VMware and NVIDIA announce first participants in NVIDIA GRID vGPU tech preview

The Airbus Group and global construction and engineering firm CH2MHILL are among the first companies to join VMware and NVIDIA's early access programme to try the latest technology for GPU virtualisation and virtual application and desktop infrastructure, ahead of its general availability.

Source: Airbus. Final assembly of VietJetAir’s first A320 on order from Airbus is now underway in Toulouse, France. This is the first of up to 100 of the single-aisle aircraft that will be acquired by the airline under a deal finalised in February this year.

NVIDIA GRID vGPU technology allows multiple virtual machines to share the power of a single GPU to deliver rich graphics experiences with professional 2D and 3D applications. Combined with VMware Horizon, the technology can deliver a great user experience and the scalability that IT teams require for the most demanding users in their organisations.

Source: NVIDIA. Schematic of the GRID
GPU at work.

Earlier this year at NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference, NVIDA and VMware had announced their intention to collaborate to bring NVIDIA GRID vGPU to VMware products. A technology preview of GRID vGPU combined with VMware solutions was showcased at the VMworld conference in San Francisco. 

The limited access programme is open to organisations worldwide that meet certain requirements, including being a current VMware Horizon and NVIDIA GRID customer. Customers selected get to work directly with the engineering teams from both NVIDIA and VMware, and provide direct input about their experiences - influencing future products, training, documentation and services. 

"Through this technology preview, we are looking to learn from organisations on how we can continue to provide them greater value through best-in-class solutions. Participants in the early access programme are in the unique position of being part of the solution development process, giving them a competitive and first-mover advantage," said Erik Frieberg, VP, Product Marketing, End-User Computing, VMware. "This joint offering promises to provide customers and service providers with high performance for complex and graphics-intensive applications."

"Global manufacturing, design and engineering businesses are putting vGPU on VMware Horizon to the test, running the most sophisticated applications and complex models virtually without compromising the graphics experience," said Jeff Brown, VP and GM of Professional Visualization and Design at NVIDIA. "The initial response has been tremendous, and we will continue to work with VMware to help enterprises improve employee productivity and streamline the management of their hardware resources."

"Airbus decided to implement virtual desktops to streamline end-user access and easily enable suppliers to access major applications supporting Airbus aircraft development. We're strongly interested in using VMware Horizon with NVIDIA GRID vGPU to offer a scalable and cost-effective solution. The power of the combined offering will allow us to achieve even more efficient business cases," said Philippe Muhlhause, Head of EE M&A Architecture and Standards, Airbus. 

Airbus planes are in use across Asia and the Middle East, such as with Qatar Airways and VietJetAir. Airbus invests in the industry in other ways as well. In February, Airbus and Singapore Airlines signed a MoU to create a joint flight training venture in Singapore for pilots, and in October, a letter of intent was signed between Airbus, the Tianjin Free Trade Zone and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China to set up an A330 Completion and Delivery Centre in Tianjin, China.

"We've had great success to date testing GRID vGPU. The vGPU technology improves scalability and performance for our high-end design engineers, and promises to give a fluid experience to anyone in our company. We are confident that it is now finally economically viable for CH2MHILL to provide a VDI farm for graphically demanding workloads across the globe. This could truly transform the way we do business," added Craig Fletcher, CTO, CH2MHILL.

In Asia, CH2MHILL has worked on major infrastructure projects such as the Singapore Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, the Changi Water Reclamation Plant, the US Forces Korea Base Relocation Program, as well as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

Interested parties can register for the early access programme here.