Ultimate Guide - Setting Up NVIDIA GPU Passthrough on Ubuntu 24.04 Bare Metal

Deploying large language models (LLMs) or generative AI on a bare-metal dedicated server gives you unmatched performance, zero virtualization overhead, and complete data privacy. However, out of the box, Docker containers are isolated from your host machine's physical hardware. If you run a standard AI container, it simply cannot see your RTX 4090 or A100 GPU. To break this isolation and achieve true Docker GPU passthrough, you need to bridge your container engine with your host’s hardware using the NVIDIA Container Toolkit . In this guide, backed by our experience deploying thousands of AI-ready bare metal servers at GPUYard , we will walk you through the exact steps to securely configure Docker with NVIDIA GPUs on Ubuntu 24.04. Prerequisites: The Bare Metal Foundation Before configuring Docker, your server must recognize its hardware. At GPUYard, our bare-metal servers come pre-provisioned, but you should always verify your host environment: A Dedicated GPU Server: Running Ubuntu 24.