Industrial applications are becoming more demanding and performance-hungry, and with condition monitoring, AI and high-resolution image processing, data streams are constantly growing. Even if the data streams to the cloud were still technically manageable, it is not just performance or cost reasons that speak in favor of cloud-like data processing and infrastructure at the edge: On the one hand, this makes centralization and virtualization easier and, on the other hand, many customers do not want their data to leave the respective campus for confidentiality and security reasons.

In addition, powerful AI accelerators can be integrated more efficiently on site and the shorter data lines for on-site processing ensure lower latency. A powerful cloud or edge IT infrastructure on site also enables OT to be fully integrated into IT instead of just being linked to IT. There is therefore much to be said for operating a powerful cloud infrastructure directly on site at the edge rather than in a remote data center. However, this infrastructure must be robust enough to function reliably even in the harsh industrial environment with its temperature fluctuations, vibrations and air pollution.

Siemens' first edge rack server is equipped with AMD EPYC processors.

© AMD

Siemens has developed a high-performance edge server system for precisely this purpose. The universal 2U form factor with a depth of only 585 mm (overall dimensions WD: 585 mm × 88 mm × 449 mm) allows easy installation in standardized industrial control cabinets with a depth of 800 mm. The integrated high-performance cooling system with front inlet and easily replaceable filters enables direct operation in industrial halls at temperatures from +5 °C to +45 °C. The systems are tested for vibration and shock resistance and have an EMC-resistant design so that they can also be used in the immediate vicinity of large electrically powered industrial plants. The systems are consistently designed for 24/7/365 continuous operation and can be operated with 230 V(AC). The power supply unit meets the 80 Plus energy efficiency level 'Titanium'.

Why AMD EPYC?

The Siemens industrial server with 'AMD EPYC Embedded' server processors was developed for hyper-converged infrastructures and offers a wide range of possible applications: As a basis for telecommunications services, data centers and private IoT clouds.

© Siemens

When selecting the processors, Siemens opted for the 'AMD EPYC 9004' family. This is based on AMD's efficient Zen4 technology and is optimized for server and storage applications. Due to the high security requirements for edge and server use, it has independent security processors and a hardware-based TPM (Tamper-Proof-Module) for a secure root-of-trust. The embedded processors are also characterized by long-term availability and extended temperature ranges.

Another feature of the EPYC processors is the realization in AMD's unique chiplet technology. This offers decisive advantages both technically and commercially: Chiplets - individual chips or dies within a single housing - offer the possibility of stacking them on top of each other in a very small space. Compared to an approach with a single monolithic chip within a housing (with its limited number of external connections), significantly higher packing and wiring densities can be achieved. In addition, chips or chiplets of different technologies and functions can be combined in one housing as required.

Among other things, this hybrid multi-chip SoC concept enabled the first x86 server processors in 7 nm technology with significantly higher energy efficiency and more efficient memory access (NUMA - non-uniform memory access). In addition, only chiplets currently make it possible to integrate truly complete systems into a single housing. There is no need for external chipsets or additional I/O chips (bridges), which brings further space and cost advantages.

The internal Infinity Fabric architecture brings additional performance benefits: it enables high memory bandwidths and accelerated I/O performance, which is necessary for server and storage applications. The decisive factors for Siemens when selecting the processor for the EPYC 9004 family were ultimately the higher power density and maximum number of cores (up to 96 cores/192 threads), as well as the higher energy efficiency of the Zen4 architecture in 5 nm process technology compared to the competition. The twelve DDR5 memory channels, which support RAM with 4800 MHz, ensure a theoretical memory bandwidth of up to 480 GB/s. The up to 160 PCI Gen5 lanes supported on the processor side, together with the internal Infinity Fabric networking between the individual dies, enable a high I/O throughput that is twice as high as that of the previous generation in a two-processor configuration.

To reduce energy costs, which are now the biggest cost factor in operating a data center, more and more data centers around the world are using systems with AMD processors.