Chaos V-Ray will soon support AMD GPUs, so users of the photorealistic rendering software can choose from a wider range of graphics hardware including the AMD Radeon Pro W7000 series and the AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro processor that has an integrated Radeon GPU.

Until now, V-Ray’s GPU renderer has been limited to Nvidia RTX GPUs via the CUDA platform, while its CPU renderer has long worked with processors from both Intel and AMD.

Chaos plans to roll out the changes publicly in every edition of V-Ray, including 3ds Max, SketchUp, Revit and Rhino, Maya, and Blender.

At Autodesk University last month, both Dell and HP showcased V-Ray GPU running on AMD GPUs – Dell on a desktop workstation with a discrete AMD Radeon Pro W7600 GPU and HP on a HP ZBook Ultra G1a with the new AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, where up to 96 GB of the 128 GB unified memory can be allocated as VRAM.

“[With the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395} you can load massive scenes without having to worry so much about memory limitations,” says Vladimir Koylazov, head of innovation, Chaos. “We have a massive USD scene that we use for testing, and it was really nice to see it actually being rendered on an AMD [processor]. It wouldn’t be possible on [most] discrete GPUs, because they don’t normally have that much memory.”

This new capability has been made possible through AMD HIP (Heterogeneous-Compute Interface for Portability) — an open-source toolkit that allows developers to port CUDA-based GPU applications to run on AMD hardware without the need to create and maintain a new code base.

“HIP handles complicated pieces of code, like V-Ray GPU, a lot better than OpenCL used to do, says Koylazov. “Everything we support in V-Ray GPU on other platforms is now supported on AMD GPUs.”

Chaos isn’t alone in embracing AMD GPUs. Earlier this year, product design focused viz tool KeyShot also added support, which we put to the test in our HP ZBook Ultra G1a review.

The post Chaos V-Ray to support AMD GPUs appeared first on AEC Magazine.

Amulet Hotkey has updated its CoreStation HX2000 datacentre remote workstation with a new Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor option, delivering higher clock speeds and built-in NPU AI acceleration.

The CoreStation HX2000 is built around a 5U rack mounted enclosure that can accommodate up to 12 single-width workstation nodes that can be removed, replaced, or upgraded.

Each workstation node is accessed by a single user over a 1:1 connection and can be configured with a choice of discrete MXM laptop GPUs – the Nvidia RTX A1000 (4 GB) or Nvidia RTX 2000 Ada (8 GB) – making it well suited to mainstream CAD and BIM workflows.

Features include redundant power and cooling, hot-swappable components and ‘full remote system management’ including core management capabilities such as secure remote access, power control, BIOS-level KVM access, and system-wide firmware updates.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H features six performance (P) cores and 8 efficient (E) cores and delivers clock speeds of up to 5.4 GHz. Although the processor is typically used in laptops, Amulet Hotkey says its datacentre integration provides greater power and cooling headroom than a mobile platform.

Amulet Hotkey is also developing a new CoreStation HX3000, due to launch in Q1 2026. Built around the same 5U enclosure, the HX3000 will feature full Intel Core desktop processors, up to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, alongside low-profile Nvidia RTX and Intel Arc Pro GPUs.

With eight P-cores, 16 E-cores, and a higher TDP, the Core Ultra 9 285K (read our review) promises a significant uplift in multi-threaded workflows.

Supported GPUs such as the Nvidia RTX 2000 Ada (16 GB) (read our review), RTX 4000 SFF Ada (20 GB) (read our review), and RTX 2000 Pro Blackwell (16 GB) are expected to deliver major performance gains over their MXM laptop counterparts – not only offering more speed but also significantly more memory for handling larger datasets and demanding visualisation tools such as Enscape, Lumion, and Twinmotion.

The CoreStation HX is designed, built, and manufactured in the UK by Amulet Hotkey.

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When the HP Z2 Mini first launched in 2017 it redefined the desktop workstation. By delivering solid performance in an exceedingly compact, monitor-mountable form factor, HP created a new niche — a workstation ideal for space-constrained environments.

Fast forward several generations, and the Z2 Mini has evolved significantly. It’s no longer just a standalone desktop — it’s become a key component of HP’s datacentre workstation ecosystem, providing each worker with remote access to a dedicated workstation over a 1:1 connection.

