Page 91 - IBT October 2020
P. 91

Nvidia’s new Ampere         out of luck.                 announced that they would
                               architecture, powering the new   Just as impressive as Nvidia’s   acquire Arm, one of the world’s
                               RTX 3000 series of GPUs,    hardware is their software,   leading microprocessor
                               seeks to correct the problems   which utilizes an image   companies, for USD 40 billion,
                               that the RTX 2000 series cards   processing technique by the   it was immediately obvious
                               posed. Manufactured using a   name of DLSS, or deep learning   that this would become the
                               special 8nm process, the 3000   super sampling. This system   beginning of Nvidia’s foray
                               series represents a phenomenal   runs on the AI-driven Tensor   into entering the
                               leap in computing power     cores of the RTX cards, and are   microprocessor market as a
                               compared to the previous    used to clean up low-quality   serious contender, because
                               generation of RTX cards. Even   high-noise frame renders, and   Arm-based CPUs lie at the
                               the ‘entry-level’ RTX 3070, the   upscale them to native   heart of the vast majority of
                               featherweight of the 3000   resolutions, producing a final   smartphones, tablets,
                               lineup, offers processing power   image of a quality similar to   integrated solutions and even
                               superior to that of the USD   that of a natively rendered   certain laptops. Even Nvidia’s
                               1400 RTX 2080 Ti, the       image. While this may sound   own Tegra series of mobile
                               champion of the 2000 lineup –   like ‘cheating’ to most people,   processing solutions (notable
                               at a flabbergastingly affordable   the end results have been so   for powering the best-selling
                               starting price of USD 499.   extraordinary in terms of   Nintendo Switch portable
                               While this is essentially   quality, speed and efficiency,   gaming consoles) have been
                               cannibalizing Nvidia’s existing   that they have opened up   based on processor
                               stock of RTX 2000 GPUs, the   entirely new avenues for   architectures licensed from
                               other cards on the current   high-resolution raytraced   Arm.
                                                                      real-time renders   By acquiring Arm, Nvidia
                                                                      in games and      would be able to make new
             the ‘entry-level’ RTX 3070, the                          other 3D          leaps and bounds in terms of
             featherweight of the 3000 lineup,                        applications      technological developments to
                                                                      alike. The DLSS
                                                                                        its own products, as well as
             offers processing power superior to                       algorithms have   the products of all its licensees,
             that of the USD 1400 RTX 2080 Ti,                        been upgraded to   the gamut of which
                                                                                        encompasses every
                                                                      version 2.0 for
             the champion of the 2000 lineup –                        the RTX 3000      smartphone manufacturer on
                                                                                        the planet. Especially with
                                                                      series, which has
             at a flabbergastingly affordable                           resulted in a     even major names like Apple
 Nvidia went for – by unveiling   starting price of USD 499.          tremendous rise   switching to Arm-based CPUs
                                                                                        for their future computers,
                                                                      in the quality of
 their new RTX 3000 series of                                         the upscaled      Nvidia could not have made
 real-time raytracing-capable
 Marvel’s Hulk is not the only   GPUS.  consumer-grade GPUs   frames, to the point that some   this acquisition at a better
 raging green juggernaut   In lay terms, raytracing is a   equipped with real-time   3000 lineup, the RTX 3080 and   of said upscaled frames look   time. As their first move after
 smashing things and turning   method of accurately   raytracing capabilities, were   RTX 3090, are even   better when compared to their   the Arm acquisition, Nvidia is
 scenes upside-down. The Big   simulating the continuous   launched with a great deal of   heavier-hitting, and given that   natively rendered counterparts.  building a new AI research
 Green, superconductor titan   reflection and eventual   fanfare back in 2018, to   Nvidia has wisely opted to not   Aside from graphics, the   center at the UK-based
 Nvidia, has not only revealed   dissipation of light rays in a   relatively mediocre sales –   go with the eye-watering prices   generational improvements to   headquarters of Arm, with a
 its latest range of absurdly   3D scene, leading to incredibly   partially owing to the market’s   of the RTX 2000 series, are   the Ampere series of cards   specific focus on developing
 overpowered discrete graphics   realistic lighting and   general unawareness about the   going to be a great deal more   make them suitable for use in   energy-efficient Arm-powered
 processing solutions, but also   shadowing. This is an   importance raytracing can   popular with PC enthusiasts   deep learning-based   solutions for data centers and
 taken the world by storm by   extremely resource-intensive   make, but more importantly   who want their money’s worth   applications. Offering a 70%   cloud services.
 means of an acquisition   process, with traditional   because of the prohibitively   when building their new   speed boost over the previous   The future has never looked
 decision that has rocked the   CPU-driven raytracing   high price tags of the RTX   systems. However, it should be   series (Turing), Ampere can be   brighter for Nvidia than it does
 world of technology with its   mechanisms requiring hours to   2000 GPUs. Only the most   noted that because of their   up to six times faster in AI   now, and while it remains to be
 seismic impact.  spit out a single rendered   high-end cards of the RTX   vastly boosted processing   training applications.  seen how AMD and Intel would
 With longtime rivals Intel and   frame. While GPU-powered   2000 lineup could steadily   capabilities, the   While the revelation of the RTX   respond to the new challenges
 AMD working on their own   renderers cut down on this   handle real-time raytracing at   Ampere-powered GPUs are also   3000 series cemented Nvidia’s   posed by the green team, it can
 processing solutions both for   render time significantly, it   over 60 frames per second, but   quite power-hungry. The RTX   position as the dominant   be safely said that such
 general and graphical   was still a far cry from   with their prices safely out of   3080’s power draw peaks out   leader in the GPU market, with   developments would have
 purposes, it was apparent that   achieving raytracing in real   the reach of most buyers, they   at a mammoth 320 watts,   the competition yet to catch up   massive impacts on the global
 a do-or-die situation was likely   time, at playable frame rates.  did not see the level of   which means users who do not   to their benchmarks, this was   computing sector as a whole,
 to appear on Nvidia’s horizon   Nvidia’s RTX 2000 series of   adoption that Nvidia had   have or are not ready to go for   but one half of their   and that the consumers would
 before long. And ‘do’ is what   GPUs, the world’s first   initially hoped for.  beefy power supply units are   masterplan. When Nvidia   be their biggest beneficiaries.

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