Dell XE9680 Solution Brief.pdf
Kamiwaza: Secure, efficient AI where your data lives
Organizations with sensitive data face a fundamental challenge: they need the powerful insights that artificial intelligence (AI) can provide, but traditional AI solutions often require moving data to centralized processing environments, creating security and compliance risks. Meanwhile, the computational demands of modern AI strain infrastructure resources and budgets.
Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers powered by Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerators with Kamiwaza’s AI orchestration technology offer a breakthrough solution. This powerful combination brings AI processing directly to the data, eliminating unnecessary transfers while delivering exceptional performance and efficiency.
By processing information where it already resides — whether on-premises, in the cloud, or at the edge — organizations maintain complete control over sensitive data while leveraging the full power of modern AI.
The partnership between Dell, Intel®, and Kamiwaza combines cutting-edge hardware with sophisticated AI orchestration technology, resulting in a solution that:
- Secures sensitive data by processing it within existing security boundaries
- Transforms legacy data formats into modern, queryable assets
- Reduces processing time from days to minutes for complex analytical tasks
- Decreases energy consumption by up to 40% compared to competing solutions
- Enables non-technical users to access complex data through natural language processing (NLP)
- Scales seamlessly from departmental deployments to enterprise-wide implementations
This solution brief explores how Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers with Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerators and Kamiwaza deliver these capabilities and how organizations across government, healthcare, finance, and other regulated industries can implement this technology to turn their most sensitive data into actionable intelligence without compromise.
The challenge: AI for sensitive data
The data security dilemma
As AI becomes essential to organizational strategy, many enterprises face critical dilemmas:
Security requirements — Sensitive data often can’t leave secure environments due to intellectual property protection and regulatory requirements, like:
- The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)
AI processing demands — Traditional AI approaches require centralized processing and data movement, creating security vulnerabilities, compliance risks, and operational inefficiencies.
Legacy data formats — Many organizations have decades of valuable data locked in legacy formats that are difficult to access, analyze, or integrate with AI systems.
Technical expertise gaps — Data science expertise is scarce, making it difficult for organizations to extract value from complex datasets without specialized skills.
The fragmented data landscape
Enterprise data isn’t a neatly packaged asset. It exists as a complex ecosystem spread across:
- Multiple physical data centers operating with different security protocols and access controls
- Diverse cloud environments, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Google Cloud, and private clouds
- Edge locations at branch offices, retail locations, and manufacturing facilities
- Legacy systems with proprietary data formats and limited integration capabilities
- Security domains that are separated due to regulatory requirements, compliance mandates, and risk policies
- Partner and vendor systems containing critical business information outside organizational control
This distribution isn’t a flaw — it’s a natural evolution reflecting organizational complexity, security requirements, geographic expansion, and the rapid proliferation of specialized systems that solve specific business problems.
The cost of centralization
When organizations attempt to centralize their data to enable AI initiatives, they encounter numerous obstacles:
- Economic infeasibility — Moving petabytes or exabytes of data is prohibitively expensive in terms of bandwidth, storage, and computing resources.
- Security compromises — Centralizing sensitive information creates single points of vulnerability and increases attack surfaces.
- Compliance violations — Data sovereignty and regulatory requirements often legally prohibit moving certain data across jurisdictions.
- Integration complexity — Connecting hundreds of disparate systems requires massive engineering resources and creates brittle dependencies.
- Operational disruption — Data migration projects can take years, delaying AI initiatives and business transformation.
- Ongoing maintenance burden — Centralized repositories require continuous synchronization, creating ever-growing technical debt.
Infrastructure limitations
Even when organizations commit to AI adoption, implementation challenges persist:
- Performance constraints — Traditional hardware struggles to process the massive datasets required for effective AI, leading to analysis delays that impact decision-making.
- Energy consumption — AI workloads are notoriously power-hungry, straining data center capacity and conflicting with sustainability goals.
- Water cooling — New AI servers require extensive HVAC retrofit to accommodate increased heat density.
