Intel and Dell delivering optimized and verified Enterprise AI solutions for Network Edge

Co-Author:  Andrew Vaz, Vice President, Telecom Product Management, Dell Technologies

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, digital transformation is not just a buzzword—it's a crucial shift that redefines how enterprises operate and succeed. For businesses across various sectors, transitioning to a digital enterprise involves more than just adopting new technologies; it's about rethinking business processes, culture, and strategy. At the heart of this transformation is data: collecting it, analyzing it, and acting on it in real time to drive timely outcomes.

Historically, enterprises have relied on wired and Wi-Fi connectivity. While these solutions have served their purpose, they come with limitations. Wired networks offer limited mobility, while traditional Wi-Fi solutions often fall short in security, reliability, and bandwidth. To overcome these challenges and ensure comprehensive coverage with enhanced security and reliability, an increasing number of enterprises are turning to private wireless networks and hybrid solutions, which blend public and private cellular networks.

Data at the Edge

Once data is collected, the ability to analyze it in real time becomes a major competitive advantage. While cloud computing has been the go-to for data analytics, there's a growing shift towards on-premises edge data analytics. This approach combines the benefits of localized data processing with the power of real-time insights through Edge AI. This is a game-changer for industries where speed and reliability are critical, such as industrial automation and real-time monitoring systems. By processing data locally and utilizing edge AI analytics tools, businesses can make immediate, data-driven decisions, saving significant costs associated with data backhauling to the cloud.

To support this strategy of data collection, analytics, and real-time decision-making, enterprises are increasingly adopting (a) private wireless and hybrid networks, (b) on-premise edge infrastructure and (c) commercial-grade optimized Edge AI applications. To accelerate this adoption, Intel and Dell Technologies are announcing the collaboration with the industry ecosystem to deliver optimized and verified Edge AI applications and private wireless network connectivity on Dell PowerEdge XR8000 series servers.

Introducing EdgeAI

To meet the growing demand for verified solutions, Intel and Dell Technologies are excited to announce the availability of a selection of optimized Edge AI/ML and computer vision applications from the industry ecosystem, tuned and running on Dell PowerEdge XR8000 series.  There are options for the Dell PowerEdge XR8000 series server in small, medium and large configurations from Dell to support optimized Edge AI applications and connectivity requirements, ensuring the system is able to properly integrate into existing or new infrastructure for enterprise and telecommunication operators.  By leveraging extensive ecosystem programs, we are able to cover a wide array of industry verticals and use cases. 

This Dell/Intel Private Network Edge AI Solutions and Acceleration Program offer several key benefits for system integrators, telcos, MNOs (Mobile Network Operators), enterprises, and Private 5G solution providers including:

1. Optimized & verified Edge AI Applications: The ISV (Independent Software Vendor) applications developed and optimized using Intel distribution of OpenVINO toolkit on Dell PowerEdge XR8000 platforms, powered by 4th Gen Intel Xeon Processors in small, medium and large sizes (available in various sled options) are verified by Intel and Dell
2. Better Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Enterprises and telecommunication operators are looking for alternative options to right-size their investment.  Intel and Dell are enabling theXR8000 series servers, right sized using 4th Gen Intel Xeon Processors and without a need for discrete GPUs for optimized Edge AI, network, and other applications, resulting in lower power consumption, cost and improved scalability without compromising on performance
3. Multiple Connectivity Options: These applications are optimized for multi-connectivity environments such as wired, Wi-Fi, Telco Edge and Private 5G networks providing flexibility and reliability.
4. Ease of Deployment & Market Readiness: With optimized Edge AI applications and connectivity tuned for Dell PowerEdge XR8000 platforms, customers will be able to select the optimal XR8000 configurations and applications to deliver the most impactful business outcomes.
5. Vertical Expertise and Global Reach: By leveraging extensive ecosystem program we are able to cover a wide array of industry verticals and use cases. 

The Future of EdgeAI

Looking ahead, a preview of this Dell/Intel Private Network Edge AI Solution and Acceleration Program will commence in Q4’24. In this phase, we are collaborating with industry-leading telcos and system integrators including Amdocs, Betacom, Druid, Future Technologies, GXC, HCLTech, Logicalis, NTT Data, Wipro, and World Wide Technology to qualify and deploy these solutions. Intel will look to incorporate verified Edge AI vertical catalog approach curating an extensive ISV ecosystem vertical applications, optimized with Intel AI open source tool kits like OpenVINO  

By integrating private wireless, edge AI, and telco edge computing, businesses can lay a robust foundation for innovation and operational optimization. Embracing these technologies will enable enterprises to achieve greater efficiency, security, and responsiveness, ushering in a new era of digital transformation. With our verified and optimized solutions, we aim to accelerate this momentum and unlock new opportunities for future growth.

If you are system integrator interested in participating in this program or if you are an ISV with Edge AI applications looking to add to our solution portfolio, please reach out to Bhupesh Agrawal at Intel (bhupesh.agrawal@intel.com) or Dell Telco Systems Business Partnerships (tsbaipartnerships@dell.com).