Simplivity shows off VDI configs with Nvidia... Doh! VMware, what are you doing here?

Server virtualisation firm Simplivity has decided that virtual desktop infrastructure is a special use case and has partenered with Nvidia on "plans to provide solutions and reference architectures for new optimised, graphics- and compute-intensive VDI application workloads and cloud infrastructures."

Its latest offering is its OmniCube “data architecture” product, which turns server, storage and networking resources into a single system that can be scaled out into a federated group that runs virtual machines (VMs).

These will use NVIDIA GRID technology along with Teradici's PCoIP hardware accelerator (APEX for protocol optimisation) to have the complex interactive graphics work done on the Simplivity box and networked out to the workstations.

Doron Kempel, SimpliVity CEO, said: "The market wants to leverage the unique OmniCube hyperconverged platform architecture and novel data architecture for new application delivery including VDI. SimpliVity offers the economics that finally makes efficient, robust VDI a reality.”

Existing Simplivity VDI components include:

• Inline dedupe and compression
• Full and persistent clone support as well as linked clones
• VDI VM backups, offsite disaster recovery
• VAAI support
• Certified for VMware Horizon View and XenDesktop

Simplivity says VDI is or has been a special use-case and its planned configuration options will make it an "equal citizen" in the data centre, rendering it affordable and efficient. Its VDI rig is going to be suitable for, it says: "the most compute intensive “power user” environments, such as CAD/CAM engineering organisation, or graphic design and animation environments."

It's also said to cope well with the dreaded VDI boot storm.

Simplivity's VDI systems will compete with Tintri's, based on its hybrid flash/disk array, Greenbytes with its server-resident deduplication software, and systems from Fusion-io, Violin/Atlantis , and the mainstream server system vendors.

If Simplivity's reference configs are better for graphically complex VDI applications then its schtick has a new edge. However, VMware has just announced that "Horizon View virtual desktops will offer a true workstation replacement option with workstation class 3D graphics using Virtual Dedicated Graphics Acceleration (vDGA) enabled by NVIDIA GRID. Oops. ®