HPE & Nvidia Join Forces To Power AI And Deep Learning Neural Networks

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has partnered with Nvidia to harness the strength of graphics processing units (GPUs) to power deep learning neural networks and artificial intelligence (AI).

The partnership will see HPE make use of Nvidia’s Tesla GPUs based on the graphics specialists next-generation Volta GPU architecture in Apollo 2000, Apollo 6500 and Proliant DL380 servers.

GPU power

With the Volta architecture set to boost the performance of Nvidia’s entire hardware range, HPE will be able to tap into more compute power for pushing large amounts of data through deep learning artificial neural networks, used to train AI systems.

Nvidia may be primarily known for its work on gaming and professional grade graphics cards, but the ability for GPUs to carry out parallel processing had made Nvidia’s hardware appealing to companies looking to run deep learning algorithms at scale and in the cloud, something Nvidia has plenty of experience in with its Tesla GPUs and growing presence in the data centre world.

“As the artificial intelligence era takes hold, enterprises are increasingly adopting NVIDIA’s GPU computing platform to generate insights from decades of untapped data,” said Ian Buck, general manager of Accelerated Computing at Nvidia.

“Expanding our collaboration with HPE around deep learning will help enterprises deploy, manage and optimise their GPU computing infrastructure and realise the benefits of AI and deep learning in their business.”

The partnership will not only see HPE make use of Nvidia’s Volta-based GPUs but also yield “enhanced centres of excellence” for benchmarking deep learning systems, modernising code, and creating proof of concept initiatives in Korea, Sydney, Grenoble, Bangalore and Houston.

It will also see the creation of an early access program to allow select customers to gain access to the Volta-based Nvidia Tesla SXM2 GPU systems some time in the fourth quarter of 2017.

With HPE already building out its memory-driven computing with ‘The Machine” and Nvidia pushing its technology further down the path to widespread AI systems, the partnership should yield some intersting hardware combinations and smart systems.

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