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September 1
- MiTAC G8825Z5 AMD Instinct MI325X 8-GPU Server Review
➀ The MiTAC G8825Z5 is an 8-GPU server featuring AMD Instinct MI325X accelerators with 2TB HBM3E memory, powered by dual AMD EPYC Turin CPUs;
➀ The 8U chassis employs a modular design with separate GPU and CPU trays, 15 hot-swappable fan modules, and six 3.3kW Titanium PSUs for optimized cooling and redundancy;
➂ The server emphasizes serviceability, offering 12 PCIe slots for expansion and a rear-agnostic I/O design preferred in data center environments.
August 29
- Crucial X6 2TB Portable USB SSD Review
➀ The Crucial X6 2TB is a cost-effective, compact USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gb/s) external SSD, priced lower than competitors like the Crucial X9 Pro and Samsung T7 Shield.
➁ It offers a read speed of up to 800MB/s and includes shock resistance, vibration-proofing, and drop resistance up to 6.5 feet, with a lightweight design and bundled Type-C cable.
➂ While its sequential write speed is unspecified, it caters to budget-conscious users prioritizing affordability and portability over peak performance.
August 2
- Deploying AMD Instead of Arm in our Infrastructure 2025 Here is Why
➀ STH explains its choice of AMD EPYC over Arm in 2025 infrastructure, citing Arm's challenges in enterprise adoption, including installed base compatibility, hardware limitations, and insufficient software support;
➁ Power efficiency gains from Arm are now minimal compared to AMD/Intel x86 CPUs, especially with AI GPU servers dominating power consumption (e.g., AMD Instinct MI325X at 1kW/accelerator);
➂ Enterprise Arm adoption faces hardware scarcity and vendor neglect: NVIDIA Grace CPUs are outdated for general workloads, while major vendors like Dell/HPE offer limited Arm options (e.g., HPE ProLiant RL300 Gen11's market failure).
August 1
- Seagate Expansion 28TB External Hard Drive and the HAMR HDD Within Mini-Review
➀ Seagate's 28TB Expansion external hard drive integrates HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology, offering high-capacity storage in a compact design with USB 3.2 and external power support;
➁ Opening the enclosure reveals a Seagate Barracuda 28TB HAMR drive, typically not sold separately and possibly rebadged from enterprise-grade Exos or IronWolf Pro HDDs;
➂ Shucking the external drive provides significant cost savings ($240 less than standalone 28TB HDDs), though sacrificing warranty coverage.
July 7
- Kyocera Pegatron and SMART Show CXL Over Optics at Computex 2025
➀ Kyocera Pegatron and SMART showcased a prototype demonstrating CXL memory accessed remotely via optical connections at Computex 2025;
➁ The setup utilized SMART's CXL memory module, Kyocera's PCIe-to-optical converter, and MTP/MPO fiber cables, enabling dynamic memory allocation in distributed systems;
➂ The technology highlights future applications in AI clusters and aligns with upcoming PCIe Gen6 advancements, signaling progress toward optical co-packaging solutions.
July 5
- New Intel E610 NICs Shown for Low Power 10Gbase-T and 2.5GbE
➀ Intel showcased its new E610 series NICs at HPE Discover 2025, including a dual-port 10Gbase-T model and a quad-port 2.5GbE variant;
➁ The dual 10Gbase-T PCIe Gen4 x4 NIC consumes only 5.1W at full load, supporting 10GbE/5GbE/2.5GbE/1GbE speeds;
➂ The quad 2.5GbE OCP NIC 3.0 model offers up to 8.6W power efficiency, positioning it as an upgrade path for legacy Intel i350 users.
July 4
- Dell and CoreWeave Show Off First NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 Rack
➀ Dell and CoreWeave unveiled the first NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 rack, utilizing Dell PowerEdge XE9712 servers and Vertiv cooling systems with a capacity of up to 2MW per rack;
➁ The GB300 NVL72 integrates NVIDIA's Grace Blackwell Ultra architecture, delivering 21TB of memory and leveraging InfiniBand Quantum-X networking for high-speed AI workloads;
➂ This ultra-high-density rack represents a significant advancement over previous GB200 systems, featuring enhanced liquid cooling and accelerators, with costs potentially exceeding $3.7 million per rack.
