Supermicro Introduces a New Petascale All-Flash Storage Server Using NVIDIA Grace CPU Superchip for High Performance Software-Defined AI Storage Workloads

Rhea-AI Summary

Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI) has unveiled a new Petascale All-Flash Storage Server featuring the NVIDIA Grace CPU Superchip. This innovative 1U storage system (ARS-121L-NE316R) is designed for high-performance software-defined storage workloads in AI and ML applications.

The server incorporates 144 Arm Neoverse V2 cores and supports 16 hot-swap EDSFF PCIe Gen5 E3.S NVMe drives, enabling 983TB raw capacity using 61.44TB SSDs. A rack containing 40 systems can provide 39.3PB of raw storage capacity.

The system features integrated 960GB of LPDDR5X on the CPU platform and can support two NVIDIA BlueField-3 or ConnectX-8 SuperNICs. Supermicro has collaborated with WEKA to optimize the solution for enterprise AI and ML training, analytics, and inferencing workloads, promising improved performance scaling and power efficiency compared to x86-based systems.

Positive

• First-of-its-class storage server from a major Tier 1 provider
• Significant storage capacity: 983TB raw capacity per system
• High-density scaling capability: 39.3PB per rack
• Enhanced power efficiency compared to x86-based systems
• Linear scalability with PCIe Gen5 performance

Negative

• None.

New System Combines NVIDIA Power Efficient CPU with Supermicro's Petascale Architecture  

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GTC 2025 Conference -- Supermicro, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI), a Total IT Solution Provider for AI, Cloud, Storage, and 5G/Edge, announced a new optimized storage server for high-performance software-defined storage workloads. This first-of-its-class storage server from a major Tier 1 provider utilizes Supermicro's system design expertise to create a high-density storage server for software-defined workloads found in AI and ML training and inferencing, analytics and enterprise storage workloads. Supermicro worked closely with NVIDIA and WEKA to enable customers to create power-efficient high-performance storage systems for their AI factories.

"The Supermicro Petascale server with the NVIDIA Grace CPU Superchip highlights Supermicro's focus on innovation and customer choice," said Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro. "We have developed the Petascale storage server using the NVIDIA Grace CPU with 144 Arm Neoverse V2 cores enabling high-performance I/O for software-defined storage workloads. We have demonstrated that the system can fully unleash the system's PCIe Gen5 performance SSD bandwidth with linear scalability. Supermicro continues to bring to market the most advanced and optimized storage solutions available."

For more information about the new Grace Storage server, please visit www.supermicro.com/en/products/petascale-grace-storage.

Utilizing Supermicro's Building Block Solutions^® system design strategy, the ARS-121L-NE316R 1U storage system incorporates a symmetrical architecture perfect for scaling AI workloads. The Supermicro Petascale storage server using the energy efficient NVIDIA Grace CPU Superchip, supports 16 hot-swap EDSFF PCIe Gen5 E3.S NVMe drives enabling 983TB raw capacity using 61.44TB SSDs and a rack containing 40 systems provides 39.3PB of raw storage capacity.

"We worked closely together on the development and testing of Supermicro's storage server with NVIDIA Grace, giving storage software providers a range of hardware choices to meet different application requirements," said Rob Davis, vice president of storage networking technology at NVIDIA. "This new storage server allows customers to benefit from NVIDIA's innovations in both CPUs and DPUs to accelerate networking protocols, such as GPUDirect Storage, while using less power than comparable x86 servers."

Supermicro is collaborating with WEKA, a leader in high-performance storage software for AI, HPC and enterprise data management workloads. The combination of the 144 Arm cores, integrated 960GB of LPDDR5X on the CPU platform, and ability to support two NVIDIA BlueField-3 or ConnectX-8 SuperNICs will unleash the full performance of the WEKA^® Data Platform's zero-copy architecture, providing the highest performance with lower power utilization compared with x86-based systems.

"WEKA is proud to be collaborating with Supermicro and NVIDIA in creating a high-performance solution optimized for enterprise AI and ML training, analytics, and inferencing," said Nilesh Patel, Chief Product Officer at WEKA. "Initial testing of WEKA Data Platform software running on Supermicro's petascale storage server with the NVIDIA Grace CPU-based pre-production cluster shows significant performance scaling and power efficiency."

For more information on the Supermicro storage solutions for AI, please visit: https://www.supermicro.com/en/products/storage.

Supermicro at GTC 2025

Supermicro and NVIDIA will present the new Petascale storage server using the Grace CPU in more detail at NVIDIA GTC in San Jose starting on March 17 in an On-Demand session (S74296).

About Super Micro Computer, Inc.

Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI) is a global leader in Application-Optimized Total IT Solutions. Founded and operating in San Jose, California, Supermicro is committed to delivering first-to-market innovation for Enterprise, Cloud, AI, and 5G Telco/Edge IT Infrastructure. We are a Total IT Solutions manufacturer with server, AI, storage, IoT, switch systems, software, and support services. Supermicro's motherboard, power, and chassis design expertise further enables our development and production, enabling next-generation innovation from cloud to edge for our global customers. Our products are designed and manufactured in-house (in the US, Taiwan, and the Netherlands), leveraging global operations for scale and efficiency and optimized to improve TCO and reduce environmental impact (Green Computing). The award-winning portfolio of Server Building Block Solutions® allows customers to optimize for their exact workload and application by selecting from a broad family of systems built from our flexible and reusable building blocks that support a comprehensive set of form factors, processors, memory, GPUs, storage, networking, power, and cooling solutions (air-conditioned, free air cooling or liquid cooling).

Supermicro, Server Building Block Solutions, and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc.

All other brands, names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

 

 

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SOURCE Super Micro Computer, Inc.

FAQ

What is the storage capacity of Supermicro's new Petascale Storage Server (SMCI)?

The server supports 983TB raw capacity using 61.44TB SSDs, with a single rack of 40 systems providing 39.3PB of raw storage capacity.

What CPU technology does the new Supermicro storage server (SMCI) use?

It uses the NVIDIA Grace CPU Superchip with 144 Arm Neoverse V2 cores and 960GB of integrated LPDDR5X memory.

How does Supermicro's new storage server (SMCI) benefit AI workloads?

The server optimizes high-performance software-defined storage for AI/ML training, inferencing, and analytics with improved power efficiency and PCIe Gen5 performance.

What networking capabilities does the new Supermicro storage system (SMCI) offer?

The system supports two NVIDIA BlueField-3 or ConnectX-8 SuperNICs, enabling GPUDirect Storage and enhanced networking protocols.