Description

The Dell PowerEdge R940xa is a specialized 4U enterprise rack server engineered for workloads that require a combination of high CPU performance, substantial memory capacity, fast storage, and GPU acceleration.

Unlike the standard PowerEdge R940, the R940xa is specifically optimized for accelerator-intensive workloads, supporting up to four double-width GPUs or up to four double-width / eight single-width full-height FPGAs in supported configurations. This makes it particularly suitable for AI, machine learning, scientific computing, GPU-accelerated databases, advanced analytics and other computationally intensive applications.

The system supports two or four Intel Xeon Scalable processors, with supported processor families including Xeon Gold and Platinum models. It provides 48 DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting RDIMM/LRDIMM memory, with configurations reaching up to 6TB of conventional DDR4 memory and substantially higher capacity when supported persistent-memory configurations are used.

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Key Features

• Brand: Dell
• Model: PowerEdge R940xa
• Form Factor: 4U Rack Server
• Processor Sockets: 4
• Processor: Intel Xeon Scalable
• Memory Slots: 48 × DDR4 DIMM
• Memory: ECC RDIMM / LRDIMM
• Maximum Conventional DDR4 Memory: Up to 6TB
• Persistent Memory: Supported configurations available
• Storage: SAS / SATA / Nearline SAS / SSD / NVMe
• Drive Capacity: Up to 32 × 2.5-inch drives in supported configurations
• RAID: Dell PERC / HBA options
• Expansion: Up to 12 × PCIe Gen 3 slots
• GPU: Up to 4 × double-width GPUs
• FPGA: Up to 4 × double-width or 8 × single-width full-height FPGAs
• Networking: Up to 25GbE through supported network daughter cards
• Remote Management: iDRAC9
• Power: Up to four hot-plug PSUs
• Cooling: Six hot-plug fans with N+1 redundancy
• Primary Applications: AI/ML, HPC, GPU Databases, Analytics, Virtualization & Enterprise Applications

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Intel Xeon Scalable Processing

The R940xa supports two or four Intel Xeon Scalable processors, providing substantial CPU processing resources for highly parallel enterprise workloads. Supported configurations include Intel Xeon Gold and Platinum processors.

The multi-socket architecture is well suited for:

• Artificial intelligence
• Machine learning
• GPU-accelerated databases
• High-performance computing
• Data analytics
• Large-scale virtualization
• In-memory computing
• Scientific computing
• Enterprise applications

The exact processor model can be selected according to required core count, frequency, cache and power requirements.

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GPU-Optimized Architecture

One of the defining characteristics of the PowerEdge R940xa is its accelerator-oriented architecture.

The system supports up to four double-width GPUs or configurations with up to four double-width or eight single-width full-height FPGAs.

This makes the R940xa particularly appropriate for:

• AI and machine learning
• Deep learning
• GPU-accelerated databases
• Scientific simulations
• Financial analytics
• High-performance computing
• Video and image processing
• Advanced data analytics

The actual GPU options depend on the server configuration, risers, power supplies, cooling and supported accelerator model.

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Large DDR4 Memory Capacity

The R940xa includes 48 DDR4 DIMM slots and supports both RDIMM and LRDIMM memory technologies.

With supported configurations, conventional DDR4 memory can reach up to 6TB, while Intel Optane persistent-memory configurations can provide substantially greater memory capacity.

Large memory configurations are particularly valuable for:

• In-memory databases
• Virtual machine consolidation
• AI workloads
• Analytics
• Large datasets
• Business intelligence
• Scientific computing

ECC memory helps provide enhanced data integrity for enterprise applications.

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Flexible High-Density Storage

The R940xa offers extensive storage flexibility.

Depending on configuration, the platform supports:

• SAS HDD
• SATA HDD
• Nearline SAS
• SAS SSD
• SATA SSD
• NVMe SSD

Supported configurations can provide up to 32 × 2.5-inch drives, including configurations with up to four NVMe drives in the front drive bays.

This allows the server to be configured for either high storage capacity or high-performance workloads.

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Dell PERC RAID

The R940xa supports a broad selection of Dell storage controllers, including PERC and HBA options. Supported controllers include PERC H330, H350, H730P, H740P, H750, H840, HBA330, HBA350i and BOSS-S1, depending on configuration.

RAID configurations can provide:

• Data redundancy
• Drive fault tolerance
• Storage performance optimization
• Drive monitoring
• Enterprise storage management

The exact RAID capabilities depend on the selected controller.