July 3
- HPE Juniper Deal Closes Ending a Saga
➀ HPE finalized its acquisition of Juniper Networks after 18 months, completing the $14 billion deal following a DOJ settlement requiring divestiture of its Aruba Instant On business and AI Ops licensing;
➁ The merger strengthens HPE's networking portfolio, positioning it to compete with Cisco and NVIDIA in enterprise/service provider markets and AI cluster networking;
➂ Key challenges include integrating product roadmaps and challenging NVIDIA's dominance in AI infrastructure East-West networking with Juniper's UltraEthernet technology.
July 2
- Crucial T710 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD Review
➀ The Crucial T710 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD claims top-tier performance with up to 14,500 MB/s sequential reads and 13,800 MB/s writes, surpassing competitors like the T705 and Samsung 9100 PRO;
➁ Featuring a Silicon Motion SM2508 controller and Micron TLC NAND with 2GB DRAM, it emphasizes improved power efficiency and endurance (1,200TBW for 2TB model);
➂ Real-world testing confirms its leadership in Gen5 performance benchmarks, though practical user gains over prior generations may vary depending on workloads.
July 1
- The 2025 PCIe GPU in Server Guide
➀ The article analyzes PCIe GPU configurations in servers for 2025, focusing on Supermicro and NVIDIA solutions tailored for enterprise AI factories, edge computing, and hybrid workloads.
➁ Key GPU models include NVIDIA H200 NVL for AI inference, RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell for graphics-AI hybrid tasks, and L40S for cost efficiency, with systems supporting up to 8x GPUs via PCIe switches.
➂ Supermicro introduces a new NVIDIA MGX platform with ConnectX-8 SuperNICs, replacing traditional PCIe switches to enhance GPU networking efficiency and reduce system complexity.
June 30
- ASRock Rack 2U12L2S-SIENA Review 2U AMD EPYC 8004 Siena Server
➀ The ASRock Rack 2U12L2S-SIENA is a 2U server featuring AMD's EPYC 8004 'Siena' processors, designed for users seeking balanced performance and flexibility with 12 front-accessible 3.5" drive bays;
➁ It includes redundant 800W 80Plus Platinum PSUs, dual 1GbE ports, and tool-less drive installation options for HDDs/SSDs;
➂ Compact at 680mm depth, the server targets environments prioritizing storage density and mid-range compute power without extreme core counts.
June 29
- STH Q2 2025 Letter from the Editor Travel Time
➀ STH expands its digital footprint, with six properties exceeding 100,000 monthly views, including the main site, YouTube channels, Substack, and newsletter;
➁ Extensive travel for content production (e.g., Dell factory tours, Computex coverage) impacts content pipeline, requiring meticulous post-production efforts like barcode blurring;
➂ Team scaling in Scottsdale continues, with new hires and plans to address production challenges, while the Axautik Group's Substack grows rapidly as a key revenue stream.
June 28
- Supermicro Hyper SuperServer SYS-222HA-TN Review
➀ The Supermicro Hyper SuperServer SYS-222HA-TN is a 2U high-performance server featuring dual Intel Xeon 6900 series CPUs and support for MCRDIMMs, designed for demanding workloads;
➁ It includes eight PCIe Gen5 NVMe bays, supporting storage capacities up to 1PB with high-density SSDs like the Solidigm D5-P5336 122.88TB;
➂ The system offers extensive expansion options, including support for four double-width GPUs, redundant power supplies, and OCP NIC 3.0 slots for flexible networking configurations.
June 27
- Solidigm D5-P5336 122.88TB NVMe SSD Review
➀ The Solidigm D5-P5336 122.88TB NVMe SSD offers extreme capacity in a 2.5" U.2 form factor, leveraging 192-layer QLC NAND and PCIe Gen4 technology;
➀ The drive prioritizes capacity over speed, delivering up to 7300 MB/s sequential read speeds and 25K random write IOPS (32K block size) with a 5-year endurance rating of 0.6 DWPD (73TB/day);
➂ Designed for enterprise storage needs, the SSD eliminates traditional endurance concerns through massive overprovisioning, supporting 134.3PBW total writes over its lifespan.
June 26
- New HPE ProLiant DL325 Gen12 and DL345 Gen12 at HPE Discover with AMD EPYC
➀ HPE introduced new ProLiant DL325 Gen12 and DL345 Gen12 servers at HPE Discover 2025, featuring AMD EPYC 9005 'Turin' processors;
➁ Both models support up to 24 DIMMs per socket for expanded memory capacity and include the iLO 7 management system;
➂ The 2U DL345 Gen12 offers superior storage flexibility and I/O expansion, targeting high-core-count workloads and modernization from legacy platforms.
