Dell is preparing to start shipping out servers that feature Nvidia"s latest Blackwell chips starting November 2024. The servers, known as Dell PowerEdge XE9680L, are designed for high performance and efficiency and will utilize Nvidia"s Blackwell GPUs.
For starters, Nvidia"s Blackwell platform is built on a custom 4nm processor, and features 208 billion transistors, making it one of the most powerful chips available. The architecture includes two GPU dies connected by a fast 10 TB/s chip-to-chip link, that allows for fast communication and high performance. These chips can handle complex AI models, including those with up to a trillion parameters, at up to 25 times less energy and cost when compared to the older H100 models.
Dell is one of the largest sellers of server computers and has a strong presence in the enterprise market. As more and more companies are eager to adopt AI solutions, the demand for servers that can handle AI-specific workloads has soared, and looks like Dell"s just in time with the right product.
Dell"s PowerEdge XE9680L servers are specifically designed for AI tasks and can efficiently handle large datasets and run advanced AI applications. The servers also have direct liquid cooling and are offered in multiple configurations including a liquid-cooled format featuring up to 72 Blackwell GPUs in a single rack.
Dell is perhaps not the only company that"s preparing to deliver servers equipped with Nvidia"s Blackwell chips. Companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Lenovo, as well as Supermicro are also expected to deliver a range of servers based on Blackwell products. Blackwell-powered systems will also be available on the cloud, thanks to Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Meta, as well as Oracle.
Dell plans to deliver these severs only to a select group of customers initially, while it is planning for wider availability by early 2025. Nvidia is also making sure there"s enough production for its Blackwell chips. The company recently partnered up with Foxconn which is setting up the world"s largest manufacturing facility to produce the Blackwell processors.
Via Bloomberg