Dell's 9.83PB ObjectScale system powers AI storage

Dell has launched a high-density storage solution to meet the surging demand for AI workloads with a 9.83PB raw capacity system packed into just 2U of rack space. The configuration leverages 40 KIOXIA 245.76TB NVMe SSDs, delivering unprecedented storage density for unstructured data in AI, big data, and analytics environments. This comes as IDC projects global data center storage capacity will nearly double from 10.1 zettabytes in 2023 to 21.0 zettabytes by 2027, driven largely by AI and data-intensive applications.

The solution addresses critical bottlenecks in traditional storage architectures by enabling direct data access from storage to processors, bypassing memory bottlenecks. Dell's ObjectScale software supports both on-premises deployment and Dell Elastic Cloud Storage (ECS) instances, giving enterprises flexibility in data management. With claims of doubling efficiency compared to competitors and 76% total cost of ownership savings versus public cloud alternatives, this offering positions Dell as a key player in the emerging AI-native storage infrastructure market. IT leaders should evaluate performance, power requirements, and cost when assessing this configuration against their specific needs.