By 2025, according to Gartner, 75 percent of data will be generated outside of the data center at the edge. This historic shift will generate a wealth of new opportunities as well as exciting and daunting challenges and unknowns. Importantly, I believe the edge will be the key to business success in the future.
Innovative transformation
Brad Haczynski, Vice President and General Manager, IoT Sales, Intel, echoes these sentiments. He believes that the industry is experiencing an unprecedented season of innovative transformation as companies begin to unleash the capabilities of edge computing to provide data and insights where it is needed most. In his view, whether it’s gateways in the field, Dell PowerEdge servers, using Intel Xeon processors in the data center, or the 5G network connecting them, this distributed compute model is driving innovation at a torrid pace as industries transform.
Hunger for insights
Of course, data is at its most valuable, when it’s real-time and can help inform you what to do next. This hunger for insights is precisely why so many customers have moved to edge computing. By moving workloads to the edge of the network, close to where the data is generated, you can run AI algorithms to analyze and act on data locally, sending only what is needed to the cloud for further processing. It’s a win-win – quicker access to data for decision-making plus reduced transport and storage costs.
The edge
However, the edge has its challenges. Think tough environments with space limitations. For example, picture a Jeep in a dusty desert; a submarine, deep below the ocean surface; the base of a telecom cell tower in a remote area; a greasy engine room, aboard a ship or a cramped space in a retail store.
What you asked for
To perform with this range of environments, you told us you needed short depth servers that could fit into smaller enclosures and withstand shock, vibration, extreme temperature, and dust. You said you needed servers that support DC power plus NEBS or MIL-STD standards.
You were clear that you wanted more flexibility – a server that could be deployed differently with front or rear I/O port access. You told us that you needed accelerator technology for parallel computation and even faster decision execution.
We listened
We listened to your pain points. In response, we’re proud to present the Dell PowerEdge XR11 and XR12, the latest powerful additions to our family of ruggedized servers. Designed by Dell Technologies OEM Solutions, both models are designed as mountable single-socket rack servers. For maximum flexibility, the XR11 comes in a dense 1U form factor, while the XR12 is available as a 2U. Here are some additional features that we think you’ll find interesting.
Resilient and powerful
Powered by the latest 3rd generation Intel Xeon scalable processors, both the XR11 and XR12 are diminutive in size but pack a mighty punch in terms of performance. At just 16 inches, the chassis is less than half the depth of a standard server and can operate continuously while withstanding operational temperatures of -5C to 55C. Both products are ruggedized, compact, certified, and ready to comfortably deal with any challenges thrown their way.
Again, Brad Haczynski from Intel, shares my excitement about our solution. “Intel and Dell’s partnership is centered around delivering industry leading solutions that solve the most complex IT and OT challenges. With the latest 3rd Generation Intel Xeon scalable processors powering the new Dell PowerEdge XR11 & XR12 Edge servers, we will continue to provide world class solutions to mobilize the power of the edge.”
Easy access
And you can now plug cables in from the front, which makes set-up easier in tight places. Meanwhile, DC power support allows the servers to be placed in environments with stringent power requirements. Imagine thousands of shallow enclosures outside all over the globe that can now be retrofitted with an open, scalable, and secure system that isn’t solely dependent on AC power.
More powerful with flexible configurations
For memory intensive workloads, enjoy breakthrough performance with 3,200 MT/s memory throughput and support for Intel Optane persistent memory. To enhance storage performance, you have the option of selecting NVMe drives over traditional SAS/SATA HDD with optional BOSS 1.9.
Your data center anywhere
With AI, ML, and the processing of ever-growing volumes of data at the edge, you told us that you needed more power to manage workloads. We heard you! The XR11 supports up to two GPUs as standard while the XR12 is designed to handle three.
Telecom and military standard-compliant
Naturally, both the XR11 and XR12 are fully NEBS, MIL-STD, and Marine-compliant and come with reverse I/O port access and airflow as standard. This combines to make both servers the perfect choice for telecom, military, retail, restaurants, remote offices, and back offices, and indeed any environment where edge applications matter.
Secure global supply chain
And, importantly, every PowerEdge server is designed and built with intrinsic security from concept to retirement. Based in silicon with our Root of Trust, security starts at design and continues through the global supply chain and lifecycle, all from a single, trusted vendor.
Exceeding your needs
Whether you’re providing compute in a busy store, installing satellite communications halfway up a mountain, conducting military operations in the desert, rigging offshore, or working underwater, you can rely on the PowerEdge XR11 and XR12 to keep your operations up and running. And for peace of mind, a full range of installation, deployment, service, and support options are available globally.
If you need flexibility plus extraordinarily high levels of Tier 1 compute in the tightest spots at the toughest Edge, these servers are for you. Wherever you go, bring rugged with you – your datacenter anywhere. The PowerEdge XR11 and XR12 are available globally.
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