Monday, May 27, 2019

NVIDIA unveils EGX Edge Computing Platform

NVIDIA introduced its EGX edge computing platform for performing low-latency AI on continuous streaming data between 5G base stations or other edge locations.

NVIDIA said EGX was created to perform instantaneous, high-throughput AI where data is created – with guaranteed response times, while reducing the amount of data that must be sent to the cloud.

“Enterprises demand more powerful computing at the edge to process their oceans of raw data — streaming in from countless interactions with customers and facilities — to make rapid, AI-enhanced decisions that can drive their business,” said Bob Pette, vice president and general manager of Enterprise and Edge Computing at NVIDIA. “A scalable platform like NVIDIA EGX allows them to easily deploy systems to meet their needs on premises, in the cloud or both.”

EGX begins with the tiny NVIDIA Jetson Nano, which delivers one-half trillion operations per second (TOPS) of processing in only a few watts, and scales all the way to a full rack of NVIDIA T4 servers, delivering more than 10,000 TOPS.

EGX servers are available from global enterprise computing providers ATOS, Cisco, Dell EMC, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Inspur and Lenovo. They are also available from major server and IoT system makers Abaco, Acer, ADLINK, Advantech, ASRock Rack, ASUS, AverMedia, Cloudian, Connect Tech, Curtiss-Wright, GIGABYTE, Leetop, MiiVii, Musashi Seimitsu, QCT, Sugon, Supermicro, Tyan, WiBase and Wiwynn.

NVIDIA EGX servers are tuned for NVIDIA Edge Stack and NGC-Ready validated for CUDA-accelerated containers.

NVIDIA has partnered with Red Hat to integrate and optimize NVIDIA Edge Stack with OpenShift. NVIDIA Edge Stack is optimized software that includes NVIDIA drivers, a CUDA Kubernetes plugin, a CUDA container runtime, CUDA-X libraries and containerized AI frameworks and applications, including TensorRT, TensorRT Inference Server and DeepStream.

NVIDIA is also promoting “On-Prem AI Cloud-in-a-Box”, which combines the full range of NVIDIA AI computing technologies with Red Hat OpenShift and NVIDIA Edge Stack together with Mellanox and Cisco security, networking and storage technologies.

“Mellanox Smart NICs and switches provide the ideal I/O connectivity for data access that scale from the edge to hyperscale data centers,” said Michael Kagan, chief technology officer at Mellanox Technologies. “The combination of high-performance, low-latency and accelerated networking provides a new infrastructure tier of computing that is critical to efficiently access and supply the data needed to fuel the next generation of advanced AI solutions on edge platforms such as NVIDIA EGX.”

“Cisco is excited to collaborate with NVIDIA to provide edge-to-core full stack solutions for our customers, leveraging Cisco’s EGX-enabled platforms with Cisco compute, fabric, storage, and management software and our leading Ethernet and IP-based networking technologies,” said Kaustubh Das, vice president of Cisco Computing Systems.

https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-launches-edge-computing-platform-to-bring-real-time-ai-to-global-industries

Arm unveils next gen Cortex CPU for 5G

Arm unveiled its latest Cortex-A77 CPU, promising a 20% performance improvement over current generation Cortex-A76 devices.

The new Cortex-A77, which targets smartphones, laptops, and other mobile devices, is positioned as Arm's Cortex-A77 5G-ready processor. It will be implemented in 7nm. The company notes that the past two generations of Cortex-A7x series processors (Cortex-A76 and Cortex-A77) have increased overall ML performance by 35x.

Arm is also introducing its Mali-G77 GPU, which leverages its new Valhall architecture to deliver a nearly 40% performance improvement over the previous Mali-G76 devices. Mali-G77 also boasts key microarchitecture enhancements including engine, texture pipes, and load store caches, which achieve 30% better energy efficiency and 30% more performance density. 

