The Futuristic Entertainment Experience: NVIDIA Powers the Las Vegas Sphere
The Las Vegas Sphere, a revolutionary entertainment venue, has been making headlines with its immersive display technology. Sitting at the heart of this technological marvel is NVIDIA’s advanced graphics and networking solutions, ensuring a seamless and high-quality visual experience.
A Glimpse into the Sphere’s Cutting-Edge Technology
Inside the Sphere, 150 NVIDIA RTX A6000 GPUs drive the stunning visuals on floor-to-ceiling, 16x16K displays. The exterior, known as the Exosphere, features 1.2 million programmable LED pucks, making it the world’s largest LED screen. NVIDIA’s technology ensures that all display panels act as one synchronized canvas, providing an unparalleled visual experience.
The Las Vegas Sphere’s massive LED display in action
The key to this synchronization lies in NVIDIA BlueField DPUs and NVIDIA ConnectX-6 Dx NICs. These components, along with NVIDIA DOCA Firefly Service and NVIDIA Rivermax software, deliver robust network connectivity and media streaming. This technology supports the Sphere’s high-resolution visuals, concert-grade sound, haptic seats, and atmospheric effects, such as wind and scents.
‘Sphere is captivating audiences not only in Las Vegas but also around the world on social media, with immersive LED content delivered at a scale and clarity that has never been done before.’ - Alex Luthwaite, senior vice president of show systems technology at Sphere Entertainment
A Glimpse into the Future of Entertainment
Since its opening, the Sphere has hosted a variety of events, including a 40-show run by rock band U2. Other notable shows include ‘The Sphere Experience’ featuring Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Postcard From Earth’, a multisensory cinematic experience showcasing the venue’s advanced technologies.
U2’s 40-show run at the Las Vegas Sphere
Named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023, the Sphere continues to push boundaries in entertainment. It hosts original Sphere Experiences, concerts, residencies by world-renowned artists, and premier corporate events.
Behind the Screens: Visual Technology Fueling the Sphere
Sphere Studios, located in Burbank, California, creates video content that is streamed in real-time to NVIDIA RTX A6000-equipped workstations at the Sphere. This setup achieves unprecedented performance, delivering three layers of 16K resolution at 60 frames per second. NVIDIA Rivermax software accelerates media streaming, enabling direct data transfers to and from the GPU, eliminating jitter, and optimizing latency.
NVIDIA RTX A6000 GPU powering the Sphere’s visual experience
NVIDIA BlueField DPUs enhance precision timing through the DOCA Firefly Service, synchronizing clocks in the network with sub-microsecond accuracy. ‘The integration of NVIDIA RTX GPUs, BlueField DPUs, and Rivermax software creates a powerful trifecta of advantages for modern accelerated computing, supporting the unique high-resolution video streams and strict timing requirements needed at Sphere,’ emphasized Nir Nitzani, senior product director for networking software at NVIDIA.
Well-Rounded: From Simulation to Sphere Stage
To develop new immersive content, Sphere Entertainment launched Sphere Studios, which includes a quarter-sized version of the Sphere screen, known as the Big Dome. This facility serves as a specialized screening and production lab. The Big Sky camera system, developed by Sphere Studios, captures uncompressed 18K images from a single camera, eliminating the need to stitch multiple camera feeds together. The studio’s custom image processing software runs on Lenovo servers powered by NVIDIA A40 GPUs.
Sphere Studios’ Big Dome, a quarter-sized version of the Sphere screen
The A40 GPUs also support creative work, including 3D video, virtualization, and ray tracing. The team uses various applications, such as Unreal Engine, Unity, Touch Designer, and Notch, to develop visuals for different shows.
The Las Vegas Sphere is a testament to the future of entertainment, where technology and creativity come together to create unforgettable experiences.
