NCP-AIN study guide · 2026

The 6 NCP-AIN domains, explained

6 domains and 24 official objectives. NVIDIA Spectrum Networking carries the most weight at 30%. Each guide explains what the domain covers, how its questions are framed and where candidates lose marks.

Start with Domain 2 See all domains
Questions
70–75
Time
120 minutes
Passing score
Not published (pass/fail)
Outline
NCP-AIN exam study guide (MAY26 revision, current)

Exam blueprint

Bar widths follow the official weights. Weight ranges are drawn at their midpoint.

  1. 1 5%
  2. 2 30%
  3. 3 30%
  4. 4 5%
  5. 5 20%
  6. 6 10%
  1. 1 AI Data Center Design and Optimization
  2. 2 NVIDIA Spectrum Networking
  3. 3 NVIDIA InfiniBand Networking
  4. 4 Kubernetes Integration
  5. 5 Troubleshooting Tools
  6. 6 Automation and Configuration

All 6 domains

24 official objectives 84–122 hrs suggested study

  1. Domain 01 5%

    AI Data Center Design and Optimization

    Domain 1 explains how an NVIDIA AI factory network is put together: the GPUs, BlueField devices, scalable units and switches, why rail-optimized topologies exist, and how GPUs exchange data inside and across servers.

    Inside this domain

    • Describe an AI factory networking architecture and its components (e.g., GPUs, NVIDIA BlueField, scalable units, switches)
    • Describe rail-optimized topologies for high-performance AI workloads
    • Describe GPU-to-GPU communications

    Watch for NVLink spans the cluster

    Objectives
    3
    Questions est.
    ~4
    Study time est.
    6–10 hrs
  2. Domain 02 30%

    NVIDIA Spectrum Networking

    The joint-largest NCP-AIN domain covers the Spectrum-X Ethernet platform: lossless RoCE, congestion control and adaptive routing, multi-tenant EVPN, simulation in NVIDIA Air, telemetry with WJH and NetQ, DOCA installation and SuperNIC setup.

    Inside this domain

    • Configure NVIDIA Spectrum-X switches for RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) to enable high-speed, low-latency communication
    • Enable and verify QoS, explicit congestion notification (ECN), and priority flow control (PFC), as well as advanced features like adaptive routing and telemetry
    • Configure multi-tenancy Border Gateway Protocol Ethernet VPN (BGP-EVPN) to isolate tenant workloads
    • Use NVIDIA Air to simulate network environments and identify potential issues
    • and 4 more objectives

    Watch for PFC solves congestion

    Objectives
    8
    Questions est.
    ~22
    Study time est.
    25–35 hrs
  3. Domain 03 30%

    NVIDIA InfiniBand Networking

    InfiniBand Networking shares the top weight on NCP-AIN. It covers bringing up an InfiniBand fabric with a highly available subnet manager, isolating tenants with partition keys, tuning QoS and adaptive routing, and monitoring links with UFM.

    Inside this domain

    • Perform initial configuration and provisioning, including high availability (HA)
    • Configure partition keys (PKeys) to ensure secure multi-tenancy in InfiniBand networks
    • Configure QoS and adaptive routing to dynamically adjust paths based on congestion
    • Use UFM to monitor InfiniBand link status and bandwidth utilization

    Watch for Cables are the problem

    Objectives
    4
    Questions est.
    ~22
    Study time est.
    25–35 hrs
  4. Domain 04 5%

    Kubernetes Integration

    This domain covers bringing NVIDIA networking into Kubernetes: deploying the NVIDIA Network Operator to manage RDMA interfaces and InfiniBand networks for pods, and verifying that drivers, device plugins and secondary networks work.

    Inside this domain

    • Deploy the NVIDIA Network Operator to manage RDMA interfaces and InfiniBand networks within Kubernetes clusters
    • Verify NVIDIA Network Operator functionality

    Watch for Default CNI carries RDMA

    Objectives
    2
    Questions est.
    ~4
    Study time est.
    5–8 hrs
  5. Domain 05 20%

    Troubleshooting Tools

    Troubleshooting Tools is the third-largest NCP-AIN domain. It tests whether you can pick and read the right tool: cl-resource-query and WJH on Spectrum-X, interconnect checks across GPUs, CPUs and storage, UFM system health and the InfiniBand command set.

