HPE expands GreenLake to push AI-driven hybrid cloud upgrades
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has expanded its GreenLake cloud portfolio, unveiling capabilities aimed at supporting enterprises as they revise their IT infrastructure strategies to address increased artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and hybrid cloud demands.
Hybrid cloud upgrades
The updated GreenLake platform incorporates enhanced virtualization, networking, and data protection features. HPE Morpheus Software now provides multi-hypervisor support and self-service consumption, with claims of reducing up to 90% of virtual machine licence costs by supporting multiple hypervisors. Central to these updates are zero-trust security principles, with HPE Juniper Networking introducing software-defined networking and integrated micro-segmentation, intended to give multiple layers of protection to virtual machines. The integration of Apstra Data Centre Director aims to automate network switch configuration and enforce consistent network and security policies regardless of workload movement.
Stretched cluster technology also arrives for Morpheus users, enabling synchronous replication of virtual machines across geographically distributed clusters. This is designed to ensure applications can withstand datacentre or hardware failures, delivering near-zero application downtime and automatic failover for mission-critical workloads.
AI and data management
Working alongside NVIDIA, HPE is integrating new AI capabilities into GreenLake. The HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 Data Intelligence Nodes uses NVIDIA's data platform as a reference design to create an active data layer, which provides real-time information enrichment for AI workloads. New HPE Private Cloud AI configurations offer NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs as standard in every system and provide security characteristics such as STIG-hardening and FIPS-enabled AI software, even for air-gapped environments.
Data protection for AI workloads sees an upgrade with the launch of the HPE StoreOnce 5720 and 7700 backup appliances. The all-flash 7700 is positioned to deliver up to 300TB per hour data ingest, halving recover times. Both models are designed to integrate with HPE's Alletra and SimpliVity platforms, allowing customers to access and reuse backup data directly for compliance or testing purposes.
Confidential computing capabilities are being advanced through collaborations with AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA, ensuring encryption of data, models, and operations end to end. This is positioned to support compliance needs in regulated sectors and mitigate risks of insider threats.
Operational simplification
The latest GreenLake updates also include CloudPhysics Plus, Cloud Commit, and an improved GreenLake Marketplace. These tools are intended to simplify hybrid cloud management, expand partner visibility, and provide greater transparency and control in operations and costs for customers.
HPE Financial Services is extending financing options across its cloud software and storage solutions, including programmes allowing payment spreading for up to three years and upfront payment holidays for storage adopters. HPE suggests these terms can deliver up to 10% cost savings compared with traditional purchasing contracts.
Customer focus
"Enterprises modernizing for AI, cloud, and virtualization take different paths - some race to accelerate time to market, others double down on security and compliance, while many zero in on cost efficiency and simplicity," said Fidelma Russo, executive vice president of hybrid cloud and CTO, HPE. "We offer a comprehensive cloud portfolio engineered to solve the challenges that matter most to our customers, while giving them the confidence to move fast and stay ahead of their competition."