With the latest model, the Z2 Mini G1a, HP introduces something new: an AMD processor at the heart of the machine, denoted by the ‘a’ suffix in its product name. This is the first time the Z2 Mini has featured AMD silicon, and the results are impressive.

The processor in question is the AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro, the exact same chip found in the hugely impressive HP ZBook Ultra G1a 14-inch mobile workstation, which we reviewed earlier this year.

Unlike traditional processors, this groundbreaking chip features an integrated GPU with performance on par with a mid-range discrete graphics card. Crucially, the GPU can also be configured with up to 96 GB of system memory. This far exceeds the memory ceiling of most discrete GPUs in its class and unlocks new possibilities for memory-intensive workloads, including AI.

While the ZBook Ultra G1a mobile workstation runs the Ryzen AI Max Pro within a 70 W thermal design power (TDP), the Z2 Mini G1a desktop cranks that up significantly — more than doubling the power budget to 150 W. This allows the chip to maintain higher clock speeds for longer, delivering more performance in both multi-threaded CPU workflows like rendering, simulation and reality modelling, as well as GPU-intensive tasks such as real-time visualisation and AI.

That said, doubling the power doesn’t double the performance. As with most processors, the Ryzen AI Max Pro reaches a point of diminishing returns, where additional wattage yields increasingly modest improvements. However, for compute-intensive workflows, that extra headroom can still deliver a meaningful advantage.

The compact workstation

The Z2 Mini G1a debuts with a brand-new chassis that’s even more compact than its Intel-based sibling, the Z2 Mini G1i. The smaller footprint is hardly surprising, given the AMD-based model doesn’t need room for a discrete GPU — unlike the Intel version, which currently supports options up to the double-height, low-profile Nvidia RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation (read our review).

But what’s really clever is that HP’s engineers have also squeezed the power supply inside the machine. That might not seem like a big deal for desktops, but for datacentre deployments, where external power bricks and excess cabling can create clutter, interfere with airflow, and complicate rack management, it’s a significant improvement. Unfortunately, the HP Remote System Controller, which provides out-of-band management, is still external.

The chassis is divided into two sections, separated by the system board. The top two-thirds house the key components, fans and heatsink, while the bottom third is mostly reserved for the 300W power supply.

Despite its compact form factor, the Z2 Mini G1a doesn’t skimp on connectivity. At the rear you’ll find two Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB-C, 40Gbps), two USB Type-A (480Mbps), two USB Type-A (10Gbps), two Mini DisplayPort 2.1, and a 2.5GbE LAN. For easy access on the side, there’s an additional USB Type-C (10Gbps) and USB Type-A (10Gbps).

Serviceability on the Z2 Mini G1a is limited, as the processor and system memory are soldered to the motherboard, leaving no scope for major upgrades. It’s therefore crucial to select the right specifications at purchase (more on this later). The two M.2 NVMe SSDs and several smaller components, however, are easily replaceable, and two Flex I/O ports allow for additional USB connections or a 10GbE LAN upgrade.

The beating heart

The AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro processor at the heart of the Z2 Mini G1a is a powerful all-in-one chip that combines a high-performance multi-core CPU, with a remarkably capable integrated GPU and a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for AI.

While the spotlight is understandably on the flagship model, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395, with a considerable 16 CPU cores and Radeon 8060S graphics capable of handling entry-level to mainstream visualisation, the other processor options shouldn’t be overlooked. With fewer cores and less powerful GPUs, they should still offer more than enough performance for typical CAD and BIM workflows (see table below).

A massive pool of memory

The standout feature of the AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro is its memory architecture, and how it gives the GPU direct and fast access to a large, unified pool of system RAM. This is in contrast to discrete GPUs, such as Nvidia RTX, which have a fixed amount of on-board memory.

The integrated GPU can use up to 75% of the system’s total RAM, allowing for up to 96 GB of GPU memory when the Z2 Mini G1a is configured with its maximum 128 GB.

This means the workstation can handle certain workloads that simply aren’t possible with other GPUs in its class.

When a discrete GPU runs out of memory, it has to ‘borrow’ from system memory. Because this data transfer occurs over the PCIe bus, it is highly inefficient. Depending on how much memory is borrowed, performance can drop sharply: renders can take much longer, frame rates can fall from double digits to low single digits, and navigating models or scenes can become nearly impossible. In extreme cases, the software may even crash.

