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Last year PNY Technologies, signed a distribution agreement with NVIDIA. Here PCR speaks with Laurent Chapoulaud, Marketing Director Professional Solutions, PNY EMEAI to find out more about PNY becoming a NVIDIA direct global distributor for the entire range of InfiniBand and Ethernet networking switches, adapter cards/NICs and cables for resellers in EMEA.
Please could you explain a bit more about the PNY Technologies, distribution agreement with NVIDIA? What does this offer to the end user?
Thanks to more than 20 years of cooperation with NVIDIA, we can offer our customers a wide range of products and solutions. Starting with professional graphics and data centre cards, to server solutions for AI and Deep Learning, embedded systems for smart cities, robotics, and extensive network solutions for Ethernet and Infiniband. In addition, we offer world-class support through our FAEs and can provide quick and effective solutions to any issues. Our staff are trained in many different areas, including visualization, virtualization, artificial intelligence, edge computing and networking components from NVIDIA, thus they can provide a sufficient solution to our customers and partners.
How has data and the growth of it created greater market needs and opportunities?
With the development of industry and science, the demand for high-performance hardware and systems have naturally increased. In the industrial and creative fields, the complexity of projects to present photorealistic results in real time, so as to shorten development times and investments is mirrored in the use of artificial intelligence and edge computing. The amount of data has now increased to such an extent that this also affects the modelling times, which can only be shortened with the use of performance hardware. In addition, the infrastructure from server to storage via the network must not be lost sight of. We can therefore offer an effective system, which consists of server, storage, and network components Ethernet and Infiniband, as a complete solution in all areas.
What are the benefits for PNY to offer this solution?
Due to the varied product portfolio for the professional area, we can offer the customer a complete range for their plans and projects. Whether that is professional graphics cards for high-performance workstations, or complex server systems including storage and network, we are always able to respond to the needs of our customers. Our experience in pre-sales as well as after care plays a major role in this.
Please could you explain how Artificial Intelligence technologies are currently being implemented?
Artificial intelligence has long since made its way into our lives. Whether that is Internet search engines, online translators, online shopping, safety functions in automobiles and in our smartphone, the applications for AI are very diverse and can be used depending on the data situation. I would particularly like to highlight the use of AI for cancer detection and currently for the fight against SarsCov-2, where scientists worldwide are using AI to identify suitable measures. With the use of high-performance computing, results can now be achieved in a short time.
Please could you explain a bit more about professional visualisation markets and how this industry is evolving?
The requirements for visualization have grown in recent years. The reasons are manifold, but especially the size and complexity of the projects have increased due to newer technologies. Therefore, the rendering times have also increased, which are reduced by new graphics cards. Since ray tracing, architects, engineers, and creatives are able to render their development photorealistic in real time and thus have a preliminary result on the later product. An additional interesting aspect are simulations, which allow developers to test products on different environments before they enter manufacturing. Be it the strength of materials to flow behaviour.
What future technologies or growth markets is the company looking to get involved in?
The future is artificial intelligence, edge computing and embedded systems. AI in science for the creation of models and support in medical diagnostic, edge computing will guide us in smart cities and embedded systems can already be found in many products, whether robotics or autonomous driving. These areas will be our focus for the future, in addition to our many years of core competencies in professional graphics solutions. The first milestones were set with complete solutions, and more are to follow.
How has the channel evolved over the past 18 months?
The channel has performed relatively well despite Corona. The reason in the pandemic was, among other things, the increased demand for computer hardware for home offices. A bitter point is, of course, the supply difficulties for semiconductors, which not only affects us, but also parts of the industry that we supply. But we are looking positively to the future and 2022.
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