Presenting the Ascend AI Workstation, Threadripper PRO Edition
This project started with a conversation with a software engineer working deep in robotics and AI. The initial request was ambitious, up to 1TB of RAM to support heavy development environments and large-scale system builds.
The day-to-day workload leaves little room for compromise. Compiling full GCC and LLVM toolchains. Running multiple virtual machines simultaneously. Executing complete system image builds that keep hardware under sustained load for hours at a time.
What began as a high-memory enquiry quickly evolved into a broader discussion around platform choice, stability, and long-term scalability. The system needed to handle extreme parallel workloads while remaining predictable under pressure.
Rather than building around headline numbers, the focus stayed on reliability, expansion headroom, and behaviour under continuous load. The result is a workstation designed to support serious engineering work without becoming the bottleneck.
Built for Sustained, Real-World Workloads
At the core of this system is the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9985WX 64-core processor, paired with the ASUS Pro WS WRX90E-SAGE SE workstation motherboard. This platform was selected for its enterprise-grade reliability, massive memory capacity, and stability under sustained load, exactly what’s required for regression testing, virtualisation, and heavy parallel workloads.
Enterprise-Class Compute and Graphics
Handling accelerated workloads is the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell 96GB workstation graphics card. With an enormous VRAM pool and professional driver support, it’s well suited to AI workloads, simulation, and compute-heavy tasks that demand consistency rather than burst performance.
Quiet Cooling, Done Properly
A key requirement for this build was near-silent operation. Cooling is handled by the Thermalright W360-EPYC-SP6 360mm AIO, supported by a full suite of Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 and NF-A12x25 G2 fans throughout the Fractal Design Meshify 3 XL case. The result is a system that stays cool and controlled under load while remaining impressively quiet.
Memory, Storage, and Power Headroom
The system currently runs 128GB of ECC Registered DDR5-6400 memory using four 32GB modules, offering enterprise-level reliability with clear upgrade paths when higher capacities make sense. Storage is handled by two Samsung 9100 PRO 2TB Gen5 NVMe SSDs, delivering extreme throughput for builds, datasets, and scratch workloads. Power is supplied by the Seasonic PRIME TX-1600 80+ Titanium ATX 3.1 power supply, Noctua Edition, providing stable, efficient power with plenty of headroom for future expansion.
Ascend AI, Built to Scale
This Ascend AI Workstation balances raw compute power, professional-grade reliability, and quiet operation. It’s designed to handle demanding workloads all day, every day, while leaving room to scale when requirements grow. A serious workstation for serious work, built without compromise.
