Dell launches AI-ready storage, servers & cloud tools

Dell Technologies has launched a new set of storage, server, cyber resilience and automation products for data centres, aimed at organisations managing both artificial intelligence workloads and existing business systems.

The announcement covers the PowerStore storage line, PowerEdge server range, PowerProtect cyber resilience products and private cloud software, along with a new automation platform and orchestration tools.

The updates target businesses facing rising infrastructure demands as AI projects grow while older applications continue to require stable performance. Dell positioned the launch around supporting both newer AI-related workloads and traditional enterprise computing without forcing a trade-off between the two.

In storage, Dell introduced PowerStore Elite, a modular platform designed to improve performance and density while allowing upgrades without downtime or data migration. Dell said it can deliver up to three times the performance of earlier generations and support up to 5.8 petabytes of effective capacity in a 3U appliance, with a 6:1 data reduction guarantee.

The storage update is paired with an expansion of the PowerEdge server portfolio. Dell added 11 new servers across air-cooled and liquid-cooled formats, reflecting growing pressure on data centre operators to balance higher compute density with power and cooling constraints.

The new systems span a range of use cases. Liquid-cooled models such as the PowerEdge M9825 are aimed at AI and high-performance computing workloads, while air-cooled systems including the XE5845 and XE7845 target PCIe-based AI deployments. Other additions, including the R9825, R9815, R9810, R8815, R6815, R7815, R7815xd and R7825, are positioned for consolidation, high core density, storage-heavy tasks, virtualisation and analytics.

Dell said the latest PowerEdge generation can deliver up to 70% better performance than its predecessor and, in some use cases, consolidate as many as 13 older systems into one newer machine. It is also introducing platforms based on AMD EPYC processors and Intel's next-generation server processor, codenamed Diamond Rapids.

Cyber resilience

Alongside the compute and storage launch, Dell introduced PowerProtect One, which combines protection management and backup storage under a single control plane. Dell said the platform is designed to reduce operational overhead by bringing together orchestration, storage and third-party support in one management layer.

Dell also extended Cyber Detect to its PowerStore and PowerMax storage products. The software is designed to identify ransomware corruption at the byte level and locate the last known clean copy of data for recovery.

Cyber security has become a bigger factor in infrastructure buying decisions as ransomware attacks grow in frequency and cost. Vendors across the storage and server market have been expanding recovery, detection and backup integration in response, particularly as AI tools make both cyber attacks and cyber defence more automated.

Cloud and automation

Dell also used the launch to expand the role of its private cloud and automation software. Dell Private Cloud now supports deployment of newer software from Broadcom, Microsoft and Nutanix, including VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1, Microsoft Azure Local and integration between PowerStore and Nutanix AHV.

Dell said its private cloud approach allows customers to run software stacks on disaggregated infrastructure rather than traditional hyperconverged systems. It also renamed Dell NativeEdge as Dell Distributed Private Cloud, aimed at edge and distributed locations with features including two-node high-availability clusters, automatic failover and live migration.

Another part of the rollout is the Dell Automation Platform, which Dell said introduces AI agents and a conversational interface for infrastructure management. Dell Automation Studio, a premium feature set within that platform, is intended to let customers build automation workflows across compute, storage, networking and applications using existing tools and processes.

Arthur Lewis, president of Dell Technologies' Infrastructure Solutions Group, set out the company's position on the shift in enterprise infrastructure demand.

"AI doesn't wait, and neither can the infrastructure under it. The modern data centre is defined by intelligent software that makes IT simpler, and we're delivering it end-to-end. PowerStore Elite, next-generation PowerEdge servers, PowerProtect One and the agentic automation across Dell Private Cloud give customers a complete, software-driven foundation to run their most demanding workloads today and keep evolving for what comes next," said Lewis.

Matt Kimball, VP and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, said the product set addressed a broad operational problem for IT departments.

"IT teams are being asked to support AI, defend against increasingly sophisticated threats, and modernise infrastructure - often without adding headcount. Dell's approach stands out because it addresses the operational reality across the full stack. PowerStore Elite helps eliminate the traditional storage refresh cycle, PowerEdge enables meaningful infrastructure consolidation and PowerProtect One simplifies cyber resilience. Together, these technologies reduce operational complexity, which remains one of the largest hidden costs in enterprise IT," said Kimball.