Nvidia GRID 2.0 launch boosts virtualised graphics workflows

nVidia has launched an updated version of its GRID network-delivered GPU acceleration technology, used for games, virtual desktops and cloud applications.

nVidia announced partner support for Grid 2.0 from the likes of Cisco, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo, claiming those worthies will be offering Grid 2.0 on over 125 server models. nVidia said it has worked closely with Citrix on XenApp, XenDesktop, and XenServer, and VMware on Horizon, and vSphere. What NVIDIA GRID 2.0 does is basically bring really good creative or engineering applications like Autodesk AutoCAD, Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS, Esri ArcGIS Pro and Siemens NX right at the fingertips of those who need them without actually having to run those applications on their personal desktops. With the help of this technology, IT departments can equip employees with immediate access to powerful apps, thus enhancing resource allocation and improving their productivity. And data can be stored more securely by residing in a central server rather than individual systems.

The company said that Grid 2.0 is scheduled for availability on September 15. This enables enterprises to scale more cost effectively, expanding service to more employees at a lower cost per user.

Support for blade servers allowing enterprises to run GRID-enabled virtual desktops on these computers.

nVidia launches Grid 2.0 that promises to deliver virtualized graphics to any connected device.

nVidia also expanded Grid to give IT execs more flexibility with regard to virtual desktop deployment and application compatibility.

“Blade servers are really about server density in the data center and this was probably one of the biggest requests we were getting from users, so putting GRID in blade servers means they can take advantage of many new uses”, the firm said.

Grid 2.0 is nVidia’s latest solution to this problem and it’s impressive. Grid 2.0 also supports blade servers and Linux applications. A 90 day evaluation test drive is available.

Previous Grid-compatible cards were built with Kepler GPUs (PDF), but the hardware behind Grid 2.0 is all Maxwell-based.