In addition, Cadence Design Systems announced that its full-flow digital and signoff tools support the new Arm Cortex-A77 CPU. Cadence delivered a complete 7nm Rapid Adoption Kit (RAK) that utilizes Arm 7nm POP™ IP libraries.

https://www.arm.com/company/news/2019/05/delivering-next-generation-ai-experiences-for-the-5g-world

Vodafone to host mobile gaming over 5G

Vodafone will host a mobile gaming tournament with the final round to be played live over its 5G network.

The Vodafone 5G ESL Mobile Open will commence on 31 May and run until 29 September 2019, and is open to players from 17 countries where Vodafone is present.  The competition features two popular online mobile games: arcade racer Asphalt 9: Legends; and multiplayer battle royale title, PUBG MOBILE.

Vodafone said tThe Grand Finals for both games will be contested live only on Vodafone’s 5G network at Milan Games Week on 28-29 September, providing a major showcase of Vodafone’s high-speed, real-time 5G network for gaming.

There is a total prize fund of €165,000 for all placing Vodafone 5G ESL Mobile One live finalists, including a top prize of €14,000 for the winning Asphalt 9: Legends player and a top prize of €40,000 in total for the victorious PUBG MOBILE team.

https://pro.eslgaming.com/mobileopen/home

Wiwynn offers edge server based on OCP OpenEDGE

Taiwan-based Wiwynn introduced an Edge Platform based on the Nokia-led OCP OpenEDGE specification.

Wiwynn EP100 is a 3U edge system that supports up to five 1U half-width servers and can flexibly configure with 2U half-width and 1U full-width server sleds. Communication service providers can also scale computing power by adding more EP100 systems for applications ranging from base stations to regional central offices.

“We are thrilled to embrace edge cloud opportunities in the 5G era by applying Open Compute Project (OCP) hardware and initiating an open firmware development kit,” said Dr. Sunlai Chang, Senior Vice President and CTO of Wiwynn. “Wiwynn EP100 enables communication service providers to address diverse low-latency data processing demands of Cloud RAN and modern central offices with a flexible and high-efficiency architecture at a balanced cost.”

“Nokia AirFrame open edge launched April 2018 welcomes Wiwynn’s adoption of the Nokia led OCP OpenEDGE specification, with this announcement of a new equipment provider for enclosure and sled designs. Wiwynn’s contribution to OCP OpenEDGE is an important step forward in the creation of a healthy ecosystem and providing Far Edge Data Center Equipment consumers with multi-source procurement options to avoid vendor lock-in,” said Hannu Nikurautio, Head of Cloud RAN Product Management of Nokia.

Innovium showcases switching silicon at Computex Taipei

At this week's Computex 2019 in Taipei, Innovium is showcasing its 12.8Tbps TERALYNX Ethernet switching technology.

Demonstrations will include interoperability with a broad range of 100-400G optics, DAC, ACC, re-timer/gearbox, and comprehensive software and SDK, including integration with latest and highly robust Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC) software.

https://www.innovium.com

Telstra launches its first 5G device, the HTC 5G Hub

Telstra launched its first commercial 5G mobile device, the HTC 5G Hub.

The HTC 5G Hub is a 5G/4GX media hotspot that can function as a secure mobile corporate solution or a family entertainment hub.

“Our launch of the HTC 5G Hub is the moment 5G becomes a reality for Australian consumers,” Mr Penn said. “Since 2016, we have been working with some of the world’s leading technology brands to ensure Australians are among the first in the world to be able to access 5G. HTC has been a key partner for Telstra, innovating new technologies and driving greater connectivity for our customers. This launch of Australia’s first 5G mobile device is a testament to that partnership" Mr Penn continued “and we are proud to be launching it today,” stated Telstra’s CEO Andrew Penn.

Thomas Dexmier, Country Manager HTC Australia and New Zealand said, “HTC is very proud to partner with Telstra to bring the first 5G media hotspot to Australia. With the HTC 5G Hub, customers will be able to experience the power and speed of Telstra’s 5G network in an innovative device, that combines the advanced capabilities of a mobile hotspot with the versatility of the Android operating system, allowing them to connect at home, at work, and on the go.”