HP and Intel detail technology advances to fuel business transformation for workstation customers

GLENDALE, USA: At a recent press event on the DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. campus, HP (NYSE:HPQ) and Intel detailed a path toward performance increases that will help workstation customers transform computing workflows and, ultimately, their businesses.

DreamWorks Animation announced it is leading a business transformation based on the scalable multicore innovations provided by HP and Intel to enable the next generation of filmmakers and beyond. By placing tools that are dramatically faster in the hands of artists, DreamWorks Animation hopes to inspire a new generation of filmmaking.

“The multiplier effects of multicore processing in HP workstations will be transformational, turning hours into seconds, days into minutes and years into quarters,” said Jim Zafarana, vice president and general manager, Workstations, HP. “The spec wars are over – multicore parallel processing is steamrolling all previous processes and changing the way we assess compute power.”

“We will release an unprecedented three films this year, each of them with the aspiration to push the state of the art in CG (computer generated) filmmaking. Redesigning our software to tap the power of multicore will ensure our artists have the very best technology to practice their craft,” said Ed Leonard, chief technology officer, DreamWorks Animation. “Our rearchitecture effort is the largest technology initiative we’ve ever taken on and one that has the most promise to transform our core business.”

The proprietary software used by DreamWorks Animation artists in the process of content creation and animation touches everything from character creation and cinematography to lighting, special effects, environments and stereoscopic 3-D.

Most software today is designed to run on one core at a time, limiting the user’s ability to improve workflow. DreamWorks Animation’s ambition is to rewrite its software to take advantage of the power of Intel’s multicore technology using industry-leading HP Z-Series Workstations.

The ability to scale solutions to efficiently utilize many cores is creating a new class of high-performance workstation applications, and DreamWorks Animation and HP are leading the way. By rewriting its suite of software to run parallel projects using HP Z Workstations with up to 12 cores (and potentially more in the future), DreamWorks is turning upside down the economics of its filmmaking machine.

“It’s rewarding to see how quickly DreamWorks Animation is benefiting from rearchitecting and optimizing their software flow using Intel® Software Development Products and engineering talent,” said Anthony Neal-Graves, general manager, Workstations, Intel. “Through this collaboration and the efficiency gain on Intel multicore processor-based platforms from HP, we’re moving animators closer to their goal of seeing the results of their creative efforts in real time.”

“Providing our customers with tools to dramatically increase productivity and create engaging experiences is a top priority for us,” said Bill Hensler, chief technologist, Creative Suite Business Unit, Adobe. “Adobe Creative Suite software takes full advantage of multicore systems, allowing users to benefit from HP’s and Intel’s new advances in computing power and save valuable time.”

Danish computer-aided design and manufacturing company and event presenter HSMWorks ApS expressed excitement over the new technologies.

“We are already seeing major performance gains with the new HP Z workstations and advances in multicore from Intel,” said Tom Mortensen, founder and chief executive officer, HSMWorks ApS. “HSMWorks was designed from the ground up to fully utilize multiple cores, so without us having to change a single line of code, we expect customers who upgrade to the new Z workstations supporting six-core processors will immediately see a reduction in processing times of machining tool paths.”