Recognition

Each year, SPEC recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions.

2024 SPEC Impact Award Winner for Public Outreach

Jessica Heerboth, Nvidia

Jessica Heerboth spearheaded the launch of the new Graphics and Workstation Performance Group (GWPG) Public Outreach program, designed to engage user communities, so SPEC can develop the best possible benchmarks. SPECapc benchmark design requires workloads and content that are relevant and useful to users of a particular application, and the Public Outreach program is engaging with various user communities to request representative workloads and content that can be submitted to SPEC for potential inclusion in upcoming benchmarks. Jessica has touched every aspect of the program from ideation, to document draft and design, to submission logistics and even the identification of channels for engagement, such as Reddit and application user forums. As part of this effort, Jessica is also actively collaborating with a leading 3D content creator to use their 3D models in upcoming benchmarks.

2024 Impact Award Winner for Technical Leadership

Rizu Jain, Nvidia

Rizu Jain took ownership of the development of the new SPECapc^® for Creo 9 benchmark — the critical first update of the benchmark since Creo 3 — driving the new benchmark’s creation from start to finish. Before this benchmark release, the Creo benchmark was significantly out of date, making it less and less relevant to the user community. As the lead designer and developer for this new benchmark, Rizu updated models to the current version of the application to reflect the application’s support for vital new features, including generative design, real-time simulation, advanced manufacturing, industrial IoT and augmented reality. She created new test cases and updated old ones, introduced new models and tests, and ensured adequate testing and a timely release of the new benchmark.

2024 SPEC Benchmark Award for SPECapc for Creo 9

Rizu Jain, Nvidia; Brian Bothwell, Lenovo

The SPEC Application Performance Characterization (APC^®) Committee collaborated with PTC on the new SPECapc for Creo 9 benchmark, ensuring users and vendors can measure and compare the performance of PTC Creo 9.0 on the latest generation of CAD workstations. The first major update since 2015, the SPECapc for Creo 9 benchmark includes new models to support the latest version of PTC Creo, which features generative design, real-time simulation, advanced manufacturing, industrial IoT and augmented reality. The new benchmark, which also includes new and updated CPU test cases and updated GPU test cases, is particularly useful for product designers who use Creo 9 for mechanical design. The new workflows, models and test cases reflect today’s increased performance demands and will be especially helpful when trying to determine future system requirements. The benchmark is also used by vendors to assess how their workstations perform when running Creo.

2024 SPEC Benchmark Award for SPECapc for Maya 2024

Brian Bothwell, Lenovo; Allen Jensen, Nvidia; Jessica Heerboth, Nvidia

Just one year after releasing the SPECapc for Maya 2023 Benchmark, the SPEC Application Performance Characterization Committee rapidly mobilized to release the SPECapc for Maya 2024 benchmark to ensure users can measure the performance of systems running Autodesk Maya 2024, the latest version of the popular 3D software for creating realistic characters and blockbuster-worthy effects. The SPECapc for Maya 2024 benchmark consists of 43 tests using 11 different models and animations and includes eight different graphics tests in various modes and five different CPU tests. In addition to updating the benchmark for Maya 2024, the SPEC Application Performance Characterization Committee added the SPEC WDK, a framework allowing users to run their own GPU-specific workloads using the same measurement and output techniques. This enables enterprising users to gain greater insight into the performance of the workloads that matter most to them.