Network Interface Cards (NICs) are one of the key enablers of the modern Internet. They serve as gateways for connecting computing devices to networks for the exchange of data with other devices. Recently, the pervasive nature of Internet-enabled devices coupled with the growing demands for faster network access have necessitated the enhancement of NICs to Smart NICs (SNICs), capable of processing enormous volumes of data at near real-time speed. However, despite their popularity, the exact use and applicability of SNICs remains an ongoing debate. These debates are exacerbated by the incorporation of accelerators into SNIC, allowing them to relieve their host's CPUs of various tasks. In this work, we carry out a chronological analysis of SNICs, using 370 articles published in the past 15 years, from 2010 to 2024, to gain some insight into SNICs; and shed some light on their evolution, manufacturers, use cases, and application domains.

翻译：网络接口卡（NIC）是现代互联网的关键使能技术之一，作为连接计算设备与网络的网关，实现设备间的数据交换。近年来，随着互联网设备的普及以及对更高速网络访问需求的增长，传统网卡已升级为智能网卡（SNIC），能够以近实时速度处理海量数据。然而，尽管智能网卡应用广泛，其具体用途与适用性仍存在持续争议。这些争议因智能网卡集成各类加速器而加剧，这些加速器可分担主机CPU的多种任务。本研究基于2010年至2024年间发表的370篇文献，对智能网卡进行时间序列分析，旨在深入理解其技术内涵，并系统阐述其演进历程、制造商格局、应用场景及适用领域。