The Z2 Mini G1a allows users to control how much memory is allocated to the GPU. In the BIOS, simply choose a profile – from 512 MB, 4 GB, 8 GB, all the way up to 96 GB (should you have 128 GB of RAM to play with). Of course, the larger the profile, the more it eats into your system memory, so it’s important to strike a balance.

The amazing thing about AMD’s technology is that should the GPU run out of its ringfenced memory, in many cases it can seamlessly borrow more from system memory, if available, temporarily expanding its capacity. Since this memory resides in the same physical location, access remains very fast.

Even with the smallest 512 MB profile, borrowing 10 GB for CAD software Solidworks caused only a slight drop in 3D performance, maintaining that all-important smooth experience within the viewport.

This means that if system memory is in short supply, opting for a smaller GPU memory profile can offer more flexibility by freeing up RAM for other tasks.

Of course, because memory is fixed in the Z2 Mini G1a, and cannot be upgraded, you must choose very wisely at time of purchase. For CAD/BIM workflows, we recommend 64 GB as the entry-point with 128 GB giving more flexibility for the future, especially as AI workflows evolve (more on that later).

Performance testing

We put the Z2 Mini G1a to work in a variety of real-world CAD, visualisation, simulation and reality modelling applications. Our test machine was fully loaded with the top-end AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395 and 128 GB of system memory, of which 32 GB was allocated to the AMD Radeon 8060S GPU. All testing was done at 4K resolution.

We compared the Z2 Mini G1a with an identically configured HP ZBook Ultra G1a, primarily to assess how its 150 W TDP stacks up against the laptop’s more constrained 70 W. For broader context, we also benchmarked it against a range of desktop tower workstation CPUs and GPUs.

CPU tests

In single threaded workloads, we saw very little difference between the Z2 Mini G1a and ZBook Ultra G1a laptop. That’s because the power draw of a single CPU core remains well below 70W so there is no benefit from a larger TDP.

Both machines delivered very similar performance in both single threaded and lightly threaded tasks in Solidworks (CAD), laser scan import in Capturing Reality and the single core test in rendering benchmark Cinebench.

It was only in multi-threaded tests where we started to see a difference and that’s because the Z2 Mini G1a pushes the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395 processor much closer to 150W. When rendering – a highly multi-threaded process that makes full use of all cores – the Z2 Mini G1a was around 16-17% faster in Corona Render 10, V-Ray 6.0, and Cinebench 2024.

Meanwhile, when aligning images and laser scans in Capturing Reality, it was around 11% faster. And in select simulation workflows in both SPECwpc benchmarks, the performance increase was as high as 82%!

But how does the Z2 Mini G1a stack up against larger desktop towers? AMD’s top-tier mainstream desktop processor, the Ryzen 9 9950X, shares the same Zen 5 architecture as the Ryzen AI Max+ Pro, but delivers significantly better performance. It’s 22% faster in Cinebench, 18% faster in Capturing Reality, and 15–33% faster in Solidworks. But that’s hardly surprising, given it draws up to 230W, as tested in a Scan 3XS tower workstation with a liquid cooler and heatsink roughly the size of the entire Z2 Mini G1a!

We saw similar from Intel’s flagship Core Ultra 9 285K in a Scan 3XS tower, which pushes power even further to 253W. While this Intel chip is technically available as an option in the HP Z2 Mini G1a’s Intel-based sibling, the HP Z2 Mini G1i, it would almost certainly perform well below its full potential due to the power and thermal limits of the compact chassis.

GPU tests

The Z2 Mini G1a’s 150W TDP pushes the Radeon 8060S GPU harder, outperforming the ZBook Ultra G1a in several demanding graphics workloads.

The Z2 Mini G1a impressed in D5 Render, completing scenes 15% faster and delivering a 39% boost in real-time viewport frame rates. Twinmotion also saw a notable 22% faster raster render time, though in Lumion, performance remained unchanged.

The biggest leap came in AI image generation. In the Procyon AI benchmark, the Z2 Mini G1a was 50% faster than the ZBook Ultra G1a in Stable Diffusion 1.5 and an impressive 118% faster in Stable Diffusion XL.

But how does the Radeon 8060S compare with discrete desktop GPUs like the low-profile Nvidia RTX A1000 (8 GB) and RTX 2000 Ada Generation (16 GB), popular options in the Intel-based Z2 Mini G1i?

