Dell brings Apex File Storage for Microsoft Azure, delivering 6x cluster performance

Powered by PowerScale OneFS, a high-performance scale-out file storage solution according to Dell, the Apex File Storage for Microsoft Azure will be one of the advanced storage-as-a-service options.

In the official blog post, Dell highlights that with 87% of the companies opting for a multi-cloud approach, Apex File Storage for Microsoft Azure will serve as a more secure and cost-effective alternative.

By bringing the power of PowerScale OneFS to the Azure cloud, Dell enables customers to consolidate and manage data more effectively, reduce storage costs and enhance data protection and security—all while leveraging native cloud AI tools to arrive at insights faster. And Dell APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure delivers the most advanced file storage capabilities in Azure.

With Apex Cloud Storage, Dell will harness the power of Artificial Intelligence and offer an unmatched experience to customers worldwide. When weighed against Azure NetApp Files, Apex Cloud Storage will deliver 6x greater cluster performance, up to 11x larger namespace, up to 23x more snapshots per volume, and 2x higher cluster resiliency, according to Dell.

The blog post later underlines the benefits of using Apex Cloud Storage.

• Simplicity with “multicloud by design”: Accelerate multicloud deployment with a consistent user experience across on-premises and cloud environments. Take advantage of automated replication tools without having to make any changes to the underlying storage in the cloud.
• Extreme flexibility: Seamlessly manage changing workload demands and rapidly growing datasets with advanced OneFS data services and scalable capacity of up to 5.6PiB.
• Data control: Leverage native AI tools to power the most demanding workloads.

Dell ties up with Intel to offer customers more choices

Last week, we told you about Intel launching the Gaudi 3 AI accelerator during Vision 2024. Now, a report from TechTarget suggests that Dell will offer the Gaudi 3 chip as an option for PowerEdge XE9680, alongside the presently available accelerators, NVIDIA HGX H100 and AMD Instinct MI300X.

Intel claims that its flagship AI accelerator is 1.5x faster to train than NV H100 and boasts 1.5x faster inference.

By increasing the number of available chips in PowerEdge XE9680 to three, Dell intends to give customers more choices so they don’t have to compromise on performance or need.

This also marks Intel’s entry into a landscape previously dominated by NVIDIA and AMD. Partnering with Dell in the early days may give Intel a much-needed headstart.

In recent months, the Artificial Intelligence sector has witnessed a significant boost. Chips like NVIDIA H100 are now available sooner, but the wait time is still 8-12 weeks.

What’s your take on Gaudi 3 and Dell APEX File Storage? Share with our readers in the comments section.