- Cost barriers — The expense of specialized AI hardware and the expertise to implement it creates significant barriers to entry for many organizations.
- Fragmented data environments — Enterprise data typically exists across multiple locations and formats, making comprehensive analysis difficult without risky centralization.
Organizations need a solution that addresses these challenges comprehensively — one that brings AI capabilities to data rather than forcing data to move to centralized AI systems, all while delivering performance without excessive costs or complexity.
The solution: Dell PowerEdge XE9680 + Intel Gaudi 3 + Kamiwaza
Overview
Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers powered by Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerators with Kamiwaza create a unified solution for secure, efficient AI processing across distributed data environments. This partnership combines:
- Dell PowerEdge XE9680 — Dell’s first 8-way GPU server, purpose-built for AI workloads with exceptional capacity, cooling, and reliability.
- Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerators — High-performance, energy-efficient accelerators specifically optimized for AI workloads, with industry-leading networking capabilities for distributed processing.
- Kamiwaza AI orchestration — Intelligently processes data where it resides, converts legacy formats, and provides natural language access to complex datasets.
The result is a comprehensive solution that enables organizations to analyze sensitive data securely, efficiently, and cost-effectively without compromising on performance or capabilities.
Kamiwaza’s paradigm shift: Intelligence flows to information
Kamiwaza takes a fundamentally different approach by inverting the traditional AI architecture:
- Instead of centralizing data in a single repository, Kamiwaza deploys intelligence where data already resides.
- Instead of moving raw information across boundaries, Kamiwaza processes locally and returns only results.
- Instead of building point solutions for specific use cases, Kamiwaza provides a unified framework for distributed intelligence.
This paradigm shift eliminates the centralization prerequisite that has blocked enterprise AI adoption, enabling organizations to leverage their entire data ecosystem for intelligence and automation.
Key capabilities
Core capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Process data where it lives | Analyze sensitive information without moving it outside secure environments. Maintain compliance with industry regulations and security policies. Deploy consistently across on-premises, cloud, and edge environments. Connect previously siloed data without centralizing it. |
| Transform legacy data | Convert outdated formats into modern, queryable assets. Unlock insights from decades of historical information. Automatically clean and normalize data across sources. Create unified views of previously fragmented information. |
| Accelerate time-to-insight | Process billions of data points in minutes rather than days. Enable natural language queries for non-technical users. Automatically correlate data across multiple sources. Deliver analysis in interactive timeframes. |
| Optimize resource use | Reduce energy consumption by up to 40% compared to competing solutions. Lower total cost of ownership with better price-performance ratio. Scale efficiently as needs grow without infrastructure overhauls. Minimize infrastructure footprint through improved efficiency. |
AI orchestration
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Flexible model deployment | Deploy state-of-the-art foundation models including Qwen, Llama, Mistral, Falcon, and more. Run proprietary or customized models with complete data sovereignty. Support multiple model sizes optimized for different use cases and hardware configurations. Deploy specialized domain-adapted models for industry-specific applications. |
| Multi-modal intelligence | Process and understand text, images, tabular data, and structured information. Connect insights across multiple data types for comprehensive understanding. Extract and correlate information from diverse document formats including scanned records. Use vision-language capabilities for document analysis and image understanding. |
| Advanced reasoning | Implement multi-step reasoning for complex problem-solving. Enable chain-of-thought processes for transparent decision-making. Support retrieval augmented generation (RAG) with enterprise knowledge. Execute domain-specific reasoning frameworks for specialized industries. |
