HP, according to Tom's Hardware, is preparing to release new Z series workstations designed for AI applications. These computers will be equipped with NVIDIA A800 accelerators, which were originally created for China as a “stripped-down” version of the A100 (40 GB).
It was assumed that data center operators in China would be able to purchase A800 solutions, which were designed specifically taking into account sanctions restrictions from the United States. The cost of these accelerators, according to available data, at the initial stage was $14.5 thousand. However, due to the introduction of new US export restrictions on the supply of modern technologies to China, shipments of the A800 to the Celestial Empire have become impossible. Instead, NVIDIA has prepared H20, L20 and L2 accelerators.
And the released A800 had to be redistributed to other regions. However, due to the fact that the A800’s NVLink interconnect capacity was reduced to 400 GB/s for the sake of sanctions versus 600 GB/s for the A100, the “cut down” accelerators were not very popular among customers. In such a situation, installing the A800 in HP workstations will help NVIDIA sell its existing inventory.
The characteristics of the HP Z series systems have not yet been disclosed. It is suggested that they will be based on either Intel Xeon Emerald Rapids processors (or possibly Xeon Sapphire Rapids) or AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000 WX chips. NVIDIA itself actually announced the A800 for Western markets back in November 2023, saying it was “the ideal workstation platform for AI, data analytics, and high-performance computing.” NVIDIA's partners promoting the A800 include PNY, Colfax International, ASK and Elsa.
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