HPE expands ProLiant server portfolio, boosts AI and security features

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) added eight new servers to its ProLiant Gen 12 server portfolio, bringing advanced security and AI-optimization features to enterprise customers.

The Intel Xeon 6-based servers range from the high-end DL580 to the 1U DL320 – each with its own targeted data center and edge applications. For example, the 4U DL380 and 2U DL384 include Nvidia H200 Tensor Core GPUs, an AI accelerator that speeds AI inferencing and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. And the 4U DL580 is aimed at data center applications that require high availability and performance, such as large databases and ERP systems.

All of the new servers include support for the latest version of HPE’s Integrated Lights Out (iLO) management technology, which lets customers diagnose and resolve server issues, configure and manage access, and perform a variety of other automated tasks aimed at improving efficiency, HPE stated. 

The new version, iLO 7, features an independent processor called secure enclave that handles security functions for the server. Secure enclave establishes a hardware root of trust, which is a foundational security element that safeguards every phase of the server lifecycle, said Krista Satterthwaite, senior vice president and general manager, compute, at HPE. “Secure enclave provides unparalleled tamper-resistant protection for keys, passwords and security configuration,” Satterthwaite said.

In addition, iLO 7 adds to quantum computing-resistant security readiness by supporting “Leighton-Micali Signature (LMS)”  (LMS), which guards against potential cryptographic hacks, she said. “We’re not just protecting servers from yesterday’s and today’s threats, but future threats that quantum computing may bring,” Satterthwaite said.

The servers can be centrally managed via HPE Compute Ops Management cloud-based platform, which lets customers control all HPE ProLiant servers from a single console.

AI-driven insights are part of the platform, designed to help customers better automate workload controls as well as help organizations improve energy efficiency by forecasting power usage and enabling enterprises to set thresholds to control costs and carbon emissions on a worldwide level, Satterthwaite said.

The platform also includes new global map view that lets customers can identify server health issues across distributed IT environments more quickly. The systems support automated on-boarding that simplifies server set-up and ongoing management, particularly in remote or branch-office deployments where local IT resources are not available, Satterthwaite said.

For all of its new servers, HPE said it will now offer optional direct liquid cooling support. HPE says liquid cooling is far more efficient at removing heat than traditional air cooling and can remove over 3,000 times more heat than air by volume. This heat dissipation from the server’s components, especially the high-power processors and memory, lets them utilize less energy, support denser deployments and lower overall operational costs, the vendor stated.

Six of the eight HPE ProLiant Compute Gen12 servers will be available in the first quarter of this year. This includes HPE ProLiant Compute DL320, DL340, DL360, DL380, DL380a and ML350 Gen12 servers. HPE Synergy 480 and HPE ProLiant Compute DL580 Gen12 servers are expected in the summer.