Design and engineering firms can now officially run Siemens NX on cloud workstations, using the GPU-accelerated Microsoft Azure NVv4 family of virtual machines.
Powered by AMD Epyc CPUs and AMD Radeon Instinct GPUs, companies can choose from a range of Microsoft Azure performance options, from 4 to 32 CPU cores, 14 to 112 GB RAM, and 2 to 16 GB GPU memory.
With hardware-based GPU-partitioning, virtual machines can be tailored to the precise needs of different CAD users, so firms don’t need to spend money on GPU resources they do not need.
NX supports streaming from Microsoft Azure using Windows Remote Desktop protocol, Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), or partner solutions. This includes Workspot, a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider which offers a ‘turnkey service for quickly deploying performance-optimised, enterprise-class workstations running Siemens NX’, streamed from any Azure region globally.
Given the current global pandemic, the roll out of this new service is timely, as many businesses are being forced to work remotely or encouraging their employees to work from the safety of their own homes.
Deployment is said to be quick, with no need to purchase or update physical servers and workstations. The number of CAD users can also be scaled up and down based on current business needs.
As with all cloud workstations, CAD data is stored securely in the cloud, next to the NX cloud streamed instance. It means CAD data access can be controlled throughout the engineering team, as it never leaves the datacentre, and only the pixels are streamed to the end device, which can be a standard home PC or laptop.
“Siemens NX on Azure has enabled us to provide customers instant remote access to NX with no downloads, installs, or configuration,” says George Rendell, senior director, NX Design.
“User feedback on the latest version of NX on Azure across US and Europe reported very positive performance and user experience. NX continues to provide best in class flexibility and deployment options including the ability to now scale on demand to allow any number of users.
“Microsoft Azure helps us reduce the IT overhead that would otherwise be required to help our customers try and realize the benefits of the latest version of NX.”
Siemens is not the only CAD software developer to endorse Microsoft Azure NVv4. In July 2020, Autodesk certified the AMD-powered virtual machines for AutoCAD, Revit, and Inventor. AMD and Microsoft are also working with other software developers to get more CAD applications certified for the cloud workstations.
