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Inside Nvidia's Testing Facilities

Posted by Zonk on from the behind-the-pixels dept.

An anonymous reader writes "FiringSquad has up a behind the scenes look at NVIDIA's Santa Clara HQ. In addition to the usual shots of the server farm, they spend several pages talking about the Silicon Failure Analysis Lab which is the secret to NVIDIA's success as a fabless semiconductor company. They also have shots of NVIDIA's thermal analysis lab where they run the GPUs at 40 deg C and 0 deg C, and the Performance analysis labs."

5 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. Where are the disco sofa's and pinball machines? by heroine · · Score: 4, Insightful

    All this renewed interest in corporations has us wanting our dot com parties back. They didn't mention the on-site oil changes. Interesting that the most valuable part of these companies is the lowest paying part: the QA lab. And the QA lab is still powered by 100Mbit ethernet.

    Then of course many of U thought runaway housing inflation would force these companies to think about moving elsewhere like, say, Pleasanton. Wrongo. Even with 4x more expensive rents than 2000, Silicon valley is still the king of corporate headquarters.

  2. why use Intel Clovertowns when they have there own by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    why use Intel Clovertowns when they have there own real good chipsets for AMD servers / work station systems?

  3. Feline body temperature?? by jwiegley · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm puzzled as to what is so "extreme" about 40C? My cat's temperature runs just slightly less than that and it purrs along quite nicely (literally).

    --
    I will never live for sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.
    1. Re:Feline body temperature?? by jjeffries · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well then rest assured that if you wanted to implant a GPU in your cat, the Nvidia would handle your pussy's heat (other problems notwithstanding.)

  4. Re:40 deg C? by mbessey · · Score: 4, Informative

    40 degrees C is a sort-of standard for "elevated ambient" testing of electronics. The point of testing at higher temperatures is mostly to ensure that heat transfer out of the chips is sufficient at that temperature to keep them from overheating. The chips themselves will likely be running at much greater temperatures internally, but as long as the heat sinks are efficient enough, the chips shouldn't overheat.

    For consumer electronics, I guess the assumption is that if it's 40 degrees in your room, you're going to go find somewhere cooler to be, rather than sitting there with your PC blowing hot air on you.

    In other industries, the standards are different. Many products designed for use in an automobile are tested at 50-60 degrees, which is closer to the interior temperature of a car in full sun in a temperate climate.