This week, Lenovo launched a trio of new ThinkStation workstations. The flagship product is the ThinkStation PX (P10), which could be configured with terribly highly effective parts, adopted by the ThinkStation P7 and ThinkStation P5.
Let’s deal with the ThinkStation PX because it greatest represents the potential of this new collection of workstations as it may possibly pack “as much as” 120 CPU cores (2x 4th Era Xeon Scalable’ Sapphire Rapids’), 2 TB of RAM, and 4 Nvidia RTX 6000 48GB graphics playing cards. The ability comes from as much as two 1800W energy provides.
“NVIDIA affords the world’s strongest visible computing GPUs for desktop workstations,” stated Bob Pette, VP of Skilled Visualization at NVIDIA. I don’t suppose anybody will contradict this assertion. At this degree, NVIDIA is driving alongside, though the competitors, like AMD or Intel, does have ambitions.
The utmost storage capability is the sum of seven M.2 drives (28TB) plus two 3.5” drives (24TB), or 52TB complete. In fact, fashionable flavors of RAID arrays are additionally supported. An built-in 10Gb Ethernet adapter is used to maneuver knowledge throughout the community shortly. A basic 1GbE adapter and a built-in WiFi 6E MIMO radio complement it. Word that the antenna is constructed into the chassis and doesn’t stick out.
That’s numerous {hardware} for a pc that’s the measurement of an enormous PC gaming rig. Nevertheless, that is far more highly effective than something avid gamers use, and for a great purpose. This workstation might be utilized in high-end skilled visualization workloads, akin to cinematic graphics manufacturing and rendering.
Jeff Wooden, Chief Technique Officer (CSO), Workstations at Lenovo, unveils the brand new ThinkStation trio
That’s why Lenovo partnered with DreamWorks to launch these new workstations. DreamWorks goes to equip its inventive employees with these workstations going ahead. It’s not broadly identified, however Lenovo already powers the newest additions of DreamWorks rendering server farm with their Neptune liquid-cooled servers which can be successful within the HPC sector (Excessive-Efficiency Computing).
Having labored in laptop graphics myself, I can vouch that no quantity of computing is “adequate” for the sort of stuff DreamWorks creates. If something, creators like which can be restricted by the computing energy obtainable to them.
As you possibly can think about, such {hardware} is destined to be run at most {hardware} utilization as typically as doable, and it’s an unimaginable quantity of computing per cubic inch, so the following problem is, certainly… cooling.
Thermal administration is among the nice added values Aston Martin brings, not simply the aesthetics. When you consider it, high-performance automobiles are huge warmth mills, whether or not the engine, exhaust, brakes, and so forth. And most of it’s air-cooled, similar to these workstations.
Aston Martin introduced a wealth of know-how and expertise in airflow, thermal administration, industrial design, manufacturing, and supplies that had been vastly helpful to the creation of those computer systems, in response to Lenovo and Aston Martin representatives. And, after all, additionally they know easy methods to make issues manufacturing-friendly and inside funds.
“We’ve spent the final 110 years controlling warmth in automobiles,” stated Cathal Loughnane, Head Of Aston Martin Partnerships at Aston Martin, explaining why there’s some overlap between high-end automobiles and high-end computer systems.
Apparently sufficient, Aston Martin can be a Lenovo buyer, and the following ThinkStations had been designed utilizing the present technology ThinkStations workstations.
The cooling system relies on a minutely designed and orchestrated airflow that depends on the parts’ positioning contained in the case and tight management of the incoming and outgoing airflow.
You’ll be able to see outstanding management surfaces such because the air consumption baffle, however the airflow simulations even went into particulars akin to how the air goes between the RAM modules or across the CPUs. When the crew received the {hardware} prototypes, real-world measurements carefully validated the digital simulation predicted.
Actually, that’s the simulation-driven “way forward for design” that NVIDIA promotes with digital twins, though I don’t suppose it was used on this undertaking.
The design (aesthetic) is beautiful, and Aston Martin was impressed by the design language and bodily properties of the $333,000+ Aston Martin DBS automotive’s entrance grille (and pink coloration).
Whereas gaming PCs’ grilles are primarily designed just for aesthetics, sports activities automobiles, and now workstations, grilles additionally considerably have an effect on how the air enters the new space by stabilizing the airflow. The extra steady the airflow, the extra controllable it turns into afterward. The ThinkStation 5U chassis additionally suits in racks for those who wish to stack your computing belongings neatly and for those who can afford to purchase a number of of those (the pc weighs 70 Lbs, totally loaded).
I’ll allow you to choose the fantastic thing about the toolless chassis design, however I believe it’s beautiful and appears extra luxurious in the actual world than the advertising and marketing renderings.
I jokingly talked about to Rob Herman, VP & GM, Workstation & Consumer AI Group at Lenovo, that Lenovo would most likely make a killing if it had been to promote the empty chassis to avid gamers. Apparently sufficient, one of many first feedback within the official youtube video was “Superb PC Case Design!.”
DreamWorks will procure these workstations for his or her inventive workforce for use as desktop computer systems as a result of having a supercomputer on one’s desk is conducive to increased productiveness as highly-qualified employees don’t have to attend (as lengthy) for rendering or animations to be computed.
Nevertheless, when workers aren’t utilizing the workstations, the desktop workstations can mix their computing energy with others over the community in a “rendering farm,” which is a gaggle of computer systems engaged on a standard [3D] rendering job. That manner, DreamWorks will get most {hardware} utilization to recoup its funding.
The Lenovo ThinkStation P7 and P5 are smaller and extra compact variants of the brand new ThinkStation collection to cowl an enormous array of maybe much less excessive computing wants. Nevertheless, they continue to be very succesful methods with most of the identical design DNA.
You’ll be able to test the whole specs to see the minute particulars, however at a excessive degree, the ThinkStation P7 has ~65% of the computing of the PX, whereas the P5 has ~65% of the computing energy of the P7.
All workstations pursue an analogous purpose of most productiveness, resiliency, and future-proofing (with good growth choices), however at completely different worth factors and footprints.
The workstations will change into obtainable in Could and can probably displace a few of the current ones if you wish to speculate on how a lot they value. Presently, no official pricing has been communicated by Lenovo.
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