HPE has expanded its ProLiant edge portfolio with the new EL2000 chassis and two Gen12 servers, as well as an updated version of the DL145 Gen11. The systems are designed for AI inference and mission-critical workloads in demanding environments such as defense, manufacturing, and telecommunications. Each platform is also available with an Environmental Ruggedization Option Kit.
With this new announcement, HPE is targeting organizations that want to deploy AI workloads in locations where traditional server infrastructure is not feasible. Think of factories, military operations, and telecom towers in remote areas. Krista Satterthwaite, senior vice president and general manager of Compute at HPE, states: “Organizations are pushing towards the edge for AI inferencing, and remote operations, where traditional IT structures are impractical for many industries.”
The ProLiant Gen12 platform was introduced last year with a focus on security and AI. The new edge variants build on that foundation but are specifically optimized for size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints.
EL2000 chassis for the harshest conditions
The HPE ProLiant Compute EL2000 chassis serves as the foundation for two new Gen12 servers: the EL220 and the EL240. The EL2000 supports up to two EL220 servers or one EL240 server. The chassis runs on Intel Xeon 6 processors and scales from 8 to 144 cores, with a TDP of up to 350 watts. The system operates reliably in environments ranging from -40 to 55 degrees Celsius and up to 95 percent humidity.
The EL240 variant supports Nvidia RTX PRO 4500 and RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs. Both servers support Nvidia AI Enterprise, including software that complies with government guidelines for high security levels. Additionally, the chassis meets U.S. national security standards for electromagnetic interference (EMI) and extreme environmental conditions.
The EL220 and EL240 Gen12 servers will be available later in 2026.
DL145 Gen11 gets AMD EPYC 8005 upgrade
In addition to the new chassis, HPE is also updating the HPE ProLiant DL145 Gen11, originally launched in September 2024. The 2U server will now feature the upcoming AMD EPYC 8005 series processors, codenamed “Sorano,” with up to 84 energy-efficient cores. The server is suitable for quiet deployments in manufacturing and retail, and also operates at temperatures up to 55 degrees Celsius.
A version of the DL145 Gen11 was validated as the only purpose-built server for edge AI inference in the MLPerf Inference v6.0 results, based on the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Server Edition GPU. A Premier Solution for Azure Local is also available, including support for Azure Local Disconnected Operations, relevant for environments without a constant internet connection.
HPE centrally manages all edge platforms via Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) and HPE Compute Ops Management, enabling IT teams to remotely configure, monitor, and secure servers.