NVIDIA Data Science Workstations are designed to solve the hardest problems in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. That requires more than powerful hardware.
It's a Solution not a System
Data science needs fast computing, especially GPU computing. Creating a Data Science Workstation (DSW) is more complicated than simply building a large multi-GPU, dual-processor workstation with lots of memory and loading Linux.
A data science workstation needs the right choice of GPUs with a high-speed interconnect, proper drivers, and thorough testing. The workstation needs a software stack that goes from the AI application and framework down to bare-metal hardware.
Building this workstation takes time. Configuring the hardware, loading drivers, adding the frameworks, adding their dependent libraries, adding containers, optimizing for performance, and testing the final configuration is hard work. It is time-consuming.
NVIDIA understood this problem. NVIDIA built their own DGX Station for AI and machine learning.
NVIDIA Quadro RTX GPUs accelerate data science appkications.
NVIDIA created their Data Science Workstation solution to help workstation vendors deliver data science workstations out-of-the-box. NVIDIA specifies a complete workstation configuration. High-end GPUs, CPUs, lots of memory, and fast storage are key technologies for a properly configured data science workstation.
The first DGX Station shipped in 2017. The second generation shipped in 2018. The DGX Station is built and ready to run AI apps out-of-the-box.
Some workstation manufacturers have been creating customized workstations for their data science clients for several years. In 2019, NVIDIA launched an NVIDIA-powered Data Science Workstation program that supports these workstation manufacturers.
The NVIDIA-powered Data Science Workstation solution is built on a reference architecture from NVIDIA. The DSW has two highend Quadro RTX GPUs and NVIDIA CUDA-X AI accelerated data science software. The software stack includes frameworks and libraries which are GPU- optimised.
A reference design with flexibility, quality, and support
Standardizing the graphics and the software stack on a data science workstation creates a solution that is adapted to data science requirements while remaining flexible for client requirements. The workstation manufacturers perform extensive validation and certification. These workstations benefit from professional support services, too.
The good news for customers? With the NVIDIA-Powered Data Science Workstation platform, a customer can be up-and-running quickly.
NVIDIA's workstation partners include both global and local manufacturers. Hardware configurations vary between vendors. Most vendors offer multiple options for a data science product.
The GPUs include the Quadro RTX 6000 and the Quadro RTX 8000. For special applications you might chose a Quadro GV100.
CPUs include either one or two Intel Xeon CPUs. Memory configurations tend to run 128 GB on the low end and then increase.
Storage choices usually include at least one fast SSD drive, and very often large-capacity HDDs are available. Typically, these DSW have enought bays for an extraordinary quantity of storage.
Enterprise support directly from NVIDIA is an option for the Data Science Workstations. That can be comforting. Many fo the NVIDIA workstation partners have a high-level of expertise in-house and are wery capable of delivering top-quality support.
A Final Perspective
An NVIDIA-Powered Data Science Workstation is ready to run right out of the box with tuned and tested hardware and software. NVIDIA and their partners deliver quality support for these workstations. With this new platform, data scientists can be productive on the same morning that they unpack their new workstation.
What makes a Data Science Workstation Special?
Building a solid workstation for data science takes time and expertise. Not only does it need the right hardware, it also needs the right software. And once the hard work of configuring the system has been done, then the testing and system tweaks begin.
NVIDIA understands that every customer doesn't needed to re-invent the wheel. The company defined a powerful workstation platform specifically for data scientists.
A data science workstation from an NVIDIA partner has more than just the right kind of hardware. It has a complete software stack that enables you to be productive almost as soon as you boot the system.
These DSW follow NVIDIA's reference design. They have been tested and certified before they reach you.
With the enterprise-quality hardware and the preinstalled software stack, you can be assured that the NVIDIA-powered Data Science Workstation will deliver the performance that you need and the quality that you expect.
image: NVIDIA
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