Carry-on server flexes up to 256 cores — 480TB NVMe and 4TB RAM join Ampere Altra CPU in new fly-away-kits

Ayush April 20, 2024

Next Computing has unveiled two edge computing “fly-away kits” powered by high-core count Ampere Altra processors. These servers cater to Packet Capture, Telco Edge, and Open-RAN applications (to name a few), all of which require high-performance servers that can be easily transported to different locations quickly.

The two “fly-away-kits” Next Computing has unveiled are the NextServer-X 1U and 2U. As their names suggest, the 1U can hold up to two 1U server chassis, while the 2U can hold a single 2U rack mount chassis. Both products encapsulate their host servers in a rugged TSA-certified travel case with wheels that are easy to wheel around airports and train stations. (Essentially, it is just one giant piece of luggage.) Both cases measure 21.75″ x 13.875″ x 9.00″.

Despite their portability, the NextServer-X lineup houses some incredibly potent specifications. The 1U and 2U come with single-socket Ampere Altera processors with options between 32 and 128 cores. Memory is configurable up to 2TB of 3200MHz ECC RAM. Power comes from two hot-swappable 600W 80 Plus Platinum PSUs. The second PSU is for redundancy. Networking consists of quadruple 1G copper Intel i210 Gigabit Ethernet controllers, but the specs say other networking options are available.

The 1U and 2U differ in storage and GPU capacity. The 2U can hold GPUs and more storage, but the 1U option can hold two 1U servers.

The 1U fly-away-kit features two removable 3.5GB/s NVMe 2.5″ drive bays and no dedicated GPU support. The 2U option expands drive support to eight drives in total, featuring removable mid-plane-based drive bays that house up to eight NVMe 2.5″ drives. These (up to) eight drives can be configured to run as JBOD or in RAID 0,1,5 or 6 configurations.

Optionally, the server can also hold an HBA card to add another eight U.2 NVMe SSDs if needed. The U2 option offers two additional fixed NVMe M.2 4.0 SSDs and up to 2 additional removable SATA 3 SSDs. As for GPUs, the 2U can house Nvidia’s RTX A2000 or RTX 4000 graphics cards.

Both of these units will be great for businesses that utilize edge computing. Edge computing is a growing computing strategy that allocates some (or most) of a business’s computing power on-site rather than from a cloud solution alone. It significantly reduces internet bandwidth requirements, saving resources and time. The computing strategy has become incredibly popular over the past few years, especially for AI workloads. Reports confirm that data consumption is growing substantially more than internet services can handle worldwide, forcing businesses to switch to edge-based methods for computing.