NextComputing has announced support for the NVIDIA Tesla C-class GPU computing processors in its NextStream dense streaming blade server, including the recently announced Tesla C2075. At a diminutive 2 rack units (2U) high, the NextStream is optimized for high-performance computing tasks that require a mix of traditional multi-core CPU processing with GPU co-processing in a dense form-factor.

Traditional blade servers, while optimized for density in large-scale installations, require a significant investment in rack real estate. Typical blade servers start at 5U high and those that are optimized for heavy GPU computing are often 7U high or greater. While this makes practical sense for large cluster deployments in data centers, the combination of CPU and GPU density is now a requirement across multiple industries. This includes projects in smaller environments like remote research labs or in vehicles such as aircraft or ships.

The NextStream high-density blade server solves this problem by loading up a 2U chassis with maximum CPU processing, support for the latest NVIDIA Tesla GPU computing processors, integrated Ethernet switching, and a dedicated management PC module for in-chassis direct management of blade nodes. The NextStream 2U chassis can house up to three independent dual-processor blades, each with dual Intel® Xeon® 5500 series processors (up to 6 cores per CPU) and 96GB memory, for a total of 36 processing cores and 288GB of memory per chassis. Each blade has its own PCI Express 2.0 x8 expansion slot and internal Gigabit networking between blades, providing further space savings by eliminating external Ethernet switches.

In a GPU-optimized setup, the NextStream can be configured with two blades, each with dual 6-core Intel Xeon processors, 96GB RAM, and a dedicated NVIDIA Tesla GPU computing processor on a full PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot. Additional expansion space is available for a third Tesla processor on one of the two blades, or for other expansion cards and storage.

“We’re enthusiastic about the benefits NVIDIA Tesla GPU computing processors can bring to our entire product line of small form-factor servers and workstations,” says Bob Labadini, President and CTO of NextComputing. “As the demand for GPU computing continues to grow across many of our key vertical markets, including the government, entertainment, and various high-end 3D visualization applications, NextComputing is uniquely positioned to offer specialized platforms such as the NextStream that fulfill needs where traditional servers cannot.”

“The NextStream has been particularly successful in military and intelligence programs where GPU co-processing is quickly taking off,” Labadini continues. “Processing intensive applications like image, radar, and video processing, as well as other database analytics tasks can benefit hugely from GPU acceleration. This system’s blend of dense CPU processing with GPU co-processing capability presents an ideal platform to transition from traditional multi-core computing to GPU-accelerated computing, all in the same small footprint chassis.”