AMD Introduces Industry’s Most Powerful Server Graphics Processors

PRESS RELEASE

New AMD FirePro^TM S9000 and S7000 are Designed to be Versatile and Scalable to Meet Multiple Data Centre Deployment Requirements

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - August 27, 2012 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today launched the AMD FirePro^TM S9000 and S7000, the industry's most powerful dual- and single-slot server graphics cards for compute, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and workstation graphics deployments in data centres[1] [2]. Equipped with next-generation Graphics Core Next architecture and intelligent AMD PowerTune and ZeroCore Power technologies, the AMD FirePro S9000 and S7000 reduce power consumption by up to 95% at idle, meaning greater savings and reduced operating costs in the data centre[3].

By using the AMD FirePro S9000 and S7000 server graphics, information technology (IT) managers can now effectively address a number of daily data centre challenges, while empowering IT professionals to manage intense workloads securely from virtually anywhere in the world at virtually any time. By having the flexibility to set up multiple virtual desktops, scientists, engineers and graphics professionals can have access to accelerated productivity suites including computer aided design (CAD), and media and entertainment (M&E) applications, offering them workstation-class performance in a scalable network environment.

In a separate announcement, AMD also launched today its new AMD Opteron^TM processor-based servers designed for virtualisation environments; offering superior value and performance scalability as server utilisation increases in the cloud.

"More companies want to virtualise their IT ecosystem in order to do more with less while remaining responsive to the needs of their users," said David Cummings, senior director and general manager, Professional Graphics, AMD. "With the arrival of the AMD FirePro S9000 and S7000 GPUs, we are responding to these needs by providing a seamless solution. Our server graphics not only provide an unrivaled feature set for data centre customers, but blistering compute performance and outstanding power efficiency."

Supporting Leading Virtualisation Technologies

The AMD FirePro S9000 and S7000 server graphics bring improved VDI densities while supporting virtualisation technologies from Citrix^®, Microsoft^® and VMware^®, making it possible to install multiple graphics cards in a server and support multiple users remotely. Users can also access their desktops from virtually any device of their choosing, from thin clients to laptops, to tablets to smartphones - with outstanding graphics performance. A demo of VMware^® ESXi direct GPU pass-through running on an AMD FirePro^TM S9000 can be seen this week at VMworld^® 2012 in the AMD booth (#801). With Corporate Desktop Replacement running on AMD FirePro S9000 and S7000 server graphics and Microsoft^® RemoteFX^TM, IT professionals can power multiple end users running common office applications from one GPU installed in a server. These new server graphics cards also support direct GPU pass-through for Citrix^® XenServer.

Versatility and Scalability

Both server graphics cards offer a flexible and scalable solution capable of supporting remote desktop deployments; render farms, traditional workstation graphics applications, and high performance computing (HPC) implementations that require massive floating point calculations. With a single unified driver, deploying the AMD FirePro S9000 and S7000 server graphics in the data centre can enable IT groups to reduce operating costs and time spent on servicing individual systems, increase asset utilisation density, improve user experience and ultimately secure critical data.

Key Features of AMD FirePro^TM S9000 Server Graphics

• Unmatched Compute Power: By providing 4.0 TFLOPs of single precision compute performance, AMD FirePro S9000 server graphics are up to 2.4 times faster than the competing solution[4], effortlessly processing the most demanding computations and graphics workflows.
• Memory Performance:Equipped with 6GB GDDR5 frame buffer, AMD FirePro S9000 server graphics deliver up to 1.49 times more memory bandwidth than competing products[5], meaning outstanding precision and accuracy when computing complex graphics workloads.
• Optimised Power Management:AMD FirePro S9000 server graphics allow IT managers to implement high-performance solutions that can help reduce operating costs via intelligent power saving and monitoring technologies unique to AMD.

Key Features of AMD FirePro^TM S7000 Server Graphics

• Powerful Single-Slot, Passively-Cooled Performance:Featuring 154 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 2.4 TFLOPS of peak single-precision floating-point performance, AMD FirePro S7000 is the most powerful single-slot, passively-cooled multifunctional server graphics card on the market². In fact, AMD is the only graphics manufacturer offering a passively-cooled, single-slot server graphics card today.
• Low Operational Costs:Consuming only 150W max power, AMD FirePro S7000 server graphics help to reduce costs and system complexity in server environments.

Pricing

Both the AMD FirePro S9000 and S7000 server graphics are rigorously tested to ensure reliable performance for demanding server environments backed by a longer term limited warranty than that typically available for consumer graphics cards, and are supported by AMD 24-hour customer support. The AMD FirePro S9000 server graphics card is  available at a MSRP of $2,499 USD and the AMD FirePro S7000 server graphics card is priced at an MSRP of $1,249 USD.

Supporting Resources

• Learn more about AMD Professional Graphics
• Learn more about GCN Architecture
• Follow AMD professional graphics news on Twitter at @AMDFirePro
• Become a fan of AMD technology on Facebook

About AMD

AMD (NYSE: AMD) is a semiconductor design innovator leading the next era of vivid digital experiences with its ground-breaking AMD Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) that power a wide range of computing devices. AMD's server computing products are focused on driving industry-leading cloud computing and virtualisation environments. AMD's superior graphics technologies are found in a variety of solutions ranging from game consoles, PCs to supercomputers. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

[1] AMD FirePro^TM S9000 is a dual-slot passively cooled GPU that delivers 3.23 TFLOPS of peak single precision and 806 GFLOPs of double precision floating point performance, and delivers 264 GB/s memory bandwidth. Compared to Nvidia Tesla M2090, a dual-slot passively cooled GPU capable of 1.33 TFLOPs single precision and 665 GFLOPs double precision peak floating point performance. Visit http://www.nvidia.com/object/tesla-servers.html for Nvidia product specs. FP-53

[2] AMD FirePro^TM S7000 delivers 2.4 TFLOPS of peak single precision floating point performance, compared to Nvidia Tesla M2075 that is capable of 1.03 TFLOPS peak single precision. As of July 31, Nvidia doesn't offer a single-slot server product. Visit http://www.nvidia.com/object/tesla-servers.html for Nvidia product specs. FP-58

[3] Results based on internal measurements of AMD Radeon^TM HD 7970 with AMD ZeroCore Power technology enabled and AMD Radeon^TM HD 6970 comparing ASIC power consumption in "long idle" state (PC display turned off after a long period of relative inactivity and lack of user input). GRDT-11

[4] AMD FirePro^TM S9000 delivers 3.23 TFLOPS of peak single precision floating point performance, compared to Nvidia Tesla M2090 that is capable of 1.33 TFLOPS peak single precision. Visit http://www.nvidia.com/object/tesla-servers.html for Nvidia product specs.  FP-54

[5] AMD FirePro^TM S9000 features 264 GB/s memory bandwidth, compared to Nvidia Tesla M2090 with 177 GB/s memory bandwidth, both with ECC Memory support turned off. Visit http://www.nvidia.com/object/tesla-servers.html for Nvidia product specs. FP-56