We bring AI to life

Deep learning and AI relies hugely on parallel processors - only truly delivered by GPU accelerators. Our status as the UK’s leading NVIDIA Elite Solution Provider enables us to offer a wide of range purpose-built solutions for every aspect of deep learning, AI and HPC. These include 3XS AI workstations for model development, alongside the 3XS AI server portfolio for training made up of NVIDIA-certified EGX and HGX systems, plus groundbreaking NVIDIA DGX AI appliances. Lastly our range extends into NVIDIA Jetson based edge AI solutions - optimised for deployment in wide-reaching scenarios such as factories, transport and smart cities.

To complement our range of GPU-accelerated hardware systems, we also offer a virtual GPU platform in the form of Scan Cloud, offering the ability to deliver high performance applications to any device, anywhere. Hosted in secure datacentres Scan Cloud allows you to dynamically flex your vGPU profile as your workloads demand, either as an alternative to physical hardware or as a burst capability when large projects arise. The platform is accessed with a simple monthly payment, so there is no upfront hardware expenditure, and no GPU resource sat idle as tasks and users can be sized to the optimal vGPU profile.

Having the latest and greatest GPU-accelerated training hardware is all well and good, but how do you ensure those powerful GPUs are being utilised as much as possible and always working at maximum efficiency? AI-optimised NVMe SSD storage provides the bandwidth and latency required to get the most from your servers - a single storage appliance can deliver data to multiple multi-GPU servers, ensuring faster results and minimal downtime. Scan AI offers a 3XS Systems software-defined solution in partnership with PEAK:AIO and further options from leading brands such as Dell-EMC, NetApp and DDN to ensure we have an AI optimised storage solution that is right for you.

As your training infrastructure grows you need to ensure that bottlenecks aren’t introduced between your GPU-accelerated hardware and optimised storage systems. The majority of AI servers are equipped with NVIDIA Networking ConnectX Smart NICs or Bluefield DPUs, so complementing these with Spectrum Ethernet or Quantum InfiniBand network switches and interconnects is the obvious choice. These high-bandwidth, low-latency network protocols ensure maximum off-loading of management and processing tasks ensuring the highest data throughput at speeds of up to 800Gb/s.

To begin a deep learning project you need some understanding of the relevant programming languages and techniques required. However, to avoid learning entirely new languages, there are deep learning frameworks and libraries that have been optimised to automate and structure some of the tasks involved when using NVIDIA GPUs - the majority of these being free from the NVIDIA GPU Cloud (NGC). Alongside these there are a number of dedicated applications designed specifically for tackling workloads in areas such as healthcare, robotics or autonomous driving, plus additional platforms for GPU pooling from Run:ai or real time collaboration using NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise.

Although AI projects start small - often just a single workstation - they scale, and often very rapidly. As a project grows and hardware demand increases it is not always possible to have the space, power or security required to continue work on expanding datasets, especially if they are of the sensitive kind. With this in mind we’ve teamed up with multiple datacentre partners in the UK and across Europe to offer a range of hosted solutions, including co-location, management and monitoring. Our range of hosting partners offer solutions addressing both green energy and GDPR-compliance whilst ensuring data integrity and security are paramount.

As your AI infrastructure grows and workloads evolve, it is crucial to ensure you are always getting the best from your investments. Our range of professional services is designed to enhance your hardware and software solutions - whether it’s a system health check, installation and configuration of new hardware, software upgrades or remote monitoring, data science assistance, cyber security advice and solutions, or even complete end-to-end management of an AI project. Our highly trained and NVIDIA-certified Scan AI team is on hand to provide trusted advice and technical expertise.

We’re never too old to stop learning, and in a technology as fast-paced as AI, continued education is essential to remain at the cutting edge. To address this requirement Scan AI is a certified delivery partner for the NVIDIA Ideation workshops and Deep Learning Institute (DLI) courses. This means that our AI experts are fully accredited to teach a host of topics around deep learning and AI - we offer a range of courses, either online and in-person, scheduled throughout the year, so your teams can keep developing their AI knowledge and new starters can learn the fundamentals of AI.