Fury - Or else: Z by HP's extreme Z8 Fury workstation kicks off with an extreme stunt - before and after (2023)

Z from HPThe new workstation Z8 Fury is extreme. With cutting-edge single-socket technology that enables 56 cores in just a single Intel® Xeon® w9 processor, Z8 Fury can accelerate compute-intensive tasks in VFX and data science. But it's more than just advanced computing power that makes the Z8 Fury so exceptional. The adoption of a single-processor computing architecture enabled a design that deliberately balances powerful CPU performance with extreme GPU performance.

Why is that important? Because the computing environment has changed dramatically as CPU and GPU computation are now equally important.

Data scientists, creative professionals, product developers, architects, and engineers in particular have ever-increasing data processing and compute demands in their high-end workflows, coupled with the need to build and iterate faster. With the extreme processing and graphics power of the Z8 Fury workstation, media and entertainment professionals can seamlessly create environments and render them in real time, as well as control render nodes in virtual production studios for in-camera VFX on an LED stage. Data scientists can train models faster and with more iterations, or analyze data in real time for more accurate insights.

Since a machine equipped with both a powerful CPU and four high-end GPUs hasn't been widely available until now, professionals in both fields, but especially in media and entertainment/VFX, have had to create their own high-performance - Build computing workstations. Using the new 56-core Intel® Xeon® w9 processor in just a single CPU frees up space to allow four double-wide GPUs in the same workstation. Z by HP now offers this feature as standard in the Z8 Fury. And when combined with HP Anyware software and the new HP Anyware Remote System Controller for out-of-band management*, the extreme performance of Z by HP workstations can be accessed and managed remotely, making it a reality in the age of anywhere work is essential.

Launch the Z8 Fury with an effective stunt

When Z by HP wanted to launch the Z8 Fury, they wanted to do it with a stunt as powerful as the machine itself. Working with advertising agency Giant Spoon, they created a scenario that explored the effects of the rendering speed of Demonstrated minutes to seconds - by throwing a Z8 Fury workstation out of a plane.

To create the extreme spot, Z by HP, Giant Spoon and production company Unit 9 enlisted the help of Tim Kafka, Head of Creative Operations at The Mill LA, a creative and visual effects studio. Tim and his team created a complex simulation of the landscape around Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California using SideFX Houdini software, which can leverage the Z8 Fury's four GPUs. "It would normally take five minutes to render a scene like this," says Kafka in the voiceover of the spot. "Today we're giving the new Z8 Fury 30 seconds."*

Kafka securely monitors the ongoing rendering from the ground while a stunt operator, seated at the Z8 Fury, bolted to a desk, starts rendering the simulated scene just as it's being launched from a cargo plane above the actual Anza plane. Borrego Desert State Park. To save itself, the Z8 Fury has to process the scene in the time it takes before the workstation hits the ground. Success triggers just-in-time deployments of parachutes that levitate the Z8 Fury workstation safely to the ground. The spot highlights the difference that a drastic improvement in render time can make and creates an authentic connection to the processing power of the Z8 Fury, along with a playful touch of excitement, surprise and joy.

The spot premiered on February 7th at the HP Z8 Fury launch event, held at the classic Manhattan Car Club. Kafka was there, along with Matt Cochran, Director of Information Technology, Hendrick Motorsports, and Ian Briggs, Design Director and Co-Founder, Briggs Automotive Company (BAC), who introduced their Mono, the world's only street-legal single-seater bespoke race car, to over share their experiences with the Z by HP workstation range.

Kafka remarked, "The project in the spot was a real test. I started working on it before the HP Z8 Fury was fully finished, so I was on my older workstation. When I got my hands on the Z8 Fury, I was blown away by how much faster it rendered. I was able to add more detail and still stay under the time limit.”

He added: "The spot is an extreme example of what a drastic improvement in rendering speed means, but it's a revelation for your day-to-day work. When an artist is lighting a scene or running FX simulations, the speed of their workstation will determine how many iterations they can run in a day. And that means they can refine their work faster and move on to the next task sooner. When you look at all the time you could save on the hundreds or thousands of renders it takes to complete a project, it's incredibly important."

It's not just visual effects and rendering that can be affected. This extreme workstation performance opens up new possibilities for professionals in all industries that require high computing power - from deep learning and data analysis to 3D product design and modeling to AEC simulation and manufacturing. The Z8 Fury delivers the processing power that opens the door to more frequent iterations, and ultimately the next level of performance needed to stay on top.

The new HP Z8 Fury Workstation is part of the Z by HP range of desktop workstations. Learn moreHere.

* The project in the stunt was rendered in Houdini Karma, which is GPU accelerated to take advantage of all 4 GPUs in the Z8 Fury.

** Z by HP Remote Access Solution includes Z by HP Workstations or HP commercial devices, HP Anyware Software and HP Anyware Remote System Controller. Network access required. HP Anyware software and licenses are available through a 1-year or 3-year subscription. After the subscription period expires, renewal is required. HP Anyware subscriptions are based on the number of concurrent PCoIP connections (you pay for the number of host connections, not the software) with a minimum order of 5. For a limited time, an HP Anyware Professional subscription also includes access and support for ZCentral Remote Boost and ZCentral Connect and can be purchased through an HP reseller or contact sales at hp.com/Anyware. ZCentral Remote Boost Sender requires Windows 10 and 11, RHEL/CentOS (7 or 8) or UBUNTU 18.04 or 20.04 LTS operating systems. The operating system macOS (10.14 or newer) and ThinPro 7.2 are only supported on the receiver side. ZCentral Connect requires Windows (10 or 11) or Windows Server (2016 or 2019) operating system, Microsoft Active Directory and Intel Active Management Technology for select functionality. For information about system requirements and how to install HP Anyware and Anyware Manager, see the administrator guides at:https://docs.teradici.com/find/product/hp-anyware. Add Icicles (HP Anyware Remote System Controller sold separately. Internet access required. RTM information and link to Terms of Service.)

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This article is part of thebefore, afterwards VFX insightSeries. If you are interested in promoting your VFX/Animation/CG technology or service, you can learn more about the VFX Insight seriesHere.

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