News

TRIPLE-1 begins a new project with NEC.
Demonstration of an "ultra high-speed rendering machine"
with a supercomputer, and marketing to the global market.

TRIPLE-1, Inc. (Headquarters: Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka, Representative Director CEO: Takuya Yamaguchi, Henceforth: "TRIPLE-1"), a developer of cutting-edge semiconductors, utilizes NEC Corporation's (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO (Representative Executive Officer): Takayuki Morita, Henceforth: "NEC") supercomputer "SX-Aurora TSUBASA" (ultra high-performance computing platform) to continue exploring possibilities in commercializing new fields such as image processing and AI. With strong support from NEC, TRIPLE-1 aims for an evolution of a next-generation "ultra high-speed rendering machine" (image processing machine) that will be essential to achieving a metaversal society, and will begin demonstration tests and pre-marketing with an eye on global expansion after commercialization.
TRIPLE-1 believes that "rendering technology" (rendering is the display of images and videos by processing or calculating data) for processing high-resolution 3DCG (computer graphics in 3D space) at high speed in real time is crucial to implement a metaverse. In this project, TRIPLE-1’s semiconductor development team aims to evolve NEC's vector supercomputer "SX-Aurora TSUBASA", which was developed for high-performance computing purposes such as calculation centers in universities and research institutes, into an ultra high-speed rendering machine for graphics processing by conversion. In experiments using “SX-Aurora TSUBASA”, TRIPLE-1 has already confirmed that it can produce 10 times more power than conventional rendering machines.
After achieving commercialization, TRIPLE-1 plans to expand the machine to the global market and conduct global sales.

The world's only "vector supercomputer" is the key to realizing the metaverse

NEC has been developing the “SX series” supercomputers for the past 40 years. Currently, “SX-Aurora TSUBASA” is the latest version. Its greatest feature is vector processor technology that achieves both arithmetic precision and computing performance. Vector processors can accurately process huge amounts of data all at once, so they can be used for applications such as global scale simulations, AI, and big data. For example, “SX-Aurora TSUBASA” is used for global warming prediction and has been implemented into the European Meteorological Agency.
This project started when the TRIPLE-1 development team, who had been keeping their eyes on the extremely high processing power of “SX-Aurora TSUBASA”, proposed to NEC with the idea of converting this unique Japanese supercomputer technology and evolving it into an “image processing engine (ultra high-speed rendering machine)” for implementation of the metaverse.
To express a realistic pseudo-world immerses users in the metaverse space, it is necessary to "continuously process high-resolution 3DCG" (a large amount of data) in real time without delay. It is here where the maximum potential of SX-Aurora TSUBASA’s ability to process vast amounts of data all at once could be realized.
TRIPLE-1 will create the world's long-awaited metaverse by hybridizing the cutting-edge technologies of both companies. In addition to the metaverse, we also plan to explore new ways to utilize it in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
SX-Aurora TSUBASA

“Ultra high-speed rendering machine” brings innovation to the film, animation, and architecture industries

Rendering technology is currently used in various industries. Rendering is used to process graphics in fields such as 3DCG, animation, movies (such as VFX), video games, digital architecture, and industrial design.
However, when trying to use existing common rendering machines to calculate and process high-resolution, large-capacity data, the problem is that rendering machines are expensive, in addition to the fact that rendering takes a long time. For example, a famous full 3D movie that was released worldwide this year required 450,000 hours of rendering to produce the 1 hour and 29 minute video. Even though up to 200 rendering machines were running continuously, the process took six months to a year. However, by using the “ultra high-speed rendering machine” that TRIPLE-1 will develop for this project, the rendering time is predicted to be reduced to one-tenth. There are also plans to place the cost of the machines into a competitive price range in the global market.
Furthermore, in the course of conducting demonstration tests for the newly developed machine, there are plans to have artists who produce 3DCG for Hollywood movies and world-renowned game creators to test the rendering machine. By conducting demonstrations in collaboration with artists and creators who are active in cutting-edge fields, we can clearly grasp the latest needs of the graphics market and apply the "opinions of the market" to development.

TRIPLE-1's original development enables support with world-class software

To render, you need not only hardware (rendering machine) but also software (rendering software). Currently, major companies around the world such as Autodesk and MAXON are developing commercial rendering software, which is widely used by creators and other users.
An important point of the “ultra high-speed rendering machine” developed in this project is that it can run on existing rendering software. The TRIPLE-1 development team will develop a special integrated circuit that can smoothly convert data between existing rendering software and the newly developed ultra high-speed rendering machine. This technology is unique to TRIPLE-1, who has promoted the development of ASICs (integrated circuits that combine multiple functional circuits into one for specific applications) among cutting-edge semiconductors.
This will allow creators around the world to take advantage of the new "ultra high-speed rendering machine" while still using their existing software. TRIPLE-1 believes that compatibility with software already on the market is the key to capturing the global market. There are also development plans so that it can be used with CAD, which is software widely used in the architecture and design industries.

High-speed communications, data centers, green energy: Challenges for the metaverse

To make the metaverse a reality in the future, there are other essential matters aside from rendering machines. For example, to keep a high-resolution 3DCG space moving in real time, it is necessary to use high-speed communication technology to connect large amounts of data to a data center for continuous calculation processing. Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, which should be covered by green energy in the era of zero carbon. In other words, to implement the metaverse, we must also develop for high-speed communications, data centers, and green energy. Furthermore, high-speed large-capacity memory and high-speed inter-chip connection buses are also required. TRIPLE-1 believes that the metaverse will greatly advance society, and will continue to create a variety of products and infrastructures for this future society.

Words from TRIPLE-1: Senior Vice President and Director, Marei Oshima

“Since its founding in 2016, TRIPLE-1 has been promoting data center businesses that utilize cutting-edge semiconductors (such as AI deep learning and cryptocurrency mining), high-speed wireless communications businesses such as local 5G base stations, and green energy businesses including storage batteries. This is because we believe that these are all indispensable technological fields to realize future societies, such as the metaverse, smart cities, and carbon-neutral societies.
We believe that this new collaboration with NEC will bring us one step closer to a future society envisioned by TRIPLE-1. I am truly happy to be able to go out into the world again and take on the challenge of updating it with cutting-edge technology Made in Japan."

Words from NEC: HPC General Manager, Masaki Kondo

“We sympathize with TRIPLE-1's proposal, which aims to solve social issues through cutting-edge technology. By teaming up with TRIPLE-1, the “SX-Aurora TSUBASA” supercomputer that we have developed and provided over many years will be applied to the new field of rendering machines, and we have high hopes that the applications developed by TRIPLE-1 have the potential to make dramatic advances. We also believe that if “SX-Aurora TSUBASA”, which boasts world-class performance, can be utilized in the field of general-purpose image processing (rendering), it has the potential to bring about even greater innovation. As a technology company, NEC will continue to accelerate digital transformation (DX), including the metaverse, and contribute to future society in collaboration with TRIPLE-1.”

NEC outline

Company Name NEC Corporation
Representative President and CEO (Representative Executive Officer) - Takayuki Morita
Corporate Headquarter 5-7-1 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0014
Established July 17, 1899
The capital 427.8 billion yen
Website https://jpn.nec.com/

Trademark

All proper nouns such as registered product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Select Language