Why this deserves attention
Level1Techs demonstrated multi-tenant GPU slicing using Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) on Intel Arc Pro B60 and B70 workstation cards within Proxmox VE. In a test bench featuring four 32 GB Arc Pro B70 cards, the setup provisioned 32 discrete virtual functions (8 per GPU at 4 GB VRAM each) capable of simultaneously serving remote desktop and workstation users. The 24 GB B60 supports up to 7 virtual functions, while the entry-level B50 provides 2 officially (expandable to 4 via specific OEM firmware flashes).
This approach bypasses the costly, subscription-based virtual GPU (vGPU) licensing models mandated by NVIDIA and VMware, where traditional enterprise hardware and licensing stacks can run anywhere from $28,000 to over $117,000. In practical testing, virtualized instances powered CAD applications such as Autodesk Revit over standard Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to lightweight client hardware. Deploying Kasm Workspaces within lightweight LXC containers rather than full virtual machines further minimized context-switching overhead. Additionally, Proxmox live migrations under active SR-IOV workloads completed with only a ~2.5-second frame freeze while maintaining overall session stability without crashing.
Friction remains in deployment and maintenance. Setting up SR-IOV on Arc Pro hardware currently requires manual Linux kernel patching and custom firmware configurations. While recent Intel Xe driver and firmware updates have resolved earlier severe stability issues, synchronizing driver updates across host and guest environments remains recommended to avoid regressions. Performance over native RDP also tops out around 30 FPS, meaning deployments targeting high-framerate or low-latency use cases still require streaming solutions like Moonlight or Kasm.