Lenovo expands edge computing portfolio with AI-focused Nvidia GPUs

Lenovo’s latest addition to the ThinkEdge portfolio of edge-computing devices packs Nvidia GPUs with AI capabilities into a ruggedized design that’s roughly the size of a laptop.

The ThinkEdge SE450 is a 2U, 300mm (12 inches) unit that includes a third-generation Xeon Platinum processor and up to four single-width or two double-width GPUs, along with six NVMe SSDs and 1TB of DDR4 memory, making it one of the first Nvidia-certified Edge systems. There is also a slightly larger model that’s 360mm (14.2 inches).

The SE450 server is specifically designed to withstand a wider range of operating temperature, dust, shock and vibration for harsh settings in vertical edge environments. It’s also heavily secured, with a locking bezel to help prevent unauthorized access and SSD encryption to protect data.

Lenovo is pretty high on edge AI, citing Gartner estimates that 75% of enterprise-generated data will be processed at the edge by 2025, and 80% of enterprise IoT projects will incorporate AI by 2022. That’s why it built the ThinkEdge SE450 server as an AI platform operating directly at the edge.

“With the ThinkEdge SE450 server and in collaboration with our broad ecosystem of partners, Lenovo is delivering on the promise of AI at the edge, whether it’s enabling greater connectivity for smart cities to detect and respond to traffic accidents or addressing predictive maintenance needs on the manufacturing line,” said Charles Ferland, vice president and general manager, edge computing and communication Service providers, at Lenovo ISG, in a statement.

Since edge site locations are often remote and not easily accessible, the ThinkEdge SE450 is automatically installed and managed with Lenovo Open Cloud Automation (LOC-A) and configurable with Lenovo XClarity Orchestrator software.

Like most of its hardware offerings, the ThinkEdge SE450 is available by outright purchase or through Lenovo’s TruScale as-a-Service consumption model.

Lenovo developed the hardware with partners and customers and came up with multiple prototypes for different industries. It performed live trials running real workloads in telecommunication, retail and smart city settings. The platform runs Windows, Red Hat, CentOS, Ubuntu, and VMware operating systems.