June 23
- SK Hynix Beetle X31 USB SSD Review
➀ The SK Hynix Beetle X31 is a compact 2TB external USB SSD offering read/write speeds up to 1050/1000 MB/s via USB 3.2 Gen2;
➁ Positioned in the $140-$155 range, it competes with SanDisk Extreme, Crucial X9 Pro, and Samsung T7 series;
➂ Features aluminum and silicone casing for durability, includes dual USB cables, but has mixed aesthetic appeal compared to rivals.
June 20
- Kioxia CD9P Released for a 61.44TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD Era
➀ Kioxia launched the CD9P series PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSDs, offering capacities up to 61.44TB in 2.5-inch and E3.S form factors, targeting high-performance and high-capacity storage needs in data centers;
➁ The series includes CD9P-V (3 DWPD, mixed-use) with up to 12.8TB and CD9P-R (1 DWPD, read-optimized) up to 61.44TB, prioritizing performance scalability for large-scale storage;
➂ Positioned as a single-port solution for scale-out architectures, the CD9P complements Kioxia's dual-port CM9 Gen5 SSDs, emphasizing capacity expansion and enterprise storage evolution.
June 19
- Xsight Labs E1 DPU Offers Up to 64 Arm Neoverse N2 Cores and 2x 400Gbps Networking
➀ Xsight Labs introduced its E1 DPU featuring up to 64 Arm Neoverse N2 cores, dual 400Gbps networking interfaces, and 32 PCIe Gen5 lanes;
➁ The DPU integrates DDR5 memory, hardware accelerators for crypto and NVMe-oF, and supports flexible deployment models like NVMe SSD aggregation and storage offloading;
➂ It competes with NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPU by offering Arm SystemReady-certified Linux compatibility and scalability for cloud data centers.
June 18
- New AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 Series and AMD Radeon AI Pro R9700 Series Details
① AMD unveiled the Ryzen Threadripper 9000 series, featuring Zen 5 architecture, up to 96 cores, 8-channel DDR5-6400 support, and backward compatibility with existing sTR5 platforms, delivering 15-25% performance gains.
② The Radeon AI Pro R9700 GPU utilizes RDNA 4 architecture with 32GB GDDR6, 71 TOPS AI performance, and FP8 support, targeting AI-accelerated workstation workflows.
③ AMD reinforces its workstation leadership against Intel’s aging Xeon W lineup, while the R9700 competes with both NVIDIA GPUs and AMD’s own Ryzen AI Max mobile solutions.
June 16
- PCI-SIG Releases PCIe 7.0 Specifications and Optical PCIe
➀ PCI-SIG released PCIe 7.0 specifications, delivering 128 GT/s raw bit rate and up to 512GB/s bidirectional bandwidth in x16 slots using PAM4 signaling and flit-based encoding;
➁ A new optical PCIe interconnect solution (PCIe 6.4/7.0) was introduced, enabling extended reach and multiplexing for applications like NVMe storage pools and CXL memory shelves in hyperscale AI data centers;
➂ PCIe Gen8 development is already underway, with adoption expected to accelerate in high-performance computing and AI-driven infrastructure.
June 15
- This is the AMD Instinct MI350
➀ AMD announced the Instinct MI350 series, currently shipping to customers, featuring HBM3E memory and OAM packaging;
➁ The MI350 utilizes eight HBM3E stacks and two I/O dies, compatible with the OCP UBB platform for scalable 8-GPU configurations;
➂ Both air-cooled (MI350X) and liquid-cooled (MI355X) variants are available, promising higher performance and memory density compared to the previous MI300X generation.
June 12
- Google has New NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 8-GPU Instances with AMD EPYC 9005 CPUs
➀ Google Cloud announces G4 VMs with dual AMD EPYC 9005 Turin CPUs and eight NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 GPUs, delivering 768GB GDDR7 memory and 384 vCPUs;
➁ The instances feature 400Gbps network bandwidth, NVIDIA MIG partitioning for up to 32 GPU partitions, and 1.4TB system memory;
➂ Targets cost-sensitive workloads with GDDR7 instead of HBM3E, offering flexibility for AI, rendering, and VDI applications.
June 11
- Micron Begins Shipping HBM4 Memory for Next-Gen AI
➀ Micron has commenced shipments of HBM4 memory, delivering 2.0TB/s per stack with a 2048-bit interface, a 60% performance boost over HBM3E;
➁ Initial 36GB stacks target next-gen AI accelerators, built on Micron's 1-beta process with advanced memory testing (MBIST) for reliability;
➂ Full production ramp is planned for 2026, aligning with next-gen AI hardware releases, while future designs may combine HBM with LPDDR for expanded memory capacity.
