New Industry Initiative to Enable Millions of New High-performance, Low-cost HDX Ready Devices

Barcelona, Spain » 10/26/2011 » Today, at Citrix Synergy, the conference where cloud computing, networking and virtualization meet, Citrix announced a new “Citrix HDX Ready System-on-Chip (SoC)” initiative, designed to enable an entirely new generation of devices to deliver high-definition virtual apps and desktops at an unprecedented low cost using the company’s market-leading HDX technology. By incorporating Citrix HDX technology directly into silicon, the new program will expand the market for virtual apps and desktops beyond traditional computing devices like PCs, tablets and smartphones. For the first time ever, non-traditional devices like network monitors, phones, smart keyboards, consumer set-top boxes, shop floor equipment, kiosks and hospital workstations-on-wheels will be able to display virtual apps and desktops directly, without the need for an a full PC at the endpoint. See diagram

Unlike alternative approaches, this is not just a protocol accelerator that gets added to existing devices. It is, in fact, a full computing system – including Citrix HDX technology – delivered as a single chip to device manufacturers. As a result, the program is expected to dramatically reduce the cost of high-definition zero clients, ultimately breaking the sub-$100 price point. The first devices using the new HDX System-on-a-Chip technology are expected to hit the market in early 2012.

Lighting Up an Entirely New Class of Devices
The market for traditional computing devices like PCs, tablets and smartphones is growing rapidly worldwide, fueling an increased demand for solutions like Citrix XenDesktop and Citrix XenApp to deliver business apps and desktops as a cloud-like service to any device, in any location. Citrix Receiver, the company’s universal software client, makes it easy for end users to receive business apps, desktops and data, and is now available on more than one billion different devices – a number that grows ever day.

While the market for traditional computing devices will continue to expand rapidly, the Cloud Era is giving rise to the need for easy access to business apps and data from a far wider range of devices, locations and use cases – in the office, in the home, on the road, and in non-office work environments like factories, hospitals and field services. With the new HDX Ready System-on-Chip initiative, Citrix will enable a new class of device manufactures to tap into the vast array of business apps and data companies use today, increasing employee productivity, while reducing the cost of delivery.

Designed for Flexibility and Extensibility
Citrix worked closely with key partners like Texas Instruments and NComputing to design a highly flexible HDX SoC reference architecture that is based on industry standard, and leverages off-the-shelf components. In addition to powerful, hardware-assisted HDX optimizations, the SoC reference implementations will feature a flexible design that can be updated as Citrix advances its HDX technology, and as hardware vendors update their products. It is currently designed for ARM-based chipsets, and will be expanding in the future to support x86 based systems. (See partner support below)

Steve Lalla, Vice President and General Manager, Mobility Products and Solutions, Dell
“At Dell, we are committed to helping organizations simplify and accelerate desktop virtualization deployments so that workers can access their desktop data and applications anytime, from anywhere. We expect the Citrix HDX Ready SoC initiative to offer organizations of all sizes with a rich, high-definition virtual desktop and application delivery experience and provide customers with a superior desktop virtualization experience.”

Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT
“The SoC architecture has the best MIPS to dollars ratio in the industry and all the necessary computing capability coupled with a very attractive price point.  With Citrix direction, the SoC’s performance as an HDX ready device makes it a perfect fit for today’s thin client computing needs and, just as importantly, it is inexpensive and low in power consumption. Devon IT strongly supports the Citrix HDX Ready SoC initiative and we look forward to bringing to market exciting new thin client devices based on the HDX Ready SoC architecture”

Dieter Heiss, Head of Workplace Systems at Fujitsu Technology Solutions Fujitsu
“Citrix is a preferred Fujitsu partner, providing desktop virtualization solutions for our highly-successful and very popular FUTRO thin client line. We welcome the introduction of the HDX Ready System-on-Chip technology, since this helps make it possible for Fujitsu to build and deliver new FUTRO systems even more efficient, and will further accelerate and broaden the adoption of thin client technology.”

Jeff Groudan, Director of Marketing for HP’s thin client group
“As the established market leader in thin clients, HP welcomes Citrix’s innovative HDX Ready System-on-Chip approach, which will help IT managers easily identify devices that work best with XenDesktop and XenApp. Citrix’s initiative is perfectly in line with HP’s strategy to deliver innovative, powerful, and easily managed thin computing solutions at attractive prices.”

Xiaohai Yuan, Vice President, Cloud Platform IT product line, HUAWEI
HUAWEI is excited to be part of Citrix HDX Ready System-on-Chip announcement. HUAWEI supports the concept of high performance, low cost HDX devices to drive the virtual desktop market. We are looking forward to working with Citrix on this initiative to provide our joint customers innovative new high definition experience devices.

Mr. Si-hwan Park, Vice President of LG Electronics Monitor Business
“Citrix HDX Ready System-on-Chips significantly raise the bar for client virtualization innovation. Incorporating the Citrix technology in LG monitors is a clear example of how we’re delivering better value to our customers who will benefit from this collaboration in the form of higher-performance and better cost-effectiveness in the virtual desktop space.”

Raj Dhingra, CEO, NComputing
“We applaud Citrix and embrace this initiative. The enterprise will too. Combining the power of Citrix HDX with NComputing Numo SoC virtual desktop technology will solve the cost and complexity issues of traditional thin clients, as well as provide the blueprint for future virtual desktop devices and form factors. Historic barriers to deploying VDI in the enterprise will be removed; at the same time paving the way for entirely new and more powerful VDI architectures and environments – to deliver a rich user experience, at radically lower costs of acquisition.”

Gerard Andrews, Product Manager for Thin Clients, Texas Instruments
“Cloud-based desktops and applications should be accessible by users where they want them and when they need them. TI is excited to help Citrix deliver on this vision by tightly integrating HDX technology with our high-performance SoCs. As a result of the initiative and collaboration, we expect to see innovative client products that will deliver uncompromised HDX experience.”

Frank Noon, Vice President of Sales at VXL
“VXL is delighted with this new initiative from Citrix. Having been involved in the Citrix Ready program since its inception, we and our customers appreciate real benefits from this association. We are committed to the SoC strategy and anticipate bringing a low-cost HDX Ready SoC device to market in the first quarter 2012.”

Param Desai, Senior Director, Product Management at Wyse
“Wyse is in full support of the Citrix HDX Ready System-on-Chip initiative, which will bring new levels of adoption to virtual desktops. With Wyse’s entire cloud client computing portfolio optimized for Citrix HDX and XenDesktop, Wyse and Citrix customers are already enthusiastically making the move to desktop virtualization. We, at Wyse, fully expect today’s announcement to continue that trend.”

Citrix Quote
Sumit Dhawan, Group Vice President & General Manager, Receiver and Gateways Group
“Citrix continues to expand the power of virtual computing, enabling people to work and play from anywhere. The new HDX Ready System-on-Chip initiative is core to expanding ways for end users to access and use virtual apps and desktops with the highest levels of user experience on a whole new range of devices. By enabling our partners to deliver very low-cost endpoints from thin clients to network displays and tablets, we will continue to drive down the cost of virtual desktops to be the same or less than physical desktops. Users benefit from anytime access to their desktops and applications with a high-definition user experience.”