Specifications/Requirements

Blackhole™ Tensix Processor

The Blackhole™ p100a, p150a, and p150b Tensix Processor add-in boards are built using the Tenstorrent Blackhole™ Tensix Processor:

Tensix Core Count: 140
SiFive x280 “Big RISC-V” Cores: 16
SRAM: 210 MB (1.5 MB per Tensix Core)
Memory: 32 GB GDDR6, 256-bit memory bus

Card Comparison Table

NOTE: The p100a and p150a add-in cards are designed for desktop workstations where active cooling is required. For rack-mounted servers with sufficient forced air cooling, use the p150b add-in card.

Specification	p100a	p150a	p150b
Part Number	TC-03008	TC-03003	TC-03002
Tensix Cores	120	140	140
AI Clock	Up to 1.35 GHz	Up to 1.35 GHz	Up to 1.35 GHz
“Big RISC-V” Cores	16	16	16
SRAM	180 MB	210 MB	210 MB
Memory	28 GB GDDR6	32 GB GDDR6	32 GB GDDR6
Memory Speed	16 GT/sec	16 GT/sec	16 GT/sec
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/sec	512 GB/sec	512 GB/sec
TBP (Total Board Power)	300W	300W	300W
External Power	1x 12+4-pin 12V-2x6	1x 12+4-pin 12V-2x6	1x 12+4-pin 12V-2x6
Power Supply Requirements	ATX 3.1 Certified or better	ATX 3.1 Certified or better	ATX 3.1 Certified or better
Connectivity	-	4x QSFP-DD 800G (Passive)*	4x QSFP-DD 800G (Passive)*
System Interface	PCI Express 5.0 x16	PCI Express 5.0 x16	PCI Express 5.0 x16
Cooling	Active	Active	Passive
Dimensions (WxDxH)	42mm x 270mm x 111mm	42mm x 270mm x 111mm	42mm x 270mm x 111mm

*For connecting to Tenstorrent Blackhole™-based cards only.

Card Dimensions

p100a

p150a

p150b

Connectivity (p150a/p150b)

Blackhole™ cards feature four ports for connecting to other cards. (p150b pictured; p150a will have the same ports.)

The four (4) QSFP-DD ports are passive, with each providing 800 Gbps connectivity and able to support cable length of up to 2m/6.5 ft. These ports are strictly for connecting Blackhole™-based cards.

Data Precision Formats

The Blackhole™ Tensix Processor supports the following data precision formats:

Format	Bit Depth (Tensix Cores)	Bit Depth (Big RISC-V Cores)
Floating point	FP8, FP16, BFLOAT16 FP32 (Output Only)	FP8, FP16, BFLOAT16, FP32, FP64
Block floating point	BLOCKFP2, BLOCKFP4, BLOCKFP8	-
Integer	INT8 INT32 (Output Only)	INT8, INT16, INT32, INT64
Unsigned Integer	UINT8	-
TensorFloat	TF32	-
Vector	VTF19, VFP32	VFP64

Minimum System Requirements

Part	Requirement
CPU	x86_64 architecture CPU core count and number of sockets will depend on the amount of host preprocessing and post-processing required before and after the accelerator processing.
Motherboard	PCI Express 5.0 x16 slot Dual-slot width Cards can function in slots with reduced connectivity at potentially reduced performance.
Memory	64 GB
Storage	100 GB (≥2 TB recommended)
Power Connectors	12+4-pin 12V-2x6
Total Board Power	Up to 300W
Power Supply	ATX 3.1 Certified or better
Operating System	Ubuntu version 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish) To check your version, type `cat /etc/os-release`.
Internet Connection	Required for driver and stack installation.

Environment Specifications

The Blackhole™ Tensix Processor add-in boards are designed to meet these environmental specifications:

Specification	Requirement
Operating Temperature Range	10°C/50°F - 35°C/95°F
Storage Temperature Range	-40°C/-40°F - 75°C/167°F
Elevation	-5 ft. to 10,000 ft.
Air Flow	≥30 CFM @ up to 35°C/95°F