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PCIe Gen 3 Expansion

The R940xa provides extensive PCIe expansion capability, with supported configurations offering up to 12 PCIe Gen 3 slots.

Expansion cards can include:

• GPUs
• FPGAs
• Network adapters
• Fibre Channel HBAs
• Storage controllers
• High-speed Ethernet adapters
• Other enterprise PCIe devices

This makes the R940xa highly configurable for specialized data-center workloads.

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High-Speed Networking

The R940xa supports multiple network daughter-card configurations.

Available options include configurations supporting:

• 1GbE
• 10GbE
• 25GbE

The system can use multiple network interfaces for:

• Production traffic
• Storage
• Management
• Backup
• Virtualization
• High-speed application traffic

Dell documentation lists supported network daughter-card configurations including up to two 25GbE SFP28 ports.

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iDRAC9 Remote Management

The Dell Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 9 (iDRAC9) provides out-of-band server management.

Administrators can remotely:

• Monitor system health
• View hardware inventory
• Configure hardware
• Manage firmware
• Control system power
• Run diagnostics
• Access remote console functions
• Manage the server lifecycle

iDRAC9 can also integrate with Dell OpenManage tools for centralized infrastructure management.

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Enterprise Security

The R940xa incorporates enterprise security features including:

• Secure Boot
• Cryptographically signed firmware
• Silicon Root of Trust
• System Lockdown
• TPM options
• Secure Erase

These features help protect server firmware, configuration and data from unauthorized modification.

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Redundant Power and Cooling

The R940xa supports up to four hot-plug AC or DC power supplies, with available configurations ranging from 750W through 2,400W, depending on the system configuration.

The system also uses six hot-plug fans with N+1 redundancy, supporting the thermal requirements of high-performance processors and GPU accelerators.

These features make the platform appropriate for demanding data-center deployments where availability and thermal management are critical.

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Ideal Applications

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

The R940xa’s GPU support and extensive CPU/memory architecture make it particularly suitable for AI and ML workloads.

GPU-Accelerated Databases

The server is designed for applications that can use GPU acceleration to improve database analytics and query processing.

High-Performance Computing

Multiple CPUs, GPUs/FPGAs, large memory capacity and extensive PCIe expansion make the R940xa suitable for computationally intensive HPC workloads.

Data Analytics

High CPU throughput, large memory and accelerator support provide a strong platform for advanced analytics.

Virtualization

Large memory capacity and multi-socket processing enable consolidation of demanding virtual machine workloads.

Scientific Computing

GPU and FPGA acceleration can be used for scientific simulations and other highly parallel computational workloads.

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Technical Specifications

Note: Exact processor models, memory capacity, GPU/FPGA configuration, storage backplane, drive count, RAID controller, network adapters and PSU capacity depend on the specific R940xa configuration.

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Key Benefits

GPU-Optimized Design: Supports up to four double-width GPUs for accelerator-intensive workloads.

Four-Socket Processing: Supports up to four Intel Xeon Scalable processors for demanding enterprise applications.

Large Memory Capacity: 48 DDR4 DIMM slots support substantial memory configurations, with up to 6TB conventional DDR4 memory.

Extensive Storage: Supports up to 32 × 2.5-inch drives in supported configurations, including NVMe options.

Flexible Expansion: Up to 12 PCIe Gen 3 slots provide extensive connectivity for GPUs, storage and networking.

Enterprise RAID: Multiple Dell PERC and HBA options provide flexible storage management.

Advanced Management: iDRAC9 enables remote monitoring, diagnostics, configuration and lifecycle management.

Redundant Architecture: Hot-plug power supplies and N+1 fan redundancy support high-availability deployments.

High-Speed Networking: Supports network configurations up to 25GbE.

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Product Summary

The Dell PowerEdge R940xa is a specialized 4U four-socket GPU-optimized enterprise rack server designed for organizations requiring high CPU performance, massive memory capacity and accelerator capabilities.

With support for Intel Xeon Scalable processors, 48 DDR4 DIMM slots, up to 6TB conventional DDR4 memory, up to 32 × 2.5-inch storage drives, NVMe, up to four double-width GPUs, PCIe Gen 3 expansion, Dell PERC RAID, up to 25GbE networking, redundant hot-plug power supplies and iDRAC9, the R940xa provides a powerful platform for AI/ML, GPU-accelerated databases, high-performance computing, analytics, virtualization and mission-critical enterprise workloads.