A version of this post was first published on Forbes.
At last month’s Nvidia GTC conference, Dell Technologies unveiled the Dell AI Factory with Nvidia, a comprehensive set of enterprise AI solutions aimed at simplifying the adoption and integration of AI for businesses.
Dell also announced enhancements to its flagship PowerEdge XE9680 server, including options for liquid-cooling, which allows the server to deliver the full capabilities of Nvidia’s newly announced AI accelerators.
The Dell AI Factory
Dell’s AI Factory addresses the complexities enterprises face when implementing AI, from narrowing down impactful use cases to managing data and ensuring performance and security.
The Dell AI Factory merges Dell’s robust portfolio of compute, storage, networking, workstations, and laptops with Nvidia’s advanced AI infrastructure and software. This integration includes Nvidia’s Enterprise AI software suite and the Nvidia Spectrum-X networking fabric, ensuring a seamless and robust AI infrastructure.
Dell supports various AI Factory deployment models that match the distributed nature of modern enterprise architecture. This includes supporting core data center integrations, edge deployments with AI-ready workstations and servers, and cloud deployments through partnerships with cloud service providers.
Dell and Nvidia offer comprehensive professional services to support enterprises at every stage of their AI journey, including strategy workshops, use case assessments, data preparation, design and implementation support, and training. These services will help organizations navigate the complexities of AI adoption and maximize the value of their AI initiatives.
Enterprises can also adopt Dell AI Factory solutions with flexible financing options through Dell APEX subscriptions. This model allows businesses to scale their AI infrastructure in alignment with their operational and financial needs, reducing upfront investment barriers and providing a pathway to rapid AI adoption.
Enhanced Dell Server And Storage Offerings
Building the Dell AI Factory with Nvidia and supporting Nvidia’s newly announced accelerators and networking components requires updating the underlying servers and storage that ultimately comprise the solution.
Along with the AI Factory, Dell announced updates to its AI-focused server and storage offerings, which provide enterprises with the computational power and storage solutions necessary to efficiently drive AI innovation and scale AI operations.
Dell’s flagship PowerEdge XE9680 server has undergone several significant updates to enhance its capabilities for generative AI applications. The focus is on supporting Nvidia’s advanced and powerful new GPU architectures, expanding memory capacity, and introducing new cooling configurations.
The PowerEdge XE9680 now supports Nvidia’s H200 GPUs, which improve on the eight-way GPU architecture of the Nvidia HGX H100. The H200 features enhanced HBM3e memory, providing a substantial memory increase to 141 GB per GPU. This upgrade allows for handling more AI model parameters during training and inferencing, fitting within the same air-cooled 6RU profile to lower the overall total cost of ownership.
Dell is also offering the Nvidia BlueField-3 SuperNIC. Nvidia’s networking solutions accelerate and offload network traffic common in large AI models. This allows for direct GPU-to-GPU communication, improving solution times for complex computations, especially when paired with Nvidia Spectrum-4 switches as part of the Nvidia Spectrum-X Ethernet for AI networking platform.
Most interestingly, Dell announced its first liquid-cooled configuration for its PowerEdge XE9680 server. When outfitted with Nvidia HGX B200 GPUs, Dell expects the configuration to deliver up to 25 times the AI inferencing performance of previous models while reducing TCO by 20 times and energy utilization by the same factor compared to the Nvidia HGX H100 configuration.
Additionally, Dell has validated its PowerScale F710 storage solution with the Nvidia DGX SuperPOD with DGX H100 systems, making it the first Ethernet-based storage solution to achieve this validation. This provides a scalable interconnect that fully utilizes GPUs while ensuring high availability, efficiency, and protection against data poisoning, model inversion, and cyberattacks.
Analysis
As organizations evolve, there’s a growing need for robust infrastructure to support expanding AI applications. Dell Technologies is advancing its collaboration with Nvidia to meet future demands, enhancing servers with new Nvidia GPUs and supporting high-performance AI networking fabrics.
Nvidia enjoys the support of a broad ecosystem, and Dell wasn’t the only provider announcing support for its new platforms. Lenovo announced updates to its ThinkSystem AI portfolio to support increased GPU configurations and support for Nvidia’s new GB200 Superchip and Quantum-X800 networking products.
Likewise, Hewlett Packard Enterprise plans to update its generative AI solution stack, while Supermicro announced similar updates to its AI-focused portfolio. Dell, however, is engaging with Nvidia more strategically.
The collaboration between Dell and Nvidia to build the Dell AI Factory is strategic. Each organization has capabilities that complement the other to deliver an infrastructure to simplify AI adoption for businesses. The initiative will lower barriers for enterprises looking to embrace AI, addressing challenges such as data management, security, and the complexities of AI technology.
Dell’s PowerEdge enhancements are foundational to this effort, ensuring enterprises have a clear performance path for their AI vision. This is critical for sustaining the increasingly complex projects that underping the AI transformation projects of enterprises across industries.
As organizations expand their AI capabilities, the demand for optimized infrastructure supporting intensive workloads and complex data management requirements will only grow. Dell Technologies’ latest moves are a proactive response to this trend, offering enterprises the tools to advance their AI strategies effectively.
Dell’s AI Factory with Nvidia, along with its related product enhancements, is not just about meeting the current demands of the AI and generative AI market; it’s about anticipating the industry’s future needs.
As enterprises increasingly rely on AI to drive innovation and competitive advantage, the importance of having a robust, scalable, and efficient AI infrastructure cannot be overstated. Dell is sending a clear signal that it intends to be at the center of this evolving ecosystem, enabling enterprises to unlock the full potential of their AI investments.