In the D5 Render benchmark, which only requires 4 GB of GPU memory, the Radeon 8060S edged ahead of the RTX A1000 but lagged behind the RTX 2000 Ada Generation.

Its real advantage appears when memory demands grow: with 32 GB available, the Radeon 8060S can handle larger datasets that overwhelm the RTX A1000 (8 GB) and even challenge the RTX 2000 Ada Generation (16 GB) in our Twinmotion raster rendering test. Path tracing in Twinomtion, however, caused the AMD GPU to crash, highlighting some of the broader software compatibility challenges faced by AMD, which we explore in our ZBook Ultra G1a review.

Meanwhile, in our Lumion test, which only needs 11 GB for efficient rendering at FHD resolution, the RTX 2000 Ada Generation (16 GB) demonstrated a clear performance advantage.

Of course, while the Radeon 8060S allows large models to be loaded into memory, it’s still an entry-level GPU in terms of raw performance and complex viz scenes may stutter to a few frames per second. Waiting for renders may be acceptable to architects, but laggy viewport navigation is not.

Overall, the Radeon 8060S shines when memory capacity is the limiting factor, but it cannot match higher-end discrete GPUs in sustained rendering performance. For more on these trade-offs, see our review of the HP ZBook Ultra G1a.

Gently does it

Out of the box, the Z2 Mini G1a is impressively quiet when running CAD and BIM software. Fan noise becomes much more noticeable under multithreaded CPU workloads and, to a lesser extent, GPU-intensive tasks. The good news is that this can be easily managed without significantly impacting performance: in the BIOS, users can select from four performance modes — ‘high-performance,’ ‘performance,’ ‘quiet,’ and ‘rack’ — which operate independently of the standard Windows power settings.

The HP Z2 Mini G1a ships with ‘high performance’ mode enabled by default, allowing the processor to run at its full 150W TDP. In V-Ray rendering, it maintains an impressive all-core frequency of 4.6 GHz, although the fans ramp up noticeably after a minute or so.

Switching to Quiet Mode (after a reboot) prioritises acoustics over raw performance. The CPU automatically downclocks, and fan noise becomes barely audible — even during extended V-Ray renders. For short bursts, such as a one-minute render, the system still delivers 140W with a minimal frequency drop. Over a one-hour batch render, however, power levels dipped to 120W, and clock speeds averaged around 4.35 GHz.

The good news: this appeared to have negligible impact on performance, with V-Ray benchmark scores falling by just 1% compared to High Performance mode. In short, Quiet Mode looks to be more than sufficient for most workflows, offering near-peak performance with significantly reduced fan noise.

Finally, Rack Mode prioritises reliability over acoustics. Fans run consistently — even at idle — to ensure thermal stability in densely packed datacentre deployments.

Local AI

Most AEC firms will use the Z2 Mini G1a for everyday tasks — your typical CAD, BIM, and visualisation workflows. But thanks to the way the GPU has access to a large pool of system memory, it also opens the door to some interesting AI possibilities.

With 96 GB to play with the Z2 Mini G1a can take on much bigger AI models than a typical discrete GPU with fixed memory. In fact, AMD recently reported that the Ryzen AI Max Pro can now support LLMs with up to 128 billion parameters — about the same size as Chat GPT 3.0.

This could be a big deal for some AEC firms. Previously, running models of this scale required cloud infrastructure and dedicated datacentre GPUs. Now, they could run entirely on local workstation hardware. AMD goes into more detail in this blog post and FAQ.

Of course, the AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro won’t even get close to matching the performance of a high-end Nvidia GPU, especially one in the cloud. But in addition to cost, the big attraction is that you could run AI locally, under your full control, with no data ever leaving your network.

On a more practical level for AEC firms experimenting with text-to-image AI for early-stage design, AMD also explains that the Ryzen AI Max+ can handle text-to-image models with up to 12 billion parameters, like FLUX Schnell in FP16. This could make it attractive for those wanting more compelling, higher resolution visuals, if they are willing to wait for the results.

Finally, thanks to the Ryzen AI Max Pro’s built-in NPU, there’s also dedicated AI hardware for efficient local inference as well. And at 50 TOPS the NPU is more powerful than other desktop workstation NPUs, and the only one we know that meets Microsoft’s requirements for a CoPilot+ PC.

The verdict

The HP Z2 Mini G1a represents a major step forward for compact workstations, delivering strong performance and enabling new workflows in a datacentre-ready form factor.

