VPU Deployment Playbook
How to deploy VPUs with confidence through real data, proven architectures and radical technical transparency.
Deployment Overview
This playbook guides engineers from their current encoding architecture, to a scalable VPU deployment.
1. Where does your encoding run today?
Start with your current encoding environment and the constraints shaping your infrastructure.
Cloud
Encoding runs entirely inside public cloud compute environments.
Typical Pain Point:
Runaway compute costs.
Likely Path:
Repatriate heavy encoding workloads to VPU servers to cut costs.
On-Prem
Encoding runs in infrastructure you own and operate.
Typical Pain Point:
Density and power limits.
Likely Path:
Replace inefficient CPU racks with high-density VPU servers.
Hybrid
Encoding runs across both your infrastructure and public cloud.
Typical Pain Point:
Workload orchestration complexity.
Likely Path:
Run baseline workloads on VPUs and burst to cloud only when necessary.
Edge / Distributed
Encoding runs across many regional locations close to viewers.
Typical Pain Point:
Hardware footprint limits and operational scale.
Likely Path:
Deploy compact VPU nodes at POP locations closer to users.
2. Choose your desired deployment architecture:
Determine your migration strategy where VPU encoding should run to deliver the best performance and economics.
VPU Cloud encoding:
- Delivers cost efficient at scale, without owning hardware
- Deploy encoding inside cloud infrastructure
On-Prem VPU encoding:
- Delivers operational control & predictability in hardware ownership
- Deploy dedicated encoding racks
Hybrid encoding:
- Enables gradual migration or variable workflows
- Mix on-prem VPU capacity with overflow cloud burst
Edge encoding:
- Delivers lowest latency workflow with minimal back haul
- Run encoding near users or POPs
VPU Hardware Servers:
Quadra Video Server
Ideal for large-scale transcoding deployments requiring maximum stream density.
Quadra Mini Server
Ideal for edge deployments, labs, and smaller production spaces.
VPUs:
T1M
OEM embedded system. Ideal for small space or edge deployments
Form factor: M.2
Fits Quadra Mini Server
T1U
General-purpose for data center encoding.
Form factor: U.2.
Fits ALL Quadra Servers
T1A
Ideal for power or thermal constrained deployments.
Form factor: AIC
Fits 1RU Quadra Video Server
T2A
Dual-chip for 2X power. Ideal for maximum density and lowest cost-per-stream.
Form factor: AIC
Fits 1RU Quadra Video Server
3. Design & Validate the Workflow
Confirm that your encoding pipeline, software stack, and Ecosystem partners work together seamlessly.
VPU Ecosystem Directory
Leverage our Ecosystem partners
- Find where each partner operates in the VPU video pipeline and leverage the tools they offer for deployment.
4. Deploy, Operate & Scale
Launch production VPU infrastructure with the tools to monitor, automate, and grow.
This includes:
- provisioning servers
- monitoring streams Bitstreams
- Workflow automation Bitstreams
- scaling capacity
- maintaining reliability
Area
workflow automation
performance monitoring
hardware health
stream management
Tools
Bitstreams
Bitstreams dashboard
VPU telemetry
Orchestration software
Outcome: The architecture becomes a production system that scales.