Taipei, Taiwan, September 18th 2020 – The 9th “HPC NCHC 3D Animation Challenge”, an annual contest organized by the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) of the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs) and the Export Processing Zone Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, held its final match and award ceremony on Sep. 9th.

The event was made possible by the joint direction of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture. It also owes its success to the proactive involvement of the Kaohsiung City Government. This triumphant occasion stands as a shining example of mutual collaboration between the different branches of government, between central and local authorities, and between the public, private, and academic sectors. Its aim is to uplift high-value talent in Taiwan’s creative and entertainment industries, and to nurture the NCHC Render Farm, which is a valuable national resource.

NARLabs is dedicated to boosting Taiwan’s High Performance Computing (HPC) capabilities and internet infrastructure. In 2011, NARLabs integrated supercomputers, storage capacity, high-speed communications equipment, and scientific simulation solutions to create the country’s first cloud-based Render Farm. The Render Farm applies HPC to various technologies and services related to visual effects, 3D animation, and VR/ AR. 

In 2018, NARLabs further expanded the Render Farm by purchasing GPU servers from GIGABYTE Technology, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, allowing it to satisfy content creators’ demand for high-resolution, hybrid virtual-real image processing

GIGABYTE utilized its extensive research and development capabilities to provide suitable solutions from its GPU server product line. The low-latency performance characteristics of the G191-H44 and the high-density parallel computing capabilities of the G481-HA0 made it possible for the Render Farm to perform complex calculations and process large amounts of data, reducing the workload of animation artists while enhancing their output. 

By using the Render Farm’s cloud rendering services, content creators can complete high-speed processing tasks on a VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) platform via a mobile device, achieving remote creation in real time. HPC can also be applied to theater. Virtual projections may be combined with real dancers to deliver an innovative, dreamlike stage effect. The Render Farm also worked with the Ministry of Culture to set up the “Taiwan Digital Asset Library (TDAL)”, a platform for sharing high-quality 3D recreations of Taiwan’s historical buildings and sites for use in the entertainment industry.

To date, the Render Farm has helped Taiwanese companies produce more than 200 films. It has also inspired thousands of students from over 50 universities through training courses and competitions. The final match and award ceremony of this year’s “HPC NCHC 3D Animation Challenge” was held in the MLD Jubilee Hall in Kaohsiung. A total of 409 contestants in 136 teams participated, breaking last year’s record. 

The NCHC is investing in Taiwan’s future talent to stimulate creativity and innovation in the arts and entertainment industries. GIGABYTE uses technology to benefit humanity and remains dedicated to the core value of “Upgrade Your Life”. The two are a perfect match. GIGABYTE remains your number one partner as we move toward the world of tomorrow.

Please visit https://www.gigabyte.com/ for more information.