At its heart the AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro processor not only delivers a powerful multi-core CPU and remarkably capable integrated GPU, but an advanced memory architecture as well that allows the GPU to tap directly into a large pool of system memory — up to 96 GB.

This makes the Z2 Mini G1a stand out from traditional discrete GPU-based workstations — even some with much larger chassis — by offering an advantage in select memory-intensive workloads, from visualisation to advanced AI.

Of course, the Ryzen AI Max Pro is no silver bullet. While the 16-core chip delivers impressive computational performance, AMD faces tough competition from Nvidia on the graphics front – both in terms of hardware and software compatibility.

Nvidia’s recently announced low-profile Blackwell GPUs offer improved performance and more memory (up to 24 GB) and are expected to debut soon in the HP Z2 Mini G1i.

As reviewed, the Z2 Mini G1a with the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395 and 128 GB RAM is priced at £2,280 + VAT, while a lower-spec model with the Ryzen AI Max Pro 390 and 64 GB RAM (our recommended minimum) comes in at £1,710 + VAT.

While this isn’t exactly cheap, pricing is competitive given the performance and workflows potential on offer. More than anything, the Z2 Mini G1a shows how far compact workstations have come — delivering desktop and datacentre power in a form factor that was once considered a compromise.

The post Review: HP Z2 Mini G1a appeared first on AEC Magazine.

Creative ITC has launched a new virtual cloud desktop solution purpose built for the AEC sector that it claims delivers the full power of a high-end in-office workstation to architects, wherever they work.

The Virtual Cloud Desktop Pod (VCDPod) is purpose-built for processor- or graphics-intensive design, visualisation, simulation, and modelling applications.

With VCDPod, AEC professionals use a dedicated laptop, thin client or iPad to login into a virtual cloud desktop that offers ‘single tenant’ access to high-end computing resources. The service uses dedicated Lenovo workstations with the latest Nvidia GPUs and powerful CPUs.

According to Creative ITC, VCDPod delivers higher clock speeds for even the most demanding workloads and offers multi-screen capabilities with no image degradation.

Other key features include secure local storage, built to meet compliance, data sovereignty, and protection requirements, along with simplified IT management through a ‘fully managed’ service backed by 24/7/365 AEC ‘expert tech support’. The platform is also said to offer transparent pricing and real-time usage tracking.

VCDPod complements Creative ITC’s existing fully managed VDI solution, VDIPod, giving architecture practices flexibility to create a tailored, hybrid solution designed to scale with them.

Creative ITC works with leading AEC firms including Atkins Realis, Foster + Partners and BAM.

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Lenovo has redesigned its flagship mobile workstation, the ThinkPad P16, with a new Gen 3 edition that is thinner, lighter and draws less power than its Gen 2 predecessor, now with a 180W PSU.

The 16-inch pro laptop features the latest ‘Arrow Lake’ Intel Core Ultra 200HX series processors (up to 24 cores and 5.5 GHz) and a choice of Nvidia graphics up to the RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell Generation (24 GB) Laptop GPU.

Lenovo has also rolled out updates across its wider Intel-based mobile workstation portfolio, including the ThinkPad P1 Gen 8, ThinkPad P16v Gen 3, ThinkPad P14s i Gen 6, and ThinkPad P16s i Gen 4.

While lowering power improves portability and energy efficiency, it currently looks to put Lenovo at a performance disadvantage against rivals.

Read what AEC Magazine thinks

All four models are powered by more energy-efficient Intel Core Ultra 200H processors (up to 16 cores, 5.4 GHz) and feature less powerful Nvidia RTX Pro Blackwell GPUs — up to the RTX Pro 2000 Blackwell (8 GB) in the P16v and P1, and up to the RTX Pro 1000 Blackwell (8 GB) in the P14s and P16s.

While they share core components, the models are differentiated by design and positioning: the ThinkPad P1 Gen 8 is Lenovo’s premium thin-and-light mobile workstation, the ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 is pitched as a more affordable alternative, while the ThinkPad P14s i Gen 6 and ThinkPad P16s i Gen 4 combine thin-and-light designs with a GPU best suited to mainstream CAD and BIM workflows.

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These updates follow the launch earlier this year of Lenovo’s AMD Ryzen ‘Strix Point’ pro laptops – the ThinkPad P14s Gen 6 AMD and ThinkPad P16s Gen 4 AMD.

