Hewlett Packard Enterprise added two new server platforms to its Nonstop Compute line that promise to increase overall performance for business users needing uninterrupted processing power.
The entry-level Nonstop Compute NS5 X5 and flagship NS9 X5 aim to boost performance for critical enterprise operations such as payment processing, fraud detection and smart manufacturing execution systems. The platforms will use Intel Xeon Bronze 3400 series and Gold 6400 series processors to increase performance capacity by up to 15%, the company said.
HPE's Nonstop Compute platforms are aimed at financial services institutions, payment processors, retail merchants, manufacturing companies and transportation businesses that require constant transactional processing.
The NS5 X5 and NS9 X5 platforms offer up to 8 TB of memory, more than twice the capacity of predecessor units, and more than double networking bandwidth, the company said. The release of the updated platforms coincides with the company's OS update, which adds support for multifactor authentication (MFA).
The new features and support will help enterprises comply with mandated security standards, including the EU's GDPR, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, HIPAA standards and Service Organizational Control 2 auditing.
"MFA is now seen as table stakes," said Steven Dickens, CEO and principal analyst at HyperFrame Research, noting tougher security requirements in the U.S. and abroad. "MFA is becoming mandatory, not optional."
Casey Taylor, HPE vice president and general manager of the company's Nonstop Compute business, said the releases offer a refresh while maintaining HPE's goal of providing products that offer uninterrupted operation. The new units can be clustered with the past two generations of Nonstop Compute platforms.
"This is another converged, bare metal system with enhanced software and hardware that is shipped to our customers in a white-glove way," Taylor said. "We need to keep up with our customers' roadmaps -- and these platforms are backward-integrated with our private platforms and latest software releases. The hardware comes with new features and functions that our customers are looking for."
Dickens said the Nonstop Compute segment of HPE's business is important, if unheralded, especially for government and critical business infrastructure.
It's absolutely vital for those basic customers that these platforms keep moving forward and evolving.
Steven DickensCEO and principal analyst, HyperFrame Research
"There are scenarios where failure and outages are not an option," he said. "These mission-critical systems have a place for certain workloads, whether that's payment processing, credit card transactions -- use cases where downtime for a second of the day, planned or unplanned, can have a huge impact on the business."
He added that, while nonstop computing is often overshadowed by supercomputing, the advances in HPE's portfolio display a commitment to businesses that rely on the technology.
"It's absolutely vital for those basic customers that these platforms keep moving forward and evolving," he said.
AI 'adjacent' compute power
While the new platforms are not meant to offer AI workload processing power -- neither platform uses GPUs or data processing unit processors -- they offer efficiencies meant to work in tandem with AI-intense operations. Banks and other enterprises are already running AI to aid in fraud detection, and the upgraded Nonstop platforms complement those uses with reliable data processing.
"Customers are not running AI on the platform itself, but they want AI-adjacent ability," Taylor said, noting one customer's use of AI in concert with Nonstop platforms. "We're plugging AI into it with those types of periphery services and software, but not running an AI workload."
She added, "Every business and every company is looking at how they can harness the power of AI -- and our customers in the Nonstop world are no different. The difference is that for us, it's about the products and services that we can wrap around this product that can complement AI."
Dickens said HPE is sticking to x86 technology because it works well for the intended use -- even as competitors like Dell and IBM add GPUs to their nonstop offerings.
"It's a trade-off. Where do you want AI to work in this stack? These are transactional systems at the end of the day," he said. "It's interesting to see vendors taking different approaches. Nonstop customers probably don't need to be on the absolute bleeding edge. They are making the trade-off of having better availability."
Shane Snider, a veteran journalist with more than 20 years of experience, covers IT infrastructure at Informa TechTarget.
