1. Read the sourcing catalog

No account or API key is needed. The catalog groups exact variants under their model.

curl --fail-with-body 'https://cardinalsilicon.com/api/v1/catalog'

2. Retrieve an exact variant

Keep the variant identifier from the catalog instead of selecting by a family name alone.

curl --fail-with-body 'https://cardinalsilicon.com/api/v1/catalog/h100-sxm5-80gb'

Resolve source identifiers through /api/v1/documents. Keep footnotes with compute and interconnect specifications.

3. Calculate a memory estimate

This example uses an illustrative architecture, not a named model preset. Replace every architecture value with your intended model's configuration.

curl --fail-with-body 'https://cardinalsilicon.com/api/v1/estimate' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
  "workload": "inference",
  "parametersB": 7,
  "weightBytesPerParameter": 2,
  "layers": 32,
  "kvHeads": 8,
  "headDim": 128,
  "tokens": 4096,
  "cacheBytesPerElement": 2,
  "concurrency": 1,
  "overheadFraction": 0.2
}'

The response separates weights, KV cache and overhead in decimal GB and binary GiB. It is a planning estimate, not a purchase recommendation.

For exact field bounds and training-specific inputs, read the OpenAPI estimator schemas.

4. Validate a synthetic inquiry

This call uses the sandbox. It does not store the request, send email or contact a supplier.

curl --fail-with-body 'https://cardinalsilicon.com/api/v1/sandbox/requests' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
  "kind": "buy",
  "modelId": "h100",
  "variantId": "h100-sxm5-80gb",
  "quantity": 2,
  "location": "Example city, Germany",
  "email": "buyer@example.com",
  "notes": "Synthetic integration test. No sourcing action requested.",
  "region": "EU",
  "currency": "EUR",
  "consent": true
}'

A successful validation returns HTTP 200, not a production receipt. See the sandbox guide for its limits.

5. Submit only an authorized real inquiry

Replace the synthetic contact and requirements with the buyer's authorized details. Generate a new UUID v4 for the Idempotency-Key header.

Send the real payload to /api/v1/requests. Keep the same key and unchanged payload for retries of that inquiry.

HTTP 202 with status: received means the inquiry was accepted. It does not confirm an offer, stock or delivery date.

Preserve the returned requestId. If delivery cannot be confirmed, follow Retry-After and reuse the same key.

Read a guide as Markdown

curl --fail-with-body 'https://cardinalsilicon.com/learn/h200-vs-h100/' -H 'Accept: text/markdown'

Link back to the canonical guide when using its explanations. Keep the original manufacturer citations with technical claims.