Hitachi iQ integrates NVIDIA HGX for enhanced AI systems

Hitachi Vantara has announced the availability of Hitachi iQ integrated with the NVIDIA HGX platform, creating an end-to-end infrastructure solution for modern artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

The new solution presents a significant proposition in the company's aim to provide scalable and efficient infrastructure solutions to cater to the most challenging AI applications. Hitachi iQ combines NVIDIA H100 and H200 Tensor Core GPUs with the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software to streamline the development and deployment of generative AI applications.

Utilising zero-copy architecture and advanced networking technologies, the new offering minimises data transfer times and maximises GPU utilisation, marking a step forward in performance enhancements. The infrastructure addresses AI demands across various industries, supporting operations from large language models to digital twins and image processing.

Research by ESG has highlighted the urgency for such a solution, with only 37% of organisations feeling ready for the adoption of GenAI, despite 97% acknowledging its importance. The same study indicated that 77% of enterprises agreed their adoption of GenAI was contingent upon resolving current data quality issues.

Hitachi iQ's integration with the NVIDIA HGX platform is designed to respond to these industry challenges by maximising AI performance and reliability.

It incorporates storage, networking, and server elements alongside NVIDIA's advanced GPUs and AI Enterprise software.

The system enhances data processing capabilities within distributed file systems, improving pattern recognition through access to a wide array of datasets, thereby allowing AI models to draw from diverse learning scenarios.

Moreover, the addition of the NVIDIA HGX platform optimises the economics and sustainability of AI efforts by adopting a zero-copy architecture. This approach reduces unnecessary data transferring and the associated time losses between storage silos at different AI processing stages.

The platform is complemented by updates in the Hitachi Content Software for File, which now employs generation 5 PCIe technology with AMD EPYC processors. This enhancement is set to bolster networking through NVIDIA's ConnectX-7 400Gb/s InfiniBand or Ethernet NICs, while PCIe Generation 5 E3.S NVMe drives ensure high performance suitable for mission-critical operations in AI and high-performance computing (HPC).

Hitachi Vantara's Chief Technology Officer for Artificial Intelligence, Jason Hardy, remarked, "Our customers are looking for advanced solutions to meet the ever-evolving demands of AI, and the Hitachi iQ offering with NVIDIA HGX is the latest example of how we are at the forefront of AI innovation. As one of the only vendors to offer a complete, end-to-end AI infrastructure solution, we marry world-class technology with deep industry expertise for a powerful, one-stop-shop experience."

Shar Narasimhan, NVIDIA's Director of Data Center GPUs and AI, added, "Pairing NVIDIA's accelerated computing platform with the deep industrial expertise of Hitachi Vantara helps address the growing demand for enterprise-grade AI infrastructure and applications, delivering high-performance computing capabilities for AI workloads to enable faster training, fine-tuning, and inferencing."

Managing Director of Genesis Networks Pte Ltd, Allen Lee, commented on the educational sector's perspective, "There is immense pressure to leverage AI right now but in the education space, it needs to tie directly to ROI. Optimized to drive industry-specific results from a partner with the experience to help us make it happen, that's what we see in Hitachi iQ."

The evolution of Hitachi's iQ portfolio, initially launched in July 2024, illustrates Hitachi's prominent role in linking IT infrastructure with business applications across various industries. Known for their IT/OT expertise in sectors such as rail and energy, Hitachi provides infrastructure solutions that enhance both on-premises performance and ROI potential through varied consumption models.

Hitachi iQ with the NVIDIA HGX platform and Hitachi Content Software for File are now available on a global scale, paving the way for businesses worldwide as they advance their AI capabilities.