Big Server is sparing neither money nor effort to sell the future of AI to the world’s businesses. The impact of AI will be undeniably huge. However, even though the stories they tell are well crafted, they are little more than a variation on the same theme.
Dell Technologies tells a comprehensive story at its Forum at Brussels Gate. The server specialist wants to help customers get the most out of their data with AI, and has a combination of hardware and solutions ready to do so.
Déja-vu
During the presentation, however, we suffer from a déja-vu. Didn’t Lenovo project very similar slides during its Tech World? HPE also highlights how it is the partner to implement AI solutions during its Discover event in Barcelona. The three major server manufacturers agree on just about everything: the importance of on-premises data, the need to bring AI workloads to that data, and even the architecture with which to do so.
That architecture is built around so-called AI Foundries. Lenovo and Dell certainly insist on that. AI Foundries are powerful servers, coupled with a good data architecture and equipped with enterprise-grade AI software. Those can be used by organizations to launch their first AI applications into production.
You don’t just do that, we hear. Anyone who wants to roll out a successful AI project should not implement technology just to be with it. Every solution must start from a business problem. Translating such a problem into an AI solution requires some experience, preferably coming from a good partner. Dell, HPE and Lenovo profile themselves as such partners.
Customer zero
There’s more to it than just pressing a button, the big three agree, and they would know. They don’t just sell AI tools, they use them. ‘Customer zero’ they call themselves. They are their own customers, they proudly proclaim. They were already building AI factories, defining problems and implementing solutions. The companies are only too happy to make that knowledge available to customers.
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There is little to argue with that: AI offers solutions to problems. Like any digitization project, however, it is important to start from business needs, not bite off more than you can chew, and be guided by expertise. It is not surprising that three competing companies have similar ways to put themselves out there, but the similarities go a lot further than we are used to for the AI hype.
Apostles of Huang
How come? The sponsors lift a tip of the hat. The Nvidia logo is clearly visible at the three events, always in a slightly larger font than that of AMD and even Intel. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, is dictating the AI gospel these days. Dell, HPE and Lenovo have become apostles.
Nowhere is this more evident than when the AI Foundry comes up. Huang has been selling the marketing term with great charisma since last year. The AI Foundry is almost the successor to the modern factory. Anyone who wants to be someone, must have one.
Similar slides
What exactly such a foundry entails, we see on a slide at Dell. And at Lenovo. On the left of the diagram we see the data, in the middle is a stack of solutions with hardware and software, and on the right the AI magic is created. At Dell the slide is blue, at Lenovo red.
Each party shows very clearly how it plays a role in the entire AI factory, and has solutions across the total stack. Along the hardware side, Dell is shining the spotlight on its PowerEdge XE9680, also available with water cooling under the name PowerEdge XE9680L. Lenovo has the SC777, which Huang on the Tech World stage proudly designated as ‘sexy’. Inside, the computing power comes from Nvidia AI accelerators, including Nvidia’s latest Blackwell chips.
Dell, Lenovo and HPE are marketing those solutions from Nvidia under their own names
The hardware comes with some proprietary solutions each time, including related implementation.A single click on the presenter’s clicker makes the slides greener on all events. Without error, Nvidia hardware cplays a big part, along with the extensive Nvidia Enterprise AI ecosystem. It are those solutions from Nvidia that Dell, Lenovo and HPE end up marketing under their own names.
Distinguishing features
So are there no differences between the solutions offered by the manufacturers? That may also be a bit short of the mark. Lenovo, for example, is betting heavily on the high-end spectrum and can show of its Neptune water cooling. Neptune is easier to implement than alternatives and offers a solution to both the heat and rising power consumption of AI factories.
For its part, Dell notes that it has been marketing AI servers since before the launch of ChatGPT, and thus has a lot of experience. Furthermore, the server manufacturer has a high market penetration with high-performance storage servers, and they are an essential component of the entire infrastructure.
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Specifically for local markets such as Belgium, Dell also has an extensive sales and support organization that also directly targets the midmarket segment. By being the only one to organize a relatively large event in Belgium with Dell Technologies World, the manufacturer further strengthens this position, even if original content is somewhat lacking.
HPE is betting on what it calls Private Cloud AI. Through its GreenLake solution, the manufacturer wants to make Gen AI hardware and services available to customers. The simplicity and convenience of those solutions are assets. Those who subscribe get convenience reminiscent of the cloud, without effectively entrusting data to a hyperscaler.
Focus on framing and support
Support is more important than gospel. Dell, Lenovo and HPE can all build very good AI servers: no one doubts that. Those servers are part of an ecosystem, currently dominated by Nvidia. An OEM can’t make a big difference there, but each manufacturer wants to show during its event that it is completely on board with the latest that AI (and thus Nvidia) has to offer. That explains the similar presentations.
How the manufacturers are catering to specific markets, doens’t look as nice on a slide. Are the right people available? Do partners have sufficient expertise around AI implementations? When it comes to AI, that’s where OEMs need to differentiate themselves. That story, built around people, expertise and relationships, is very different for each company.