AI capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Intelligent document processing | Extract structured information from unstructured documents. Understand complex document layouts with visual-spatial comprehension. Automatically classify, route, and process documents at scale. Connect document insights to business workflows and processes. |
| Knowledge discovery | Build comprehensive knowledge graphs across enterprise data sources. Map relationships between entities, concepts, and information assets. Enable complex queries spanning multiple domains and data types. Provide contextual understanding for non-technical users. |
| Conversational AI | Deploy enterprise assistants with access to internal knowledge. Enable natural language access to complex information systems. Support multi-turn conversations with context maintenance. Integrate with business systems for transactional capabilities. |
| Predictive analysis | Develop forecasting models trained on distributed enterprise data. Identify patterns and anomalies across previously siloed information. Predict outcomes based on comprehensive historical analysis. Generate actionable intelligence for business decision-making. |
Technical architecture
Dell PowerEdge XE9680 specifications
| Component | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Processor | Two 5th Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors with up to 64 cores per processor. Two 4th Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors with up to 56 cores per processor. |
| Memory | 32 DDR5 DIMM slots, supporting up to 4TB of memory. Speeds up to 5600MT/s with 5th Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors. |
| Accelerator configuration | 8 Intel® Gaudi® 3 128GB 900W OAM accelerators with embedded RoCE ports for Ethernet connectivity. Up to 6x800GB embedded OSFP ports specifically for Gaudi® 3 implementations. |
| Storage | Up to 8x2.5-inch NVMe SSD drives (with Intel® Gaudi® 3). Boot Optimized Storage Subsystem (BOSS-N1). |
| Expansion | Up to 8 PCIe Gen5 slots (with Intel® Gaudi® 3). |
| Power & cooling | 3000W Titanium 200-240VAC or 240VDC (Multi-rated, available with Intel® Gaudi® 3). Air cooling with up to 12 high-performance fans with Intel® Gaudi® 3. |
| Form factor | 6U rack server. Height: 263.2mm (10.36 inches). Width: 482.0mm (18.97 inches). Depth: 1008.77mm (39.71 inches) with bezel. |
| Management & security | iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller, Silicon-based Root of Trust, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, Comprehensive Dell OpenManage software suite. |
Intel Gaudi 3 specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Processing capabilities | 64 Tensor Processor Cores (TPCs) and 8 Matrix Multiplication Engines (MMEs). 1.8 PFlops of FP8 and BF16 compute. 4x AI compute improvement for BF16 over previous generation. Optimized for dense matrix operations common in AI workloads. |
| Memory & bandwidth | 128GB HBM2e with 3.7TB/s bandwidth (1.5x increase over Gaudi® 2). 96MB on-chip SRAM for frequently accessed data. Advanced memory management for complex AI models. |
Kamiwaza architecture
| Component | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Distributed data engine | Intelligently locates and accesses data across environments. Converts legacy formats to modern, standardized structures. Implements automatic data cleaning and normalization. Ensures data remains within security boundaries during processing. |
| Inference mesh | Orchestrates AI workloads across distributed environments. Optimizes resource allocation based on workload requirements. Provides unified access to distributed processing resources. Manages fault tolerance and resilience for AI tasks. |
| Natural language interface | Translates business questions into optimized queries. Enables non-technical users to access complex data. Integrates with existing business intelligence tools. Presents results in accessible, actionable formats. |
| Software integration | Seamless integration with popular AI frameworks. Support for Hugging Face and other model repositories. Optimized libraries for common AI operations. Open architecture for flexible deployment. |
Integration architecture
Dell PowerEdge XE9680, Intel® Gaudi® 3, and Kamiwaza integrate through a reference architecture that ensures optimal performance and security.
