Intel and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are building on longstanding leadership to drive 5G transformation

Network transformation was originally envisioned as a way to overcome the limitations of fixed-function hardware, which required time-consuming, labor-intensive and costly processes to upgrade infrastructure from one generation to the next. And in the transition to 5G, building atop legacy systems and applications is simply insufficient to deliver the performance and agility network operators need to meet customers’ demands for complex edge services.

Intel has led network transformation for more than a decade and, along with partners like Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), has demonstrated that software defined infrastructure running on Xeon processors can help operators modernize and monetize the network while lowering their carbon footprint.

Edge intelligence demands more from network infrastructure

Practically every industry is accelerating efforts to digitize and automate operations to compete in an uncertain economic environment, and capitalize on new opportunities.  This demand for real-time intelligence puts the focus squarely on edge computing for workloads that can’t run in the cloud without sacrificing cost or latency. And the shift to the edge is happening quickly: according to estimates, by 2025 75 percent of enterprise-generated data will be created and processed outside a traditional data center or cloud.

The enterprise demand for distributed intelligence at 5G speeds will fundamentally change how modern networks need to perform. Unlike public cloud architecture, the edge will be built on a highly sophisticated network fabric, where service delivery shifts in near-real-time with demand, availability, and location.  

With surging network traffic, flat revenue and pressure to reduce emissions, operators can’t continue business as usual. Success in the era of 5G won’t rely merely on gen-over-gen improvement, but rather a fundamental shift in the design and delivery of network services—a shift rooted in cloud-native functionality throughout the network.

Success in a digital-first, data-centric world

Intel and HPE share a long history of partnership in network transformation. For 10 years, we’ve led the way with virtualizing network functions at the onset of the NFV revolution, focusing at first on the core.  We’ve developed telco blueprints that network operators have relied on to build their next generation carrier-grade compute infrastructure. And now HPE and Intel are working together to extend cloudification to new spaces such as virtualized and Open RAN networks with Tier 1 operator deployments in the 5G era.

Now, Intel and HPE are helping operators meeting the challenges of 5G with agility, performance and efficiency. The new HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers—powered by 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors launched earlier this year—along with HPE GreenLake for Compute Ops Management, which simplifies server lifecycle management and takes compute management to the cloud.

HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers are engineered for a hybrid world to deliver an intuitive cloud operating experience, trusted security by design, and optimized performance for workloads. 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors accelerate performance across the fastest-growing workloads, increase efficiencies, and have advanced security technologies to protect data while unlocking new opportunities for business collaboration and insights.

In fact, the 4^th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors now enable an industry-first 1 Tbps of 5G UPF workload performance on a single dual-socket server.¹  reference software provides 30% in power savings with no impact to performance, vs. today’s broadly deployed Intel Xeon platforms.²  

Together with HPE GreenLake for Compute Ops Management, organizations can reduce complexity and speed transformation with modern compute management software that simplifies provisioning and automates key lifecycle tasks.

“HPE and Intel have together delivered powerful compute to support the complexities of 5G and hyperconverged workloads at the edge,” said Phil Cutrone, SVP and GM, Service Providers, OEM, and Telco at HPE. “We are delighted to continue our collaboration and build on our deep experience in network transformation with the new HPE ProLiant DL110 Gen11 server, powered by 4^th Gen Intel Xeon scalable processors, that is designed for modern telco needs. The latest innovation will help telcos deploy cloud-native capabilities across the network to deliver new services and improved experiences.” 

Experience matters when failure is not an option

Network transformation requires a daunting paradigm shift for operators. For all the opportunity of 5G and Edge represents, also comes new risk for an industry that must innovate on all fronts to successfully modernize and monetize network services. With more than 40 years of cumulative experience in network transformation, Intel and HPE can help customers achieve the agility, performance and lower carbon footprint to deliver the right business outcomes.

Disclaimers

¹ Tested by Intel as of 01/27/23.

1-node, 2x Intel(R) Xeon(R) Platinum 8470N CPU, 52 cores(104 Total), HT On, Turbo Off, Total Memory 1024GB (16x64GB DDR5 4800 MT/s [4800 MT/s]), BIOS  EGSDCRB1.SYS.0093.D22.2211170057, microcode 0x2b000130, 6x Intel E810-2CQDA2 (CVL, Chapman Beach, Total – 6x100G ports), 1x Intel E810-CQDA2 (CVL, Tacoma Rapids, Total – 2x100G ports) 1x 447.1G INTEL SSDSCKKB8 , 1x 931.5G CT1000MX500SSD1, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 5.15.0-53-generic, UPF(GCC 9.4.0/Clang9.0.0,DPDK 22.07,VPP 20.09)

 ² Tested by Intel as of 01/26/23.

1-node, 2x Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6438N CPU, 32 cores, HT On, Turbo Off, Total Memory 512GB (16x32GB DDR5 4800 MT/s [4000 MT/s]), BIOS EGSDCRB1.SYS.0090.D03.2210040200, microcode 0x2b0000c0, 2x Intel E810-2CQDA2 (CVL, Chapman Beach, Total – 4x100G ports), 1x 223.6G INTEL SSDSC2KB240G8, 1x 745.2G INTEL SSDSC2BA800G3, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 5.15.0-27-generic, GCC 7.5.0, DPDK 22.11