Dell Technologies has introduced the Dell PowerEdge XR9700, described as a first of its kind closed-loop liquid-cooled, fully-enclosed, ruggedized server that is engineered to run Cloud RAN and edge artificial intelligence workloads in unprotected outdoor environments. The system is designed to mount on utility poles, rooftops and building exteriors so that the PowerEdge XR9700 brings high performance computing into dense urban areas, remote locations and space-constrained facilities where traditional data center infrastructure cannot reach.
The PowerEdge XR9700 is positioned to address long standing deployment challenges for telecommunications operators and edge computing teams, who often struggle to deploy compute due to lack of power and space. According to Dell, the PowerEdge XR9700 solves this by delivering high performance compute directly at the point of need in an ultra-compact, zero-footprint IP66-rated enclosure that is sealed from the elements. The fully-enclosed design aims to enable reliable operation in environments that lack indoor racks or traditional climate control.
For telecommunications operators, the PowerEdge XR9700 provides a flexible, software-defined alternative to traditional RAN solutions, supporting Cloud RAN and Open RAN processing at the cell site. At the same time, the platform can run edge and artificial intelligence applications directly where data is created and consumed, allowing workloads such as analytics and inference to occur closer to the source. By combining closed-loop liquid cooling, ruggedization and pole or rooftop mounting, Dell is targeting new deployment models for high performance computing at the network and enterprise edge.
