KB 831093 - GPU Temperature Warning alert- Troubleshooting Guide

KB 831093 - GPU Temperature Warning alert- Troubleshooting Guide

Purpose

Provide guidance for engineers to investigate and resolve the GPU Temperature Warning alert in GPU compute nodes.


When To Use

Use this article when the monitoring system generates the alert:

GPU Temperature Warning


Alert Details

This alert is triggered when the GPU temperature exceeds 75°C.
High GPU temperature typically occurs due to heavy workloads, insufficient cooling, or hardware issues affecting airflow.

Possible Causes

  • High GPU workload

  • Insufficient airflow in the server

  • Cooling system inefficiency

  • Fan performance degradation

  • High ambient temperature in the data center


L1 Engineer Actions

Follow these steps when the alert is received.

Step 1 – Log the Alert

  • Record the alert in the Alert Summary sheet


Step 2 – Create Ticket

  • Open an incident ticket for tracking


Step 3 – Escalation (If Required)

If the issue appears significant:

  • Create an internal ticket

  • Inform L2 Engineer


Step 4 – Documentation

After confirmation with L2:

  • Update the Issues Master Sheet



L2 Engineer Actions

Perform deeper analysis and corrective actions:

Step 1 - Detailed GPU and process check

Use:
nvidia-smi
free -h

Identify processes consuming excessive GPU memory.

Step 2 - Check airflow and cooling

Verify:
Fan functionality
Airflow obstruction
Rack cooling conditions

Step 3 - Check thermal throttling

Confirm whether GPU is throttling due to high temperature using:

nvidia-smi -q | grep -i throttle

Step 4 - Analyze system workload

  1. Identify abnormal or stuck GPU-intensive jobs.
  2. Consider stopping or redistributing workloads if required.

Step 5 - Reboot the Server

  1. Check the server by performing the power cycle.

  2. Also, if possible, check with the Hard Reset. 

Resolution

Depending on the root cause:

  • Reduce GPU workload temporarily

  • Improve airflow or cooling

  • Replace faulty fans if detected

  • Clean air vents or filters

  • Adjust environmental cooling in the data center


Escalation

Escalate to hardware support/vendor if:

  • GPU temperature remains critical despite normal workload

  • Cooling components are faulty

  • GPU shows repeated thermal throttling