What AEC Magazine thinks

Lenovo’s flagship ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 may come with a top-end mobile CPU and GPU, but its smaller 180W power supply — down from 230W in the previous generation — suggests that some performance may be left on the table. This would be particularly true when configured with the RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell, which alone has a max power consumption of up to 175W.

While lowering power improves portability and energy efficiency, it currently looks to put Lenovo at a performance disadvantage against rivals. At the top end, the Dell Pro Max 16 Plus and HP ZBook Fury G1i (16-inch) both offer the exact same processors but have 280W adapters, while the larger 18-inch ZBook Fury G1i pushes that even further to 330W.

Against this backdrop, Lenovo’s move could be seen as paving the way for a beefier 16-inch or 18-inch model — that might ultimately surpass the ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 as the company’s most powerful mobile workstation.

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Nvidia has announced two new low-profile workstation GPUs, the Nvidia RTX Pro 4000 Blackwell SFF Edition and the Nvidia RTX Pro 2000 Blackwell, designed to accelerate a range of professional workloads, including CAD, visualisation, simulation and AI.

Both are expected to appear in small form factor and micro workstations later this year, including the HP Z2 Mini G1i and Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Ultra SFF.

The RTX Pro 4000 SFF and RTX Pro 2000 feature fourth-generation RT Cores and fifth-generation Tensor Cores with lower power in half the size of a traditional GPU.

Compared to its predecessor, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada (read our review), Nvidia claims the RTX Pro 4000 Blackwell SFF delivers up to 2.5× faster AI performance, 1.7× higher ray tracing performance, and 1.5× more bandwidth — all while maintaining the same 70-watt maximum power draw. It also gets a memory boost, increasing from 20 GB of GDDR6 to 24 GB of GDDR7.

Meanwhile, compared to the RTX 2000 Ada (read our review), the RTX Pro 2000 Blackwell is said to deliver up to 1.6× faster 3D modelling, 1.4× faster CAD performance, and 1.6× faster rendering. It also promises a 1.4× improvement in AI image generation and a 2.3× boost in AI text generation. Memory has been increased as well, rising from 16 GB of GDDR6 to 20 GB of GDDR7.

London-based Studio Tim Fu (STF) has been putting the new GPUs to work in its AI-driven design workflows. “The RTX Pro 2000 Blackwell powers our UrbanGPT application for real-time text-to-3D urban design, which can be used to generate dynamic city layouts, track vital metrics like program and floor areas, and produce realistic massing distribution across complex urban design scenarios,” said founder Tim Fu. “From zoning simulations to large-scale massing studies, this technology accelerates our AI-driven design engine with the stability and responsiveness needed for city-scale planning.”

Meanwhile, Thornton Tomasetti, a New York-based engineering and design consulting firm, has been using the new cards for structural analysis. “We benchmarked the RTX Pro 2000 Blackwell on CORE.Matrix — our in-house, GPU-based Finite Element Analysis solver — running almost 3x faster than with the RTX 2000 Ada and 27x faster than with a standard CPU,” said Rob Otani, chief technology officer. “This enabled us to accelerate our structural analysis workflows for more iterative, design-integrated engineering.”

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UK-based subscription workstation platform Computle has secured a £500k pre-seed investment from technology veteran Mark Boost, who takes a minority stake in the company. The funding will support Computle’s development of its remote workstation service for creative, architecture, and engineering teams.

Founded in 2020 by technology architect Jake Elsley, Computle claims to deliver 30–50% cost savings compared to alternative solutions.

Unlike virtualised remote workstation solutions, Computle provides each user with a dedicated workstation, accessed over a 1:1 connection. Every custom-built blade workstation includes its own CPU, GPU, NVMe storage, and RAM.

Customers can configure their workstation using an online tool, mixing and matching components from Intel Core and AMD Threadripper CPUs to consumer and professional Nvidia GPUs.

Each workstation is deployable across Computle’s global regions, including London, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney, Dubai, and Singapore

Workstations are accessed via Computle’s proprietary dual-4K ready device or through a Windows/MacOS app. The platform also ‘seamlessly integrates’ with storage solutions including Panzura, LucidLink, and Egnyte.

Prices start at £79 per month on a three-year contract, with 3D CAD / BIM-capable configurations typically starting at around £100 per month.

