Rapid advances in HPC, virtualization and cloud computing are driving the need for more compute power both in the data center and on the desktop.

For smaller companies that cannot afford to deploy data centers housing racks of servers with all their expensive power, cooling and facilities requirements, the workstation is the device of choice to handle HPC and commercial CAE (computer-aided engineering) workflows.

Until recently, the problem has been that the desktop devices lacked the horsepower to tackle complex HPC applications such as modeling, simulation and analysis (MS&A) or video rendering and effects. For example, a CFD simulation that might take hours on a data center’s HPC cluster, could take days, weeks or even months, on a conventional workstation.

Introducing a New, More Powerful Graphics Card

AMD has addressed these issues with the recent launch of its AMD FirePro W8100 workstation graphics card. 

The card is based on the second generation AMD Graphics Core Next (GCN) GPU architecture. It provides up to 4.2 TFLOPS of single-precision compute power to handle the most demanding, compute-intensive tasks such as simulation, ray-tracing, video rendering, and other engineering and creative projects. The parallel processing power of the GPU accelerates compute-intensive tasks in OpenCL enabled applications.

The AMD FirePro W8100 GPU features 2,560 Stream processors for cutting-edge graphics and best-in-class computational performanc. 8GB of ultra-fast GDDR5 memory is designed to handle large datasets with ease. Four discrete DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and six display engines provide future-ready compatibility with Ultra-high Definition (UHD) and 4K displays, ensuring that engineering and creative projects are not compromised visually.

Given the graphics card’s capabilities, users are able to maintain interactive performance while running complex workflows such as design simulations and remote visualization, rendering video projects, or handling ray-tracing jobs.

AMD FirePro W8100 workstation graphics cards were designed with concurrent engineering workflows in mind and add over 2 TFLOPS of double-precision compute power to a high-performance GPU. This provides the enhanced accuracy needed for compute-intensive applications such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA).

The combination of cutting-edge graphics performance and best-in-class compute power from a single GPU helps close the gap between CAD and CAE and streamlines product development. Engineers can reduce the time typically needed for recreating or rebuilding models and spend it on more in-depth analysis instead.

The AMD FirePro W8100 leverages the power of OpenCL for advanced numerical and data analytics and delivers accurate physics simulations more quickly. Cutting-edge graphics performance, 8GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory and multi-display support for 4K can also remove any design bottlenecks in engineering and scientific workflows. CAD designers will appreciate the ability to load large assemblies and interact with their data in real-time and in ultra-high resolutions.

A New Dimension in Workstation Design

In summary, the AMD FirePro W8100 provides:

• Parallel processing power of the GPU with up to 4.2 TFLOPS of computational performance to accelerate compute-intensive tasks in OpenCL enabled applications
• Ultra-fast 8GB GDDR5 of on-board GPU memory
• 2,560 Stream Processors for cutting-edge graphics and best-in-class GPU compute
• Support for UHD/4K displays with four discrete DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and AMD Eyefinity technology

The AMD FirePro W8100 significantly extends the capabilities of today’s workstations, allowing users to take projects further, faster.

http://fireprographics.com/resources/54939A__AMD_FirePro_W8100_Datasheet1_A4_FNL.pdf

http://www.fireprographics.com/ultra