Reimagining Infrastructure for Media & Entertainment

Today’s audiences expect on-demand content and immersive experiences, increasing pressure on creators to constantly innovate and do it faster than ever before. Virtual production, real-time VFX editing, AI-augmented workflows – and new capabilities yet to be imagined – rely on infrastructure that is equally dynamic to fully exploit the capacity of GPUs and other media accelerators at the lowest cost and footprint. Moving away from decades-old system architecture that limits the pace of innovation is quickly becoming a competitive requirement for the Media & Entertainment industry.

What’s driving infrastructure modernization in Media & Entertainment? IDC Analyst Alex Holtz examines the key trends and technologies. Download the research brief here.

New technologies, old infrastructure 

Modern productions have embraced technologies such as LED volume walls and motion tracking, allowing live actors to interact with virtual environments rendered in real-time. IDC forecasts that more than 50% of film studios will use virtual production methods by 2026. (IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Media and Entertainment 2024.) The integration of VFX editing into live production allows for immediate feedback during filming, reducing time and effort in post-production. AI and machine learning augment complex visual effects, animation and audio processing, creating new possibilities for storytelling.

GPUs have become vital for high-speed visualization and simulation tasks while DPUs, designed for data processing and network optimization, accelerate workflow efficiency, file transfer and data analysis. These technologies are fueling innovation, but a decades-old system model is dictating what can be done, how quickly and at what cost.

Cost-innovation tradeoffs

Traditional GPU infrastructure presents a trade-off between cost and innovation. The fixed configurations of GPU workstations place limits on their utility for content-creation workflows, often requiring different stacks for different use cases and environments – and full redundancy to prevent costly failures and downtime. Frequent overheating throttles performance and reduces the lifespan of the devices. Scaling GPU processing means adding more workstations even when the existing infrastructure isn’t fully utilized. Once a workstation is deployed, trying update, replace or change the system is so complex and time-consuming, it’s easier to add more workstations with the new configuration.

While it is possible to throw more boxes at the problem, there is a ceiling on the budget and space for most Media & Entertainment environments that makes this approach unsustainable.

A simpler approach

Software-defined composable infrastructure is a dynamic system model that reimagines how infrastructure is built and deployed. Using one common infrastructure across the content creation workflow, studios can mix and match GPUs, DPUs, and other accelerators and deploy them anywhere: on a mobile stage, a virtual production set or in a fully equipped data center.

Compose one set of GPUs for a rendering task, and another set for an AI workflow. Run different use cases and configurations with no changes to your operating system, BIOS or drivers.  Mix GPUs with DPUs and Quadro Sync II cards, all in the same chassis – and provision to any class of workstation or server.

Systems designed for sustainability

Upgrading digital infrastructure requires thoughtful planning around scalability, workflow optimization, and future-proofing. Software-defined composable infrastructure provides dynamic flexibility to scale and change at the pace of innovation.

Scale: Planning infrastructure expansion is simpler and more cost-effective. IT procurement can purchase fleets and provision when and where they are needed. Or purchase new hardware only when it’s required – and upgrade at your own pace and budget.

Workflow Optimization: Compose the right system every time – even in real-time – to support the workflow or technology advancement for each project. Release GPUs and other devices back to a common pool for reuse by other users at any time.

Standardization: Cerio’s PCIe-compliant architecture supports standard PCIe chassis, devices, workstations and servers with full backward and forward compatibility. Mix devices, generations and capabilities and ensure complete future-proofing.

Conclusion

The M&E industry is rapidly transforming to meet the rising demand for premium content and adapt to the complexities of digital production. By modernizing infrastructure using software-defined composable systems from Cerio, M&E companies can enhance their technology capabilities to deliver high-quality content at scale, faster and at a lower cost than ever before.