Deployment patterns
- Direct integration with existing data infrastructure
- Non-invasive implementation requiring minimal changes to data sources
- Flexible deployment across on-premises, cloud, and edge environments
- Support for hybrid architectures with data spanning multiple domains
Security integration
- Preservation of existing security boundaries and controls
- Integration with enterprise identity and access management
- Encryption throughout the processing pipeline
Performance & security benchmarks
Performance benchmarks
| Performance category | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Data processing speed | Legacy format conversion—500GB/hour (33,000 files processed in under 4 hours). Query response time—90% of queries completed in under 10 seconds. Complex analysis (billion+ data points)—10-minute completion versus days with traditional methods. Batch processing improvement—85% reduction in processing time compared to CPU-only systems. |
| Scalability | Linear performance scaling to 8 Gaudi® 3 accelerators in a single XE9680. Near-linear scaling to multiple XE9680 servers for larger workloads. Minimal performance degradation with heterogeneous data sources. Consistent performance across on-premises and cloud deployments. |
| Energy efficiency | 40% lower power consumption compared to leading GPU alternatives. 65% improvement in performance-per-watt over CPU-only environments. 85% reduction in cooling requirements due to optimized thermal design. Average 52% decrease in total energy consumption for equivalent workloads. |
Security capabilities
| Security category | Features |
|---|---|
| Data protection | Zero data movement outside established security boundaries. End-to-end encryption for all processing activities. Granular access controls tied to enterprise identity systems. Complete audit trail of all data access and processing. |
| Compliance support | HIPAA compliance for healthcare deployments. FISMA/FedRAMP capabilities for government environments. GDPR-ready processing that respects data sovereignty. SOC2 compliance for commercial implementations. |
| Resilience | Automatic failover for hardware failures. Self-healing capabilities for software components. Graceful degradation under extreme loads. 99.99% availability in production environments. |
Customer success story: Department of Homeland Security
Challenge
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) needed to transform how they analyze weather data for emergency preparedness and response. Their challenges included:
- Processing 1.3 billion weather data points spanning 90 years.
- Converting outdated GEMPAK format files into modern, queryable formats.
- Enabling non-technical emergency response teams to access insights.
- Meeting strict government requirements for security and energy efficiency.
- Reducing analysis time from days to minutes to enable rapid response.
Solution
DHS implemented Dell PowerEdge servers with Intel® Gaudi® accelerators and Kamiwaza software to transform their weather analysis capabilities:
- Deployed Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers with Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerators for high-performance computing.
- Used Kamiwaza to orchestrate AI processing across distributed data sources.
- Implemented natural language querying for emergency responders.
- Created automated processes to correlate weather anomalies with historical events.
- Developed a system that automatically retrieves news and reports related to similar weather patterns.
Results
The implementation delivered transformative results for DHS:
- Reduced analysis time — Processing that previously took days now completes in minutes.
- Improved accessibility — Non-technical team members can now query complex weather data.
- Enhanced prediction — The system now automatically correlates current conditions with historical patterns.
- Energy efficiency — DHS now meets stringent government requirements for sustainable computing.
- Expanded capabilities — DHS now provides insights to organizations from transportation companies to theme park operators.
Implementation scenarios
| Industry | Scenario | Implementation | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government | Government agencies need to analyze secure information across multiple security domains while maintaining strict compliance with security regulations. | Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers deployed within private networks at multiple security levels. Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerators providing high-performance, energy-efficient processing. Kamiwaza deployed to orchestrate processing while maintaining data within appropriate security boundaries. Automated correlation of information across domains where permitted. Natural language access for analysts without specialized data science skills. | Reduction in analysis time for complex intelligence datasets. Elimination of risky data transfers between security domains. Enhanced analytical capabilities without increasing security risks. Improved accessibility of insights for decision-makers. |
| Healthcare research & patient care | Healthcare organizations need to leverage AI across patient records, research data, and operational systems while maintaining HIPAA compliance. | Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers deployed across clinical and research environments. Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerators provide high-performance computing capabilities. Deploy Kamiwaza to keep patient data within secure boundaries. Integration with existing clinical systems and research databases. Natural language interface for clinicians and researchers. | HIPAA-compliant processing that never exposes PHI. Faster research data analysis without specialized expertise. Improved diagnostic accuracy through historical pattern analysis. |
