Dell PowerEdge XE8640 and XE9640 GPU servers are engineered to deliver cutting-edge performance for AI, ML, and HPC workloads. The XE8640 offers hybrid air and liquid cooling with 4 NVIDIA H100 GPUs, while the XE9640 provides a fully liquid-cooled 6U chassis with 8 NVIDIA H100 GPUs. Both servers support advanced Intel Xeon processors and massive memory capacity, addressing scalable, power-hungry applications including Large Language Models.
How Do Dell PowerEdge XE8640 and XE9640 Servers Manage Cooling for Intensive Workloads?
The XE8640 uses a hybrid liquid-assisted air cooling system where liquid cools the GPUs directly, transferring heat to a large air-cooled radiator, eliminating the need for external water connections. In contrast, the XE9640 utilizes a fully liquid-cooled chassis designed to handle elevated thermal loads from its eight accelerators, improving power efficiency and density in data centers with demanding thermal requirements.
This hybrid versus full liquid cooling distinction allows the XE8640 to fit into environments with standard air cooling capabilities, while the XE9640 suits intensive, large-scale AI and HPC tasks requiring maximum thermal management and energy efficiency.
What Are the Accelerator and Processor Configurations of XE8640 and XE9640?
The XE8640 houses four NVIDIA HGX H100 80GB SXM5 GPUs interconnected by NVIDIA NVLink, supported by up to two 4th or 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors and a maximum of 4 TB DDR5 RAM through 32 DIMM slots.
The XE9640 doubles GPU capacity with eight NVIDIA HGX H100 SXM5 GPUs, maintains dual 4th or 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, and boosts memory capacity to 8 TB DDR5 with the same 32 DIMM slots. This makes the XE9640 ideal for the highest density GPU performance and memory-intensive AI workloads.
Which AI and HPC Workloads Are Ideal for the PowerEdge XE8640 and XE9640?
The XE8640 excels in dense inferencing and AI training environments, balancing high performance with air cooling suitability. It is suitable for medium data set language models, natural language processing, modeling, simulation, and image recognition.
The XE9640 is tailored for large-scale AI and HPC applications demanding peak GPU density and power efficiency, such as large language models, generative AI, high-resolution simulation, and industrial-level scientific computation.
How Do Dell PowerEdge XE8640 and XE9640 Compare in Performance and Efficiency?
Benchmarks show the XE9640 and XE8640 outperform previous generation servers by up to four times in certain AI tasks, thanks to the NVIDIA H100 GPUs and Intel Xeon processors. The fully liquid-cooled XE9640 offers improved density and thermal management, translating into better power utilization efficiency and lower total cost of ownership.
The hybrid-cooled XE8640 provides a flexible balance of performance and cooling, making it more adaptable to diverse data center environments without compromising throughput. Both servers support NVIDIA NVLink for GPU interconnectivity, boosting performance in multi-GPU workloads.
| Feature | PowerEdge XE8640 | PowerEdge XE9640 |
|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | 4U hybrid air and liquid cooling | 6U fully liquid cooled |
| GPUs | 4x NVIDIA HGX H100 80GB SXM5 | 8x NVIDIA HGX H100 80GB SXM5 |
| Processors | Up to 2x Intel Xeon Scalable (4th/5th Gen) | 2x Intel Xeon Scalable (4th/5th Gen) |
| Memory | Up to 4 TB DDR5 (32 DIMM slots) | Up to 8 TB DDR5 (32 DIMM slots) |
| Cooling | Liquid-assisted air cooling system | Fully liquid-cooled chassis |
| Ideal Workloads | AI inferencing, medium LLMs, modeling | Large-scale AI, HPC, large LLM training |
| Power Efficiency | Good, no external water required | High, optimized for large GPU density |
Why Is GPU Diversity Important in the Dell PowerEdge XE9640?
The XE9640 supports not only NVIDIA H100 SXM GPUs but also Intel Data Center Max OAM GPUs via Intel Xelink interconnect. This GPU diversity offers customers more choices to tailor systems for specific AI workloads, including memory-coherent tasks like large language models. This enables seamless GPU communication, pooled memory, and higher efficiency, which is a key advantage for enterprise AI infrastructure.
