CIQ has announced major enhancements for Rocky Linux from CIQ (RLC) and RLC-AI, introducing NVIDIA DOCA OFED support alongside the CUDA Toolkit. This update makes Rocky Linux the first distribution licensed to deliver the full NVIDIA AI and networking stack out of the box.
Faster AI Deployment and Productivity
With these integrations, developers and enterprises can now move from installation to inference up to 9x faster. This saves time and lets teams focus on innovation instead of complex configuration. The RLC-AI image includes pre-validated environments, helping users deploy production-ready setups in just minutes.
Enterprise-Ready Performance and Scalability
As organizations scale from small development clusters to thousand-node environments, network optimization becomes essential. By adding DOCA OFED, RDMA, and IDPF, CIQ ensures smoother GPU-to-GPU communication and better performance across servers from Dell, HPE, and other major vendors.
These improvements also reduce troubleshooting and setup time, cutting costs while maintaining efficiency across the entire development lifecycle.
Simplified Infrastructure and Security
CIQ’s pre-built Rocky Linux images come fully validated with NVIDIA drivers, network stacks, and secure boot support. This removes guesswork, enhances security, and ensures consistency across deployments.
“Rocky Linux from CIQ delivers the appliance-like experience developers have been waiting for,” said Gregory Kurtzer, Founder and CEO of CIQ. “Teams can now download, deploy, and start building instantly.”
Upcoming Demonstrations
CIQ will showcase its full-stack NVIDIA integration at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America (Nov 10–13, 2025) and SC25 (Nov 16–21, 2025). Visitors can explore real-world deployments featuring Rocky Linux from CIQ, NVIDIA AI infrastructure, and BlueField DPUs.