Dell PowerEdge: Up to 70 percent more performance for data centers

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At this year's Dell Technologies World, Dell unveiled the 18th generation of its PowerEdge server line. According to the company, it is expected to offer around 70 percent more performance compared to the previous generation and can replace up to 13 older systems in consolidation scenarios. In total, the manufacturer announced eleven new configurations that can be operated with air or liquid cooling.

The liquid-cooled PowerEdge M9825 with sixth-generation AMD Epyc processors is designed by the manufacturer for AI and HPC workloads and is intended for use in pre-configured IR7000 racks. Dell is also bringing the PowerEdge R9825 and R9815 systems to market for classic, compute-intensive tasks. The R9825 is a dual-socket system in a 3U form factor, and the R9815 is a single-socket system in a 2U form factor. Both are also equipped with sixth-generation AMD Epyc CPUs and offer up to 256 cores per system. The servers are expected to be delivered starting in the second half of 2026.

For PCIe-based AI installations, the air-cooled PowerEdge XE5845 and XE7845 models, which are set to support upcoming GPU generations, will appear in 2027.

New Servers for Intel Diamond Rapids

For Intel-based environments, Dell announced the PowerEdge R9810. The 2U system uses Intel's upcoming generation of server processors with the codename Diamond Rapids. According to its own statements, it is expected to double memory bandwidth and offer up to 50 percent more cores.

Dell also introduced the PowerEdge R8815 and R6815 1U servers with AMD Epyc. They are aimed at environments where dual-socket systems can be replaced by single-socket systems to reduce power, cooling, and licensing costs. In addition, there are the PowerEdge R715, R715xd, and R725 models for flexible PCIe and drive configurations, storage-dense installations, and virtualization and analytics. The devices are expected to be available from 2027.

Storage: Dell Promises 6:1 Data Reduction

In the storage sector, Dell is introducing the new PowerStore Elite platform. It includes redesigned hardware and the PowerStoreOS 5.0 operating system. Compared to the previous generation, it is expected to offer up to three times more performance and three times more data throughput, according to the US manufacturer. In a 3U system, Dell specifies an effective capacity of up to 5.8 petabytes. The company also guarantees data reduction of 6:1 (previously 5:1). PowerStore Elite uses E3-Flash and supports non-disruptive upgrades for controllers, drives, and network components. The platform is expected to be available from July 2026.

For highly scaled AI and HPC environments, Dell is also expanding its Exascale Storage architecture. To this end, PowerFlex is being integrated into Dell Exascale Storage, allowing the rack architecture to cover PowerRack Block, File, and Object workloads. Block access is via PowerFlex, file workloads via PowerScale and the new Lightning File System. Object storage runs via ObjectScale.

According to Dell, PowerFlex 5.0 achieves ten nines of availability and up to 80 percent storage efficiency. The new version is also expected to reconstruct data even in the event of multiple node failures. The company is thus targeting larger environments where multiple workload types are consolidated on a software-defined infrastructure.

Data Manager and Data Domain Get New GUI

With PowerRack, Dell describes an integrated rack-scale system consisting of compute, PowerSwitch network, and Exascale Storage. The platform integrates thermal design, power supply, networking, and management. For operation, Dell Integrated Rack Controller and OpenManage Enterprise are used. Together, these two tools form a management layer for compute, remote devices, and rack orchestration.

In the area of cyber-resilience systems, Dell is consolidating Data Manager and Data Domain under the name PowerProtect One with a common management interface. In addition, PowerStore and PowerMax will receive Cyber Detect, a function for AI-assisted ransomware detection and identification of the last clean data state.

AI Workstation in 1U Form Factor

Additionally, Dell presented a new all-flash appliance for PowerProtect Data Domains. Per node, it offers a usable capacity of 544 terabytes and an effective capacity of up to 36 petabytes. The manufacturer also promises four times faster restore times, twice as fast replication, 80 percent less power consumption, and 40 percent less rack space.

For cooling and rack infrastructure, Dell announced the PowerCool CDU C7000. The Cooling Distribution Unit is designed as a 4U system for 19-inch racks and supports, among others, Nvidia's upcoming Vera Rubin NVL72 platform. Dell specifies supply temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the US company showed an Enclosed Rear Door Heat Exchanger, which, according to its own statements, can capture almost all waste heat and reduce cooling energy costs by up to 60 percent.

Complementing the new data center infrastructure, Dell introduced the Pro Precision 7 R1 workstation, designed as a 1U rack system for small environments. It uses the Nvidia RTX Pro Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition as its graphics unit and can be equipped with up to 64 terabytes of storage. It addresses local AI, engineering, and HPC scenarios where classic tower workstations are too large or difficult to manage.

(afl)