“Mark instantly recognised the future we’re building,” said Elsley. “His deep insight into modern infrastructure and strategic backing accelerates our mission to reshape how the AEC industry works. With his support, Computle will expand its global footprint – empowering companies to access world-class performance from anywhere.”

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We’re already planning the next report, and we’d love your input to help us make it even better.

Please take a few minutes to complete our short survey. Your feedback will genuinely help us understand how AEC professionals like you are using workstations today — from performance needs and AI adoption to remote use and energy consumption.

Your insights will help directly shape the workstation reviews and articles we produce at AEC Magazine — ensuring they stay relevant, useful, and grounded in real-world workflows.

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HP has revealed more details about the HP ZBook Fury G1i, the latest generation of its high-end mobile workstation, now available in a new 18-inch form factor alongside the familiar 16-inch model.

According to HP, the ZBook Fury G1i delivers a significant performance boost over its predecessor, the ZBook Fury G11 — thanks not only to its choice of next-gen Intel Core Ultra 200HX Series 2 processor and Nvidia RTX Pro Blackwell GPU, but also due to its higher power envelope.

The 16-inch model now supports up to 170W Thermal Design Power (TDP), while the 18-inch pushes that even further to 200W, compared to just 145W in the G11. To manage this additional thermal load — and to maintain optimal acoustics — HP has introduced a new ‘hybrid turbo-bladed’ triple-fan cooling system.

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Naturally, power delivery also gets a boost: the 16-inch model peaks with a 280W PSU, and the 18-inch a 330W unit, both up from 230W in the G11.

The ‘Arrow Lake’ Intel Core Ultra 200HX Series 2 processor is considered ‘desktop class,’ and the top-end Core Ultra 9 285HX features 8 Performance cores, 16 Efficient cores, and a Max Turbo Frequency of 5.5 GHz on the P-cores.

Its integrated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) delivers 13 TOPS of INT8 AI acceleration — typical for Arrow Lake chips — but this falls short of the 40 TOPS NPU requirement for Microsoft’s Copilot+ AI PCs.

However, in high-end mobile workstations like this, the bulk of AI workloads are expected to be handled by the discrete GPU. The top-tier Nvidia RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell (24 GB GDDR7) is said to deliver up to 1,824 TOPS of FP4 performance — making it suitable for high-performance AI inference and training.

For years, major OEMs have played it safe with power, typically capping the TDP of top-end mobile workstations at around 145W. But with chipmakers increasingly leaning on power to flex more processing muscle, sticking to these conservative limits has meant a lot of potential performance has been left on the table.

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The ZBook Fury G1i supports up to 256 GB of RAM—the highest ever in a ZBook—via four user-accessible DIMM slots, with tool free access enabling future upgrades.

For storage, the system offers up to 16 TB across four PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSDs. To maximise read/write performance, one of those slots also supports a high-speed PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD, available in 1 TB or 2 TB capacities.

There are several display options on the 16-inch, going up to a 4K (3,840 x 2,400) HP DreamColor OLED – 120Hz, 500 nits and 100% DCI-P3. The 18-inch is limited to a WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) LED with 500 nits and 100% DCI-P3, plus a ‘high frequency’ 165Hz refresh rate – a first for mobile workstations, says HP.

The HP Lumen RGB Z Keyboard takes a professional-focused approach with per-key LED backlighting that can highlight only the keys relevant to specific tasks such as editing, modelling, or design.

It comes preloaded with default lighting profiles for popular applications like Solidworks, AutoCAD, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Users can also customise and program their own colour-coded hotkey combinations to suit other software workflows.

The three-button touchpad is designed to aid 3D modelling, where the middle button can be used to control certain application functions such as moving or rotation.

Other features include an Integrated power and optional fingerprint button, a Thunderbolt 5 port with USB Type-C and a singling data rate up to 120Gb/s, and a 5MP IR camera with 88° wide field of view and support for Windows Hello.

The webcam sensor is ‘AI-enhanced’ enabling several smart features designed to boost privacy, security, and power efficiency. It can detect onlookers behind you – prompting you to activate HP SureView or blur your screen – automatically dim the display when you’re not paying attention, and lock or wake the device as you walk away or return. Meanwhile, for a better conference call experience, AI-Based Noise Reduction filters both inbound and outbound background noise – like dogs barking, paper rustling, and sirens

The 16-inch HP ZBook Fury G1i measures 359 × 249 × 27 mm and starts at 2.43 kg, while the larger 18-inch model comes in at 403 × 289 × 27 mm with a starting weight of 3.52 kg.