June 8
- SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD 4TB External USB SSD Review
➀ The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD 4TB is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2 external drive offering high-speed storage, competing with models like the Samsung T9 and Crucial X10 Pro;
➁ The drive features a rugged design with 3-meter drop protection and IP65 water/dust resistance, along with a large 4TB capacity clearly labeled for easy identification;
➂ It includes both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables, supporting 20Gbps transfer speeds for real-world performance advantages.
June 6
- Broadcom Tomahawk 6 102.4T 64-port 1.6TbE Switches at Computex 2025
➀ Broadcom unveiled its Tomahawk 6 series switches at Computex 2025, featuring 102.4T bandwidth and 64-port 1.6TbE configurations.
➁ Delta and Wistron/Wiwynn showcased prototype switches, with Delta's 3U design focusing on airflow cooling and Wistron/Wiwynn's 4U model emphasizing enhanced thermal management.
➂ Limited photography was permitted due to embargo constraints, but more Tomahawk 6-based hardware is expected to emerge following the official announcement.
June 5
- MLPerf Training v5.0 is Out
➀ MLPerf Training v5.0 results highlight NVIDIA's dominance with Blackwell and Hopper architectures, supported by submissions from Dell and Supermicro;
➁ AMD showcases improved performance of Instinct MI325X, claiming 30% generational gains over MI300X and competitive results against NVIDIA H200 in Llama2 70B training;
➂ Limited participation from other vendors noted, with Google's Trillium system appearing and a focus on accelerated hardware-software optimization trends.
June 4
- Broadcom Tomahawk 6 Launched for 1.6TbE Generation
➀ Broadcom launched the Tomahawk 6 series switch ASICs, supporting 102.4Tbps bandwidth and up to 64 ports of 1.6TbE, marking the transition to terabit Ethernet;
➁ The chips enable both scale-up configurations (e.g., connecting HBM4 memory across 512 XPUs) and scale-out architectures for AI clusters, reducing network tiers and latency;
➂ Features like Global Load Balancing 2.0, Cognitive Routing, and enhanced telemetry optimize data flow and cost efficiency, positioning Broadcom as a key player amid competition with NVIDIA in AI infrastructure.
- Cornelis CN5000 400Gbps Omni-Path Launched with UltraEthernet Roadmap
➀ Cornelis Networks launched the CN5000 series, a 400Gbps Omni-Path solution targeting AI and HPC markets, offering liquid/air-cooled director-class switches and low-latency SuperNICs;
➁ The new architecture emphasizes zero-congestion networking to optimize GPU utilization in AI clusters, with production availability starting Q3 2025;
➂ The company revealed a roadmap integrating UltraEthernet by 2026-2027, positioning itself as an alternative to NVIDIA's InfiniBand and challenging Broadcom/Marvell in Ethernet switching.
June 2
- ASRock Rack EPYC4000D4U AMD EPYC 4005 Motherboard Review
➀ The ASRock Rack EPYC4000D4U is an mATX motherboard designed for AMD's socket AM5 CPUs, bridging server-class features to compact builds with support for up to 192GB DDR5 ECC memory and PCIe Gen5 slots.
➀ It features an ASPEED AST2600 BMC for IPMI management, dual Intel i210-at NICs, and eliminates traditional chipsets by using ASMedia controllers for SATA ports, reducing power and cost and aligning with modern server designs.
➁ The motherboard prioritizes EPYC CPUs for server workloads (e.g., 170W liquid-cooled EPYC 4565P) but supports Ryzen CPUs, though with reduced PCIe Gen5 speed on M.2 slots for Ryzen 8000 series processors.
June 1
- GIGABYTE G383-R80-AAP1 AMD Instinct MI300A Server Review
➀ The GIGABYTE G383-R80-AAP1 is a 3U server featuring AMD's Instinct MI300A APUs, combining CPU and GPU cores with HBM3 memory for high-performance AI and HPC workloads;
➀ The server houses four MI300A APUs, eight 2.5" NVMe drives, and eight PCIe Gen5 slots, along with four 3kW PSUs for efficient power delivery;
➂ Designed for supercomputing tasks, it emphasizes cooling efficiency and scalability, targeting applications like the AMD-powered El Capitan supercomputer.