Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1381100
WORKSTATIONS www.postmagazine.com 27 POST MAY/JUNE 2021 New Nvidia GPUs power next-gen workstations SANTA CLARA, CA — Nvidia (nvidia.com) recently announced a range of eight new Ampere architecture GPUs for next-generation laptops, desktops and servers that make it possible for professionals to work from wherever they choose, without sacrificing quality or time. Using the new Nvidia RTX GPUs, artists can create complex 3D scenes. "Hybrid work is the new normal," says Bob Pette, VP of professional visual- ization at Nvidia. "RTX GPUs, based on the Nvidia Ampere architecture, provide the performance for demanding workloads from any device, so people can be productive from wherever they need to work." For desktops, the new Nvidia RTX A5000 and A4000 GPUs feature new RT cores, Tensor cores and CUDA cores to speed up AI, graphics and realtime rendering up to 2x faster than previous generations. For professionals on the go needing thin & light form factors, the new RTX A2000, RTX A3000, RTX A4000 and RTX A5000 laptop GPUs deliver accelerated performance without compro- mising mobility. They include the latest generations of Max-Q and RTX technol- ogies, and are backed by the Nvidia Studio ecosystem, which includes exclusive driver technology that enhances creative apps for optimal levels of performance and reliability. For the data center, there are the new Nvidia A10 GPU and A16 GPU. The A10 provides up to 2.5x the virtual workstation performance of the previous generation for designers and engineers, while the A16 GPU provides up to 2x user density, with lower total cost of ownership and an enhanced virtual desktop infrastructure experience over the previous generation. Combined with RTX Virtual Workstation (vWS) and Virtual PC (vPC) software, the A10 and A16 GPUs deliver more power, memory and speed to boost any work- flow, from graphics and AI to VDI, so users can focus more time on working efficiently and productively. The new Nvidia RTX GPUs feature the latest generation of RTX technology to accelerate graphics, ray tracing, AI and compute performance. The new RTX laptop GPUs also include the latest generation of Nvidia Max-Q technol- ogy, enabling a new generation of powerful thin & light laptops designed for professionals. Additionally, RTX technology powers Nvidia Omniverse, a platform that delivers high-performance, physically-accurate simulation for complex 3D worlds and true, realtime, ray- and path-traced rendering with ease. sis, the Power G8 features 11th gen Intel processors, up to 64GB 3200MHz system memory, Nvidia RTX A2000 laptop graphics and PCIe G4. The HP ZBook Power G8 is expected to be available in June, while the Studio G8 and Fury G8 will both be released in July. SUPERMICRO Supermicro (www.supermicro.com) got its start in the early 1990s, spe- cializing in motherboards and evolving to offer motherboards, chassis, components and systems, along with a range of services and software. Much of its business comes from the server and storage space, where they cater to data-center customers. According to senior assistant product manager Steve Lee, Supermicro has a complete line of workstations based on the Intel chip, but just recent- ly introduced its first AMD-powered workstation. The 5014A-TT SuperWorkstation — available in July — will feature AMD Ryzen graphics, up to four GPUs, an option for liquid cooling and a broad selection of components to choose from. "This is a great system for media & entertainment because of the number of CPU cores and the amount of memory it can support," says Lee. "Also, the number of CPUs you can support." The AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000WX series processor features up to 64 cores, 128 threads. The 5014A-TT uses the latest PCIe gen four interface for storage and add- on cards. It can support up to four NVMe M.2 drives and up to four GPUs in a single box. Lee sees the 5014A-TT making its way into production and post, as it is very versatile based on how the customer configures it. "For applications that need a faster clock frequency, it can really leverage the number of CPU cores," he notes. "For applications that take advantage of GPUs, we can have multiple GPUs, so it really depends on the workflow. We are very versatile and configure it for the customer." Supermicro offers a range of Nvidia graphics cards, including the latest RTX A6000, A5000, A4000, as well as previous generation Quadros.