What AEC Magazine thinks

For years, major OEMs have played it safe with power, typically capping the TDP of top-end mobile workstations at around 145W. But with chipmakers increasingly leaning on power to flex more processing muscle, sticking to these conservative limits has meant a lot of potential performance has been left on the table.

HP is now bucking this trend with the ZBook Fury G1i. Both the 16-inch and 18-inch models break new ground, with the latter pushing the TDP to 200W — clearly taking advantage of its larger chassis. HP claims this delivers a 30% performance boost.

While that’s a significant leap forward, it may still fall short of what you might get from a gaming-inspired system. In the past MSI has packed workstation-grade components into laptops with combined CPU/GPU power pushed as high as 270W.

Still, one must not forget that the ZBook Fury G1i is a true enterprise-class machine, where performance must be carefully balanced with thermals, acoustics, reliability, and portability. HP’s new triple-fan cooling system will be key to maintaining that equilibrium — and one to watch closely.

The post HP ZBook Fury G1i gets power boost appeared first on AEC Magazine.

Lenovo has refreshed its ThinkStation P2 and P3 desktop workstation lineup with four new ‘Gen 2’ models featuring Intel Core Ultra 9 (Series 2) processors and, coming later this year, Nvidia RTX Pro Blackwell GPUs.

The mainstream ISV-certified workstations span a variety of form factors, including compact towers (ThinkStation P2 Tower Gen 2 and ThinkStation P3 Tower Gen 2), small form factor (ThinkStation P3 Ultra SFF Gen 2), and micro (ThinkStation P3 Tiny Gen 2).

The ThinkStation P3 Tower Gen 2 is the most expandable of the new models and is fully ‘AI-ready’. It features an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor (Series 2) with integrated NPU and, by Q3 2025, will offer up to an Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition GPU with 96 GB of GDDR7 memory, capable of delivering up to 3,511 TOPS.

With up to 192 GB of high-speed DDR5 6400 MT/s memory, the P3 Tower Gen 2 offers more RAM than its predecessor, along with expanded storage with ‘enhanced RAID flexibility’.

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The ThinkStation P3 Ultra SFF Gen 2 features a space-saving 3.9L form factor, significantly smaller than a traditional mini tower and compact enough to mount under a desk using a dedicated ThinkStation cradle.

It’s also datacenter-ready, making it a key component of Lenovo Access, a new remote workstation solution also announced today. Up to seven workstations can fit in a 5U rack, and each one can be configured with a ThinkStation Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) for out-of-band system management.

The ThinkStation P3 Ultra SFF Gen 2 supports Intel Core Ultra 9 processors (Series 2), up to 128 GB of DDR5 6400 MT/s memory, and up to an Nvidia RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation GPU with 20 GB of GDDR6 memory. It also offers more M.2 SSDs than the previous generation.

The ThinkStation P3 Tiny Gen 2 features a super-compact 1-litre design — 96% smaller than a traditional desktop — and can be mounted behind a monitor or under a desk.

Due to its diminutive size, it’s likely to support lower powered Intel Core Ultra 9 processors (Series 2), and GPU options are limited to the Nvidia RTX A1000 (8 GB). Even so, it should still deliver solid performance for CAD and BIM-centric workflows, as shown in our recent review of the A1000.

Memory also gets a boost — now up to 128 GB at 6400 MT/s, compared to 96 GB DDR5-5600 in its predecessor — and it also supports more M.2 SSDs.

Finally, the ThinkStation P2 Tower Gen 2 is billed as Lenovo’s smallest workstation tower at 17 litres. It features the same Intel Core Ultra 9 processor options as the P3 Tower Gen 2, but with more limited expandability and graphics topping out at the Nvidia RTX 2000 Ada Generation (16 GB). This makes it well-suited to CAD/BIM and entry-level visualisation workloads.

The ThinkStation P3 Tower Gen 2 is available now. The ThinkStation P2 Tower Gen 2, P3 Tiny Gen 2, and P3 Ultra SFF Gen 2 will be available later this month.

The post Lenovo ThinkStation P2 and P3 Gen 2 workstations launch appeared first on AEC Magazine.