HPE launches Nonstop Compute NS5 X5 & NS9 X5 for high reliability

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has announced the addition of the HPE Nonstop Compute NS5 X5 and NS9 X5 to its portfolio of fault-tolerant computing solutions, targeting enterprises that require high reliability and performance for critical business operations.

The new HPE Nonstop Compute models are designed to provide organisations with increased processing power, flexibility, and system availability. Both models, available immediately, introduce enhancements in hardware and networking, aiming to help businesses accelerate important processes and support modern workloads across various data centre environments.

Performance enhancements

The entry-level NS5 X5 uses Intel Xeon Bronze 3400 series processors, while the flagship NS9 X5 is equipped with Intel Xeon Gold 6400 series processors. According to the company, these upgrades allow for up to 15% greater performance capacity compared to prior models. Each platform combines compute, software, storage, networking, and associated services based on HPE's fault-tolerant architecture, aiming to ensure continuous operations for mission-critical activities such as payment processing, fraud detection, and smart manufacturing execution systems (MES).

The new systems provide double the memory capacity of their predecessors, with up to 8 TB available. The NS9 X5 also offers 2.5 times greater networking bandwidth and improved fibre channel connectivity, which facilitates higher transaction throughput in financial services and supports multi-plant integration in manufacturing.

"Our customers rely on HPE Nonstop solutions to power mission-critical workloads," said Casey Taylor, General Manager, HPE Nonstop at HPE. "In fact, one of our auto manufacturing customers has been using HPE's fault-tolerant systems for more than 35 years without any unplanned downtime. With the launch of HPE Nonstop Compute NS5 X5 and NS9 X5, we are reinforcing our commitment to deliver an architecture designed for fault-tolerance and high performance so that our customers can scale their businesses and innovate with confidence."

Industry analyst IDC categorises HPE Nonstop solutions as AL4, with reported uptimes of 99.999% or 99.9999%. These attributes are seen as essential by organisations handling core transactions and sensitive data, particularly in sectors reliant on uninterrupted processing such as finance, healthcare, and retail.

Regional outlook

"Enterprises across Asia Pacific are rapidly digitalizing critical business operations in sectors such as financial services, telecommunications, retail, and healthcare, which is fueling unprecedented demand for resilient, high-performance infrastructure," said Rod Cortez, General Manager, HPE Nonstop at HPE APAC & India. "The new HPE Nonstop Compute solutions are engineered for this era, delivering enhanced processing power, memory, and networking performance to help organizations modernize workloads and future-proof their data centers. These solutions reflect HPE's commitment to supporting the region's digital transformation by enabling enterprises to accelerate business processes with confidence, agility, and unmatched reliability."

HPE's update also brings operating system enhancements, adding support for multi-factor authentication (MFA). This capability is intended to help organisations meet regulatory compliance needs including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and SOC 2 requirements.

Industry adoption

Many enterprises in industries with strict uptime requirements already rely on HPE Nonstop platforms. According to HPE, a car rental company uses the platform to handle 80,000 daily reservations, while six of the world's top ten full-service retail banks use HPE Nonstop to support card payments, ATM functionality, and core banking operations.

NS9 X5 features backward compatibility, allowing customers to cluster the new system with the previous two generations of HPE Nonstop Compute. This capability ensures seamless expansion and migration for existing users without causing operational disruption.

Both the NS5 X5 and NS9 X5 are available as standalone systems or through HPE GreenLake, offering an as-a-service consumption model. The systems are supported by HPE Nonstop Compute engineers experienced in migrating mission-critical workloads.