Dell Technologies introduces PowerStore Elite, a completely redesigned version of its enterprise storage platform. The new generation delivers up to 3 times the performance and density of the previous generation. The 3U chassis holds a whopping 5.8 petabytes of data and comes with a 6:1 data reduction guarantee.
PowerStore Elite is available in three new models: the PowerStore 1500, 5500, and 9500. The platform supports block, file, virtual machine, and container workloads on a single system, with mixed-generation clustering that enables existing PowerStore customers to adopt the new generation without downtime or data migration.
Software as the foundation
The performance story starts with software. Dell is introducing Autonomous Data Path intelligence, a machine learning feature that optimizes per I/O operation for both TLC and QLC flash. This is relevant because QLC drives are cheaper but are traditionally considered less suitable for intensive workloads. The new software intelligence is designed to bridge that gap.
Also new is Metadata Acceleration, a software update that makes reads up to 70 percent faster for all PowerStore customers. This is also available via a software update on existing systems. Additionally, Dell is introducing log-structured metadata for increased capacity and lifespan on high-capacity drives. It can also apply deduplication to unstructured data, freeing up capacity without impacting performance.
New hardware
The hardware has been completely redesigned. PowerStore Elite is switching to industry-standard E3 NVMe low-profile drives. This gives customers more choice and protects them from the current shortage in the flash market.
PowerStore Elite has up to 50 percent more Intel Xeon Scalable Processor cores than its predecessor. It also features DDR5 memory, PCIe Gen 5, and a new 200Gb RDMA node interconnect for improved internal load balancing and failover. Each appliance can be equipped with up to 40 network ports supporting 64Gb Fibre Channel (upgradable to 128Gb) and is ready for 200/400Gb Ethernet.
6:1 data reduction guarantee
Dell is increasing its data reduction guarantee from 5:1 to 6:1, claiming to offer the best guarantee in the primary storage market. The guarantee applies to new arrays initially running on PowerStoreOS 5.0.
AI-driven automation and ransomware detection
PowerStore Elite integrates Dell AIOps for fleet-wide automation. Dell claims that the built-in intelligence can reduce manual management tasks by up to 95 percent and resolve issues up to ten times faster than traditional methods.
New is Dell Cyber Detect, a ransomware detection feature that inspects data at the byte level. The technology is based on that of Index Engines and detects ransomware corruption with a claimed accuracy of 99.99 percent, trained on thousands of ransomware variants. Cyber Detect identifies the latest clean copy so organizations can recover quickly. The feature is also available for PowerMax. Cyber Detect for PowerStore will be available in Q3 2026, while the version for PowerMax will be released in the second half of 2026.
Availability
Dell PowerStore Elite will be available worldwide starting in July 2026.
Also read: Dell announces AI Factory expansions at Dell Technologies World