in the Scale-out domain of GPU clusters and improves overall cluster computing efficiency through technologies such as GDR and GDA and multipath congestion control algorithms; on the other hand, by managing key-value cache (KV Cache), DPU builds an independent, high-speed, and shareable “memory layer” between GPU memory and traditional storage, accelerating the management and access of large model contextual data and significantly reducing data movement overhead, thereby breaking through the storage bottlenecks of traditional GPU systems.
Driven by the continuous expansion of cloud computing infrastructure and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence computing demand, the DPU market has maintained a high growth trajectory. In 2025, the China DPU market reached approximately RMB50 billion, and it is expected to grow to over RMB1,20 billion by 2030, making it one of the fastest-growing and most promising segments within cloud computing and AI infrastructure.
From a competitive landscape perspective, the China DPU market as a whole exhibits a relatively concentrated structure, with leading international independent DPU vendors accounting for the majority of market share. In the China independent full-function DPU market, NVIDIA ranks first, supported by its long-term accumulation in chip architecture, mature data-plane processing capabilities, and a well-established software and hardware ecosystem; JaguarMicro ranks second and holds the leading position among domestic independent full-function DPU vendors.
