Gigabyte G291-Z20 Server

Description

Powering up to eight GPUs the Gigabyte G291-Z20 server is designed for real time analytics, visualization & rendering, scientific simulation and modeling, engineering, data mining, and more. Outfitted with a single AMD processor this system will also save you money on licensing fees often associated with CPU sockets and core counts.

Other Gigabyte G291 Series GPU Servers

Gigabyte G291-2G0 GPU Server
Dual 1st or 2nd gen. Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs, 24x DDR4 DIMM, 16x Tesla T4 GPUs

Gigabyte G291-281 GPU Server
Dual 1st or 2nd gen. Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs, 24x DDR4 DIMM, 8x GPUs

Gigabyte G291-280 GPU Server
Dual 1st or 2nd gen. Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs, 24x DDR4 DIMM, 8x GPUs

Performance

A single AMD EPYC processor from either the first or second-generation are supported with top of the line Gen 1 processors topping out at 32 cores and top of the line Gen 2 processors topping out at 64 cores. AMD’s EPYC processors have a system-on-a-chip design which integrates many other components onto a single silicone chip, which is different that Intel, which has a chipset that scatters many functions across the motherboard. The benefit of AMDs design means it uses considerably less power. Each EPYC processor also supports up to 2TB of memory, 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes, and eight memory channels. They also support up to 256MB of L3 cache and integrated disk controllers removing the need for a PCIe-based RAID controller. Power can also be managed for each core, and can be allocated to meet specific workload needs.

Memory

With only eight memory modules slots, each memory module occupies one memory channel for peak memory performance. Only DDR4 memory modules are supported on this system offering transfer speeds of up to 2666MHz, as indicated in the specifications for this particular server. However, EPYC processors are capable of supporting memory speeds of up to 3200MHz. With all slots loaded with 256GB memory modules the system will support a maximum capacity of a little over 2TB.

Storage

There is a fair amount of storage on this platform with eight 2.5-inch drive bays up front supporting SATA natively through a built-in HD/RAID controller. For SAS support, you will need a discrete PCIe-based RAID controller. Two slots on the motherboard just behind the central cooling fans can be used to support your OS with redundancy.

Expansion

This is the interesting part, up to eight high-performance GPUs are supported on this server through an elegant design solution, which stacks the GPUs along the right and left sides of the chassis. Two PCIe riser slots to either side of the chassis support a PCIe GPU riser cage with two GPUs. The riser cage serves a dual purpose by directing cool air down the length of the GPU, including a perforated side panel on either side of the chassis to address the two sets of GPUs towards the rear of the chassis. Two more PCIe slots at the back of the chassis can be used to support high-speed network connections with Mellanox Infiniband EDR and other 100Gb Ethernet products. The two extra slots can also be used for HD/RAID controllers for SAS storage applications or to provide additional super-fast storage in the form of M.2 PCIe cards. The system comes standard with dual 10GbE ports that can be upgraded to support 25GbE.

Management

Management of the server is handled through the proprietary Gigabyte Server Management (GSM) software, which offers remote and at chassis management of the system. GSM is compatible with other management agents including Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) and Redfish API (RESTful API). Several subprograms provide more tools for managing the system including GSM Server for management of multiple Gigabyte servers via the integrated Base Management Controller (BMC), GSM Agent for additional server node information, and GSM Mobile, which is and remote server management application, available through the App Store suitable for both Android and iOS operating systems.

Summary

The 2U Gigabyte G291-Z20 server is a high-performance computational powerhouse with support for up to eight GPUs powered by a single AMD EPYC processor. It’s designed for a wide range of applications including