Lenovo announced a comprehensive update to its storage and hyperconverged infrastructure portfolio. The announcement includes four new ThinkSystem DS Series all-flash SAN arrays, three ThinkAgile HCI product lines supporting VMware, Nutanix, and Microsoft Azure Local environments, and expanded lifecycle services.

The portfolio aligns with Lenovo’s strategy to provide infrastructure flexibility for organizations reconsidering virtualization platforms while addressing AI inferencing requirements at the edge and midrange enterprise segments.

ThinkSystem DS Series All-Flash SAN

Lenovo’s entry into purpose-built SAN arrays addresses block storage requirements for virtualized environments and database workloads.

The DS Series consists of four models spanning entry-level through high-capacity configurations:

• DS3200: Entry-level system with 1 RU form factor, dual controllers providing up to 480GB/s bandwidth, 1.4M IOPS, and 384TB raw capacity using TLC NAND flash. Offers 100GbE, 32Gb Fibre Channel, and 25Gb iSCSI connectivity options.
• DS5200: Mid-range 2 RU system scaling to 768GB/s bandwidth, 2.4M IOPS, and 1.5PB raw capacity with TLC NAND. Provides identical connectivity options as DS3200 with higher performance headroom.
• DS5200C: Capacity-optimized variant using QLC NAND flash in 2 RU configuration. Delivers 480GB/s bandwidth, 1.0M IOPS, and 3.1PB raw capacity. The QLC implementation trades performance for density, targeting secondary workloads and backup use cases where capacity economics matter more than peak IOPS.
• DS7200: High-end 4 RU platform with 1,920GB/s bandwidth, 4.8M IOPS, and 3.1PB raw capacity using TLC NAND. Supports the same connectivity options as lower-tier models but provides substantially higher controller performance.

ThinkAgile FX Series: Multi-Hypervisor HCI

Lenovo’s FX Series addresses a specific market segment created by VMware licensing uncertainty: organizations requiring the flexibility to change hypervisors without hardware refresh cycles.

The FX630 V4 and FX650 V4 systems support both VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and Nutanix AOS with its AHV hypervisor on identical hardware platforms:

• FX630 V4: 1 RU node supporting 3-32 node clusters, designed for space-constrained environments where rack density matters.
• FX650 V4: 2 RU node with similar 3-32 node scaling, offering expanded internal drive capacity and potentially more robust thermal design for sustained high-utilization scenarios.

Both systems use standard x86 server components, likely based on Lenovo’s ThinkSystem SR-series server architecture with validated storage and networking configurations for HCI deployments.

The platforms support multiple hypervisors on shared hardware, allowing customers can deploy initial clusters with VCF and later migrate to Nutanix AOS without replacing physical infrastructure.

ThnkAgile MX Series: Azure Local w/ Disaggregated Storage

Azure Local is Microsoft’s strategy to extend Azure capabilities into customer datacenters, running Azure VMs and containers on partner-provided hardware. The platform appeals to enterprises requiring on-premises deployment for data sovereignty, latency, or compliance reasons while wanting Azure-consistent management and services.

Lenovo’s MX Series disaggregates storage from compute nodes via Fibre Channel SANs, breaking from traditional HCI architectures where drives reside directly in compute nodes, allowing independent scaling of storage and compute tiers and avoiding HCI’s tendency toward unbalanced resource growth. Customers can add storage capacity without purchasing unnecessary CPU and memory, or expand compute resources without buying unneeded drives.

The NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 GPU integration, based on Blackwell architecture, enables AI inferencing capabilities within the same infrastructure running general-purpose VMs.

This convergence matters for edge computing scenarios where space, power, and management overhead constrain deployments. Retail locations, manufacturing facilities, and branch offices can run real-time AI inference (computer vision, predictive maintenance, local decision-making) alongside traditional applications without requiring separate infrastructure.

Data Management & Lifecycle Services

Lenovo also expanded its services portfolio to support the new hardware platforms with deployment, optimization, migration, and managed services offerings. This includes:

• Deployment Services: Lenovo professional services teams handle initial system installation, configuration, and validation.
• Migration Services: Lenovo offers data and workload migration assistance for customers moving from existing infrastructure to new DS or ThinkAgile systems.
• Hybrid Cloud Advisory Services: Lenovo consultants help organizations design architectures spanning on-premises and cloud environments while addressing compliance, data protection, and operational efficiency goals.
• Premier Enhanced Storage Support: Lenovo’s specialized storage support offering provides direct access to storage experts, proactive monitoring, performance optimization guidance, and escalation management. Analysis.

Analysis

Lenovo’s expanded storage and HCI portfolio is a timely and strategically sound response to market dynamics created by VMware licensing disruption and growing AI infrastructure requirements.

The company has assembled a comprehensive set of offerings spanning traditional SAN arrays, flexible HCI platforms supporting multiple hypervisors, Azure Local integration with AI capabilities, and Nutanix-based AI systems.

Lenovo provides competitive mid-market and mid-range enterprise storage, with the DS Series arrays delivering competitive performance specifications, the FX Series providing genuine hypervisor flexibility, and the MX and HX systems addressing AI inferencing needs. Lenovo’s global scale, channel reach, and expanding services portfolio provide the resources and support networks necessary to compete effectively against established storage and HCI vendors.

For organizations committed to Lenovo’s x86 infrastructure ecosystem and seeking integrated storage, server, and services from a single vendor, these new offerings provide compelling options that address current market needs.

The portfolio gives Lenovo credible alternatives to offer customers reconsidering VMware dependencies while building foundations for AI workload support. As enterprise infrastructure markets navigate the disruption created by Broadcom’s VMware changes, Lenovo has positioned itself as a viable alternative for organizations seeking flexibility, vendor diversity, and modern capabilities to support both traditional virtualized workloads and emerging AI applications.

The combination of proven OEM technology, multi-hypervisor flexibility, Azure Local integration, and comprehensive services creates a foundation for organizations to modernize their infrastructure while maintaining the operational flexibility that current market uncertainty demands. It’s a strong set of updates from Lenovo.

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