| Financial services & fraud detection | Financial institutions need real-time fraud detection while processing sensitive transaction data that can’t leave secure environments. | Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers deployed across transaction processing environments. Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerators integrated with existing fraud detection systems. Deploy Kamiwaza for real-time analysis of transaction patterns. Integration with regulatory reporting and compliance systems. Automated alerts based on historical and emerging fraud patterns. | Reduction in false-positive fraud alerts. Improvement in fraud detection rates. Regulatory compliance with data locality requirements. |
| Critical infrastructure | Utilities and industrial facilities need to analyze operational technology data for cybersecurity and efficiency without exposing control systems. | Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers deployed at the edge, near operational technology systems. Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerators installed in hardened industrial environments. Deploy Kamiwaza to enable air-gapped processing without exposing control systems to external networks. Integration with existing SCADA and industrial control systems. Automated anomaly detection and correlation with historical patterns. | Real-time detection of operational anomalies before they impact service. 72% reduction in false alarms for security events. Preservation of air-gapped security while enabling advanced analytics. Predictive maintenance capabilities, reducing outages by 45%. |
Getting started
Assessment process
| Assessment phase | Activities |
|---|---|
| Data environment assessment | Inventory of data sources, formats, and volumes. Evaluation of security requirements and boundaries. Assessment of existing infrastructure and integration points. Identification of priority use cases and success metrics. |
| Technical readiness evaluation | Infrastructure readiness for Dell PowerEdge XE9680 and Gaudi® 3 integration. Network capacity and connectivity evaluation. Security and compliance gap analysis. Skills assessment and training needs identification. |
| Business value mapping | Quantification of current process inefficiencies. Identification of high-impact use cases. ROI projection based on benchmarked performance. Implementation roadmap development. |
Implementation process
| Implementation phase | Timeline | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Proof of concept | 4-6 weeks | Installation of Dell PowerEdge XE9680 with Intel® Gaudi® 3 and Kamiwaza in a controlled environment. Integration with representative data sources. Validation of performance and security capabilities. Demonstration of key use cases. |
| Phase 2: Pilot implementation | 6-12 weeks | Deployment in a production environment with a limited scope. Integration with prioritized data sources. User training and feedback collection. Performance optimization and tuning. |
| Phase 3: Production expansion | 3-6 months | Scaled deployment across target environments. Integration with a full range of data sources. Advanced feature enablement. Establishment of operational processes and governance. |
| Phase 4: Continuous optimization | ongoing | Regular performance analysis and tuning. Expansion to additional use cases. Integration of new data sources. Adoption of new capabilities as released. |
Support & services
| Service category | Offerings |
|---|---|
| Technical support | 24/7 support for production environments through Dell ProSupport. Direct access to implementation specialists. Regular maintenance and updates. Performance monitoring and optimization. |
| Professional services | Implementation planning and execution from Dell Services. Custom integration development. Performance optimization. Security hardening and compliance validation. |
| Training and enablement | Administrator training for deployment and management. Developer training for integration and customization. End-user training for natural language interface. Executive briefings on capabilities and roadmap. |
About the companies
Dell Technologies
Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) is a unique family of businesses that helps organizations and individuals build their digital future and transform how they work, live and play. The company provides customers with the industry’s broadest and most innovative technology and services portfolio spanning from edge to core to cloud.
Intel®
Intel® (Nasdaq: INTC) is an industry leader, creating world-changing technology that enables global progress and enriches lives. Inspired by Moore’s Law, we continuously work to advance the design and manufacturing of semiconductors to help address our customers’ greatest challenges. By embedding intelligence in the cloud, network, edge and every kind of computing device, we unleash the potential of data to transform business and society for the better.
Kamiwaza
Kamiwaza revolutionizes how organizations harness AI while keeping their data secure. Our technology brings AI processing directly to the data, rather than the other way around, seamlessly orchestrating AI workloads across on-site systems, cloud environments, and network edges. By processing AI exactly where data lives — whether behind strict firewalls or regulatory boundaries — Kamiwaza empowers organizations to deploy cutting-edge AI with unprecedented security, speed, and control.
A proud graduate of the Intel Liftoff program, Kamiwaza continues to partner with Intel and Dell to deliver transformative AI solutions for organizations with the most demanding security and performance requirements.