AI Wisdom

NVIDIA professional level

NVIDIA Certified Professional: AI Infrastructure

Code
NCP-AII
Length
120 minutes
Price
$400
Valid for
2 years, renewed by retaking the exam
Study time, our estimate
90 to 140 hours

This one is for people who rack, bring up and validate GPU systems. Nearly two thirds of the marks are bring-up and cluster verification. You cannot pass it on reading alone, and the weight on testing tells you what NVIDIA thinks goes wrong.

Take it if

You deploy and validate GPU clusters by hand.

Skip it if

You never touch hardware or firmware. Choose NCP-AIO if you operate rather than build.

Before you start

Check yourself against this list first. If something is missing, close that gap before you pay for an exam.

  • Two to three years with GPU serversNVIDIA recommends this.
  • Data center networking and powerAlso recommended.
  • Hands-on hardware accessYou cannot learn bring-up from reading.

Helpful first: NCA-AIIO Next: NCP-AIN

All exam details
Format
70 to 75 questions, pass or fail
Length
120 minutes
Price
$400
Valid for
2 years, renewed by retaking the exam
Delivery
Proctored, English
Experience
2 to 3 years deploying and validating GPU servers and AI clusters
If you fail
Wait 14 days

What the exam covers

  • Cluster Test and Verification33%
  • System and Server Bring-Up31%
  • Control Plane Installation and Configuration19%
  • Troubleshooting and Optimization12%
  • Physical Layer Management5%

What to focus on

  • Cluster testing is a third of the exam: burn-in, performance benchmarks and fabric checks.
  • Server bring-up: BMC, firmware, drivers, and GPU validation.
  • BlueField DPU setup and network configuration.
  • Control plane installation and cluster management.
  • Finding faults in hardware, cabling and transceivers.
Everything on one mapEvery topic and key idea in this certification.
mindmap
  root((NCP-AII))
    Test and verify
      DCGM Diagnostics
      Load testing
      Isolate
    Server bring-up
      BMC
      Firmware and drivers
      Missing GPUs
    Control plane
      Base Command Manager
      BlueField DPU
      Fabric Manager
    Troubleshoot and physical layer
      Physical first
      Thermals
      Records
From rack to handoverThe order of work, and where faults send you back.
stateDiagram-v2
  direction LR
  [*] --> Racked
  Racked --> Firmware: BMC reachable
  Firmware --> Drivers: Versions match
  Drivers --> NodeTest: GPUs visible
  NodeTest --> FabricTest: Node passes
  FabricTest --> LoadTest: Links clean
  LoadTest --> Handover: Stable at full load
  NodeTest --> Firmware: Fault found
  FabricTest --> Racked: Cable or optic fault

Lesson 1 of 4, 33% of the exam

Test and verify

A third of the exam.

DCGM Diagnostics
dcgmi diag runs levels 1 to 4 to assess readiness.
Load testing
Some faults only appear at full load and heat.
Isolate
Node passes but pair fails? Look between them.
DCGM diagnostic levelsHigher levels run longer and go deeper.
flowchart LR
  A["Level 1: quick checks"] --> B["Level 2"] --> C["Level 3"] --> D["Level 4: longest"]

Common trap

Accepting a node because nvidia-smi lists its GPUs.

Try it yourself

Run dcgmi diag at two levels and read the output.

Official docs: DCGM Diagnostics

Lesson 2 of 4, 31% of the exam

Server bring-up

Nearly a third of the exam.

BMC
Out-of-band management, independent of the OS.
Firmware and drivers
Versions must match.
Missing GPUs
Check inventory, firmware and PCIe first.
Why a GPU goes missingWork up from the hardware.
flowchart TD
  A["nvidia-smi shows fewer GPUs"] --> B{"Seen on PCIe?"}
  B -->|No| C["Check seating and hardware"]
  B -->|Yes| D{"Firmware and driver match?"}
  D -->|No| E["Align versions"]
  D -->|Yes| F["Check kernel logs"]

Common trap

Reinstalling software for a hardware visibility problem.

Try it yourself

Walk through bring-up from BMC to a passing diagnostic.

Official docs: DGX platform

Lesson 3 of 4, 19% of the exam

Control plane

Turns servers into a cluster.

Base Command Manager
Provisions and monitors clusters.
BlueField DPU
Offloads networking, storage and security.
Fabric Manager
Configures the NVSwitch fabric on HGX and DGX systems.
What a DPU takes overThe host keeps its CPU for the workload.
flowchart LR
  subgraph H["Host"]
    H1["AI workload"]
  end
  subgraph D["BlueField DPU"]
    D1["Networking"]
    D2["Storage"]
    D3["Security"]
  end
  H1 --> D1

Common trap

Forgetting Fabric Manager on NVSwitch systems.

Try it yourself

Find the Fabric Manager service state on a system.

Official docs: Base Command ManagerFabric Manager

Lesson 4 of 4, 12% + 5% of the exam

Troubleshoot and physical layer

Cheap fixes come first.

Physical first
Check cables and optics before software.
Thermals
Heat causes throttling.
Records
Note what you changed and why.
Isolating a faultCheap checks first.
flowchart TD
  A["Link errors"] --> B["Reseat the cable"]
  B --> C{"Fixed?"}
  C -->|No| D["Swap the transceiver"]
  D --> E{"Fixed?"}
  E -->|No| F["Try another port"]
  C -->|Yes| G["Done"]
  E -->|Yes| G

Common trap

Updating code to work around a flapping link.

Try it yourself

Write a fault tree for a failing node.

Official docs: DCGM Diagnostics

Study plan

  1. Weeks 1 and 2: fundamentals

    Take AI Infrastructure and Operations Fundamentals if you have not already.

  2. Weeks 3 to 5: hands-on

    Take the AI Infrastructure Professional Workshop, or get real time on a GPU server. Do bring-up from firmware through to a passing diagnostic.

  3. Week 6: test and verify

    Practice cluster verification and interpret the results. Know what a failing run looks like.

  4. Exam week

    Take the mock below and review anything you only know in theory.

Exam day and after

  • NVIDIA certifications last two years, and you renew by retaking the exam.
  • Exams are proctored and in English. NVIDIA's FAQ covers both remote and in-person testing, and remote exams allow no breaks.
  • Check the exam page before you plan around a date. NVIDIA has been adding hands-on labs to professional exams.
  • NVIDIA lists 2 to 3 years as recommended experience, not as a formal prerequisite.
Test yourself8 practice questions, scored by exam topic.
Start the mock exam

Keep going

Exam facts checked on October 31, 2026 against NVIDIA certification page. Lessons are our own explanations, so use the official docs as the final word, and confirm price and dates before booking.