    Inside this domain

    • Use tools like cl-resource-query to check resource allocation in Spectrum-X environments
    • Use WJH services for real-time event analysis
    • Verify low-latency interconnects between GPUs, CPUs, and storage systems
    • Use UFM system health to diagnose InfiniBand issues
    • and 1 more objectives

    Watch for ibping just works

    Objectives
    5
    Questions est.
    ~15
    Study time est.
    15–22 hrs
  6. Domain 06 10%

    Automation and Configuration

    Automation and Configuration covers managing Spectrum-X switches as code: using NVUE's object model, configuration files and templates, and writing Ansible playbooks that create VLANs or apply RoCE settings repeatably across the fabric.

    Inside this domain

    • Manage Spectrum-X switch configurations through NVUE templates
    • Write Ansible playbooks to automate network setup tasks like VLAN creation or RoCE configuration

    Watch for Set means live

    Objectives
    2
    Questions est.
    ~7
    Study time est.
    8–12 hrs

Study the heaviest domains first

Marks follow weight. This order puts the most marks behind you first, across about 84–122 hrs of study.

  1. 2 NVIDIA Spectrum Networking 30% · 25–35 hrs
  2. 3 NVIDIA InfiniBand Networking 30% · 25–35 hrs
  3. 5 Troubleshooting Tools 20% · 15–22 hrs
  4. 6 Automation and Configuration 10% · 8–12 hrs
  5. 1 AI Data Center Design and Optimization 5% · 6–10 hrs
  6. 4 Kubernetes Integration 5% · 5–8 hrs

Try one

Practice questionDomain 2: NVIDIA Spectrum Networking

A Spectrum-X fabric shows several leaf uplinks at full utilization while others sit nearly idle during AI training. ECMP is enabled and all links are healthy. Which change best addresses this?

One trap from every domain

The answer that looks right, and the clue that gives it away.

  • Domain 1

    NVLink spans the cluster

    Clue The GPUs are in separate servers or SUs.

  • Domain 2

    PFC solves congestion

    Clue Counters show many pause frames and few ECN marks.

  • Domain 3

    Cables are the problem

    Clue Physical state is LinkUp.

  • Domain 4

    Default CNI carries RDMA

    Clue Pods need RDMA or InfiniBand access.

  • Domain 5

    ibping just works

    Clue The answer choices mention a server mode.

  • Domain 6

    Set means live

    Clue The change seems to have no effect.

Other Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning certifications

Study guides for exams that overlap with NCP-AIN.

Practise what you read

NCP-AIN domains: common questions

How many domains are in the NCP-AIN exam?

NCP-AIN has 6 domains with 24 official objectives between them: AI Data Center Design and Optimization, NVIDIA Spectrum Networking, NVIDIA InfiniBand Networking, Kubernetes Integration, Troubleshooting Tools and Automation and Configuration.

Which NCP-AIN domain carries the most weight?

NVIDIA Spectrum Networking is the heaviest at 30%, followed by NVIDIA InfiniBand Networking (30%). The lightest is Kubernetes Integration (5%). Weights come from NVIDIA's official outline.

What is the NCP-AIN exam format?

Questions: 70–75. Time allowed: 120 minutes. Passing score: Not published (pass/fail).

How long should I study for NCP-AIN?

Our planning estimate is 84–122 hrs across all domains, split by weight. It is an editorial estimate, not an official figure, so adjust it to your experience and to how you score on practice questions.

Where should I start?

Start with NVIDIA Spectrum Networking, because it carries the most marks, then work down by weight. Use the checklist on each domain page to confirm you can do what the domain asks before moving on.

Which outline is this guide based on?

This guide follows NCP-AIN exam study guide (MAY26 revision, current), published by NVIDIA. It was last reviewed in October 2026.

Domain names, weights and objectives come from NVIDIA's official outline (NCP-AIN exam study guide (MAY26 revision, current)). Question counts and study hours are editorial planning estimates, not official figures. Last reviewed October 2026.