AMD EPYC™ Processors and VMware® vSphere+™ Bring the Benefits of the Cloud to On-Premises Workloads

Kumaran_Siva · ‎06-28-2022

Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) replaces siloed compute and storage equipment with standard servers and local storage. HCI can also converge networking to offer “software-defined networking” (SDN). Software such as VMware® vSphere+™ then creates the virtual compute nodes, storage clusters, and switches to replicate a complete datacenter without the need for legacy architecture silos. This “convergence” can run multiple workloads using either VMs or containers with high performance, resiliency, and simple maintenance compared to traditional datacenters.

AMD EPYC™ Processors are Ideal for HCI

AMD EPYC processors offer customers a flexible array of core counts (from 8 to 64 in 2nd and 3rd Gen models) and frequencies that empower you to optimize for your specific environment and use case to target the following benefits:

x86 compatibility that is driving a thriving ecosystem of applications, including the databases, analytics, and technical computing(1) solutions you need to tackle your most pressing needs. These solutions provide a great customer experience right out of the box that gets you up and running quickly. With AMD EPYC processors, your applications “just work.”
World record performance across many benchmarks, workloads, and applications in both legacy and virtualized deployments.
Built-in AMD Infinity Guard(2) features help protect sensitive data in virtualized environments via Secure Encrypted Virtualization-Encrypted State (SEV-ES). SEV-ES isolates VMs from each other and the hypervisor and also encrypts the CPU register contents when a VM stops running to help keep CPU register information from being visible to the hypervisor. These features require no workload modifications and only minimally impact performance.
Maximum value for your limited IT budget. Organizations are under constant pressure to do more with less. HCI deployments powered by AMD EPYC processors deliver numerous benefits that can help lower both initial and ongoing costs.
AMD EPYC processors power the most energy efficient x86 servers, delivering exceptional performance and helping reduce energy costs.(3)

Core Counts are Growing

Today’s CPU vendors are packing more and more cores into each CPU, and the AMD multi-chiplet architecture is helping drive this trend. Just a few years ago, 1st Gen AMD EPYC processors included a maximum of 32 cores. Today's 3rd Gen AMD EPYC processors include up to 64 cores... and future generations are expected to include up to 96 and 128 cores. High core counts may allow you to consolidate workloads onto fewer servers, thereby helping optimize both TCO and energy efficiency. VMware® vSphere+™ simplifies managing a diverse array of workloads running on the same infrastructure.

Introducing VMware® vSphere+™

VMware vSphere+ is the multi-cloud workload platform that brings the benefits of cloud to on-premises workloads. vSphere+ combines leading-edge virtualization technology, an enterprise-ready Kubernetes® environment, and high-value cloud services to transform existing on-premises deployments into SaaS-enabled infrastructure that centralizes management, supercharges productivity, and accelerates innovation. With vSphere+, IT admins and developers can easily build, run, and manage their traditional and next-gen applications. vSphere+ can be purchased through a flexible subscription plan that aligns well with the business.

Choose vSAN ReadyNodes™ Powered by AMD EPYC

vSAN ReadyNodes™ are tested and certified vSAN hardware that make ideal HCI building blocks because they are recommended by both VMware and the server OEM. Put simply, your applications will “just work.” vSAN ReadyNodes powered by AMD EPYC processors offer the benefits outlined above. Check out AMD Solutions for HCI and Virtualization and AMD Data Center Partner Ecosystem for more info.

AMD EPYC and VMware Deliver Modern HCI Solutions

More applications are being developed faster than ever, and HCI can flex and scale to meet these evolving needs. AMD and VMware collaborate to innovate performance, security features, and value. We also validate silicon and solutions, optimize for shared customers, and align with many datacenter and cloud releases, please read the full solution brief to learn more about the compelling reasons why you should consider deploying HCI powered by AMD EPYC processors and VMware vSphere+.

Kumaran Siva is a Corporate Vice President of Strategic Business Development for AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

FOOTNOTES

“Technical Computing” or “Technical Computing Workloads” as defined by AMD can include: electronic design automation, computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis, seismic tomography, weather forecasting, quantum mechanics, climate research, molecular modeling, or similar workloads. GD-204
AMD Infinity Guard features vary by EPYC™ Processor generations. Infinity Guard security features must be enabled by server OEMs and/or Cloud Service Providers to operate. Check with your OEM or provider to confirm support of these fea- tures. Learn more about Infinity Guard at https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/infinity-guard. GD-183