Where Does Wecent Fit in the Dell PowerEdge XE Series Ecosystem?
Wecent Technology is a trusted global enterprise-class server and IT solutions provider, partnering with Dell to supply authentic PowerEdge XE8640 and XE9640 servers. Headquartered in Shenzhen with 8+ years of experience, Wecent delivers these advanced GPU servers worldwide, ensuring businesses benefit from reliable, high-performance hardware optimized for AI and HPC workloads.
As a valued Wecent client, organizations gain access to professional guidance, competitive pricing, and tailored IT infrastructure solutions enabling simplified, efficient operations at scale.
What Are the Competitive Alternatives to Dell PowerEdge XE8640 and XE9640?
Alternatives include the AMD Instinct MI300X with its chiplet architecture and high-memory capacity, HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen12’s versatile 2U platform supporting AI accelerators, Intel Gaudi 3 AI accelerators optimized for scalable AI with Ethernet networking, and Supermicro GPU servers known for flexibility. Each offers unique strengths, but Dell’s integration of NVIDIA H100 GPUs with advanced cooling stands out for enterprise AI workloads.
How Does Wecent Support Customers Adopting the PowerEdge XE8640 and XE9640?
Wecent assists enterprises in choosing the right servers based on workload requirements, providing comprehensive support from procurement to deployment. Their expertise ensures seamless integration with existing IT infrastructure and long-term partner relations built on trust, quality, and tailored server solutions specifically around Dell’s PowerEdge XE series.
Wecent Expert Views
“Wecent recognizes the critical role of GPU-dense servers like the Dell PowerEdge XE8640 and XE9640 in advancing AI and HPC capabilities. Our deep collaboration with Dell ensures we deliver fully certified, high-quality systems optimized for performance and efficiency. These servers empower enterprises to scale AI workloads cost-effectively while maintaining flexibility in data center cooling environments. Wecent’s mission has always been to simplify complex IT investments and foster long-term success for our clients worldwide.”
What Actionable Advice Should Enterprises Consider When Choosing Between XE8640 and XE9640?
Selecting between the XE8640 and XE9640 hinges on cooling infrastructure, workload scale, and density needs. Enterprises with established air cooling can leverage the XE8640 for excellent performance with simplified facility requirements; those seeking maximum GPU density and power efficiency for very large-scale AI models should opt for the fully liquid-cooled XE9640. Engaging a knowledgeable partner like Wecent ensures tailored advice aligned with budget and performance goals.
Conclusion
Dell PowerEdge XE8640 and XE9640 servers represent the forefront of AI and HPC hardware, delivering unprecedented GPU performance, advanced cooling technologies, and scalability. Whether through hybrid cooling in the XE8640 or fully liquid-cooled XE9640, these servers handle the intense demands of modern AI workloads, including large language models. Supported by experienced providers like Wecent, enterprises worldwide can confidently deploy these platforms to accelerate AI innovation and achieve operational excellence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Can the XE8640 and XE9640 support GPUs other than NVIDIA H100?
Yes, the XE9640 supports both NVIDIA H100 SXM5 GPUs and Intel Data Center Max OAM GPUs, providing flexibility in AI workload specialization.
Q2: What memory capacities do these servers support?
The XE8640 supports up to 4 TB DDR5 RAM, while the XE9640 supports up to 8 TB DDR5 RAM using 32 DIMM slots.
Q3: Is external water cooling required for these servers?
No, the XE8640 uses a liquid-assisted air cooling system that does not require external water, while the XE9640 uses a fully liquid-cooled chassis designed for higher thermal loads.
Q4: Which workloads are best suited for the XE9640?
The XE9640 is ideal for large-scale AI, HPC, large language model training, and other intensive GPU workloads requiring maximum density and power efficiency.
Q5: How does Wecent help enterprises with these servers?
Wecent offers expert guidance, competitive pricing, and tailored IT solutions, ensuring seamless integration and long-term performance success of PowerEdge XE server deployments.