HPE is expanding its offerings in the HPC space, particularly in response to the increasing demand for AI workloads. Companies like Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Arm, and cloud providers such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services are all pushing the boundaries of what their products can do for AI workloads. While much of the AI work is done in the cloud, HPC work is still largely carried out on-premises.
HPE’s Cray Storage Systems C500 is a recent addition to their lineup, offering features similar to the larger and more expensive ClusterStor E1000 storage system but in a more affordable configuration. This system is designed to support both HPC and AI compute clusters, with a focus on classic HPC environments running modeling and simulation workloads.
For enterprises with AI workloads, HPE offers the GreenLake for File Storage service in the cloud, which can cater to diverse needs such as data aggregation, model training, and inference. They continue to enhance their GreenLake storage capabilities, introducing services like GreenLake Block Storage for AWS and expanding NVM-Express support for block storage.
Analysts predict growth in the on-premises HPC server market despite challenges like supply chain constraints and delays in exascale projects. Cloud computing is also becoming a popular choice for HPC workloads, especially in areas like predictive and generative AI. HPE sees a trend in new supercomputers prioritizing AI model training alongside traditional HPC workloads.
The Cray Storage Systems C500 fills the gap for organizations using smaller HPC clusters that need storage solutions tailored to their needs. It competes with offerings from Dell EMC, IBM, and Lenovo, offering cost-effective storage solutions without additional licensing fees. The C500 is designed to scale up to 2.6PB with all-flash capabilities and 4PB hybrid SSD/HDD capability.
HPE aims to provide a complete HPC solution for organizations, including servers, storage, interconnect, and middleware, all delivered with lifecycle services from their team. The C500 is a response to feedback from users of entry- and mid-level HPC clusters who wanted a more basic version of the E1000 storage system. Overall, HPE is focused on addressing the evolving needs of the HPC and AI markets with their innovative solutions.
Article Source
https://www.nextplatform.com/2024/05/20/companies-need-on-premise-hpc-and-for-more-than-ai-too/