News

HP racks up the Z4 G5 workstation

Big power in tiny box.

Jon Peddie

During Siggraph, HP introduced the HP Z4 Rack G5, a 1U rack workstation with a compact design that redefines remote professional work by delivering high-performance computing. Aimed at data science, content creation, and engineering, the Z4 Rack G5 supports VFX, 3D modeling, and rendering, and features efficient thermal design, quality components for reliability, and HP Anyware remote access. With support for Ada Generation GPUs, including RTX 5000, 4500, and 4000, across its platforms, HP is enhancing graphics performance. Jim Nottingham, senior VP of Z by HP, highlighted the collaboration with Nvidia for AI platforms. HP’s transformation promises enhanced productivity for industries like data science, content creation, and design.

What do we think?
HP’s 1U rack-mount workstation is a state-of-the-art machine designed to enable remote workers wherever they are. The demand for such platforms was highlighted and exacerbated during the Covid crisis when engineers and scientists needed more processing capabilities than they could get out of their notebooks. Clever packaging and cooling design allowed HP to squeeze a lot into a tiny enclosure.

HP redefining a flexible workstation experience for creators, data scientists, and engineers

During Siggraph 2023, HP unveiled its latest addition in the Z series, the HP Z4 Rack G5, a 1U rack workstation. With a compact 1U form factor design, HP aims to redefine the landscape of remote professional work by delivering performance that caters to the most demanding user requirements. As professionals in fields like data science, content creation, and engineering adapt to the new normal of remote work, HP thinks its Z4 Rack G5 offers the versatility needed to provide high-performance computing of the utmost quality, regardless of location.

Key features of the HP Z4 Rack G5 include:

  • Support for the demands of VFX, 3D modeling, and rendering, with up to 24 cores within an Intel Xeon W-2400 CPU, compatibility with Nvidia RTX 6000 Ada Generation graphics, and a capacity for up to 256GB DDR5 memory, all of which can be expanded and upgraded as needed.
  • A thermal performance design that enables the workstation to handle resource-intensive workloads without sacrificing efficiency.
  • Built with quality components and rigorous testing for reliability and durability, the Z4 Rack G5, claims HP, delivers uninterrupted performance for critical tasks.
  • With the option of HP Anyware remote software, teams can access the Z4 Rack from any device, which HP claims can ensure rapid responsiveness and excellent image quality, even under varying network conditions.
  • Certified for professional applications and fortified with HP Wolf Security for Business, the Z4 Rack G5 offers HP protection at and below the operating system layer.

As users of HP’s Z lineup—encompassing creators, engineers, and data scientists—evolve their workflows, graphics performance has emerged as a pivotal factor in their success. That’s why HP says it is introducing support for the new Ada Generation AIBs, including the RTX 5000, RTX 4500, and RTX 4000, across its platforms. The existing support for the Nvidia RTX 6000 remains intact. HP says the Ada Generation AIBs offer substantial graphics memory paired with error correction code (ECC) to facilitate rendering, data science, and engineering simulation. The fourth-generation Tensor cores deliver up to 5× the model training performance and up to 5× the inference performance of the previous-generation Nvidia Ampere architecture, thus accelerating generative AI content creation.

HP workstation
Construction of the HP Z4 Rack G5 workstation. (Source: HP)

Jim Nottingham, senior vice president of Z by HP, remarked that as workflows evolve, HP is evolving to meet the demands of today’s creators, engineers, and data scientists. He further stated, “We are expanding our collaboration with Nvidia through the Nvidia Ada Generation GPU architecture to harness AI platforms more extensively, while maintaining seamless workflows, enhanced cost predictability, and a position of leadership in sustainability with the world’s most sustainable PC portfolio.”

HP says its transformation is poised to enhance the professional landscape by delivering a seamless experience that drives unmatched productivity, rendering it an optimal solution for industries encompassing data science, content creation, engineering, design, and virtualization.