This week at Embedded World 2022, Supermicro introduced an update to a solution that we have taken a look at before. The company announced that it has updated its pole-mounted system dubbed the Supermicro IP65 Outdoor Edge system with the new Intel Xeon parts including Xeon D. Unfortunately, this was not the Intel Ice Lake D / Xeon D-2700 series announcement (we checked.) It is still fun to see a product that we did a hands-on with about two years ago making a splash at this year’s Embedded World.
Supermicro IP65 Pole Mount Systems Updated
The IP65-rated systems or the Outdoor Edge system now have additional Intel Xeon D-2100 system options and allegedly second-generation Intel Xeon Scalable options. In the embedded space, these systems tend to have very long lifecycles so they are not the quickest to move to the newest chips like the Xeon D-2700 series.
In 2020, we took a hands-on look at the IP65 Rated Supermicro Outdoor Edge System. This system is designed to be installed on poles and has integrated features like power, cooling, weatherproofing, and intrusion detection.
We also have a video for that one where we discuss the system, show it hands-on, and also talk about how these are designed to be deployed in 5G deployments.
The newer generations of embedded products have really interesting new features with massive updates.
Final Words
Many STH readers work in the wireless and communications industries where this type of system is designed to be deployed. What this update tells us is that Supermicro saw enough interest and success with its early models and has continued to update the solution since then.
The original article we posted for the Supermicro IP65 launch was very popular in 2020, so we wanted to keep those readers informed of the latest developments with the solution.
 has been updated with the new Intel Xeon D Ice Lake D generation){kind=link}
Wonderful system! For all things self-driving and self-flying we need fast Edge systems since latencies are critical to supply fast moving vehicles with data for navigation, authorization, collision avoidance etc in real time.
Cell towers now … but utility poles in the future.
Intel demoed their “project endgame” in a recent presentation … sharing gpu processing via a wireless connection. I wonder if they have in mind adding their GPUs in the expansion slots on these 5G edge servers…
@JayN
After spending 10+ years in the cellular wireless industry in both engineering & planning roles…I don’t see much value in stuffing a GPU into these chassis.
Contrary to popular belief, the amount of actual compute power in the typical cell site is not what you think…it’s probably lower than what you think. Stuffing a GPU into the chassis increases the thermal (it generates heat) & power (it needs power) demands of the install while adding another “point of failure” (does the site still work without the card? what redundancy exists for that card?). So anyone pushing cellular service providers (CSP) to do all these fancy things out at their cell sites seems to forget that those CSP still have a business to run and service calls out to remotely located cell sites are NOT a desirable business cost; human beings in trucks driving long distances from a service center takes time & costs $$$. CSP want solid, reliable, and preferably redundant hardware that does not require much human attention…even if that hardware seems antiquated, low-tech, and-or backwards to the rest of us.
@Patrick
This is what “edge computing” properly looks like, not some aenemic A53 powered toy-box with the “closed source” ImaginationTech GPU that you mentioned in a previous article. Another paid-for vendor insert STH article maybe?
@Sleepy
What’s running at the tower? Router, wireless mgt etc. I see a lot of “we need a server because 5G” in the press. I was wondering if it was “solution in search of a problem” like most of the 5G/Edge talk is in industrials (my domain).