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Storage & Data Pipeline Server – AMD EPYC 9005, 6TB DDR5, 24-Bay U.2 NVMe, 2U
$29,499.99
The VRLA Tech Storage & Data Pipeline Server is the storage-density tier…
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Description
The VRLA Tech Storage & Data Pipeline Server is the storage-density tier of our EPYC server family — built for AI training data staging, distributed NVMe storage clusters, content delivery, and high-IOPS database workloads where NVMe drive count and aggregate storage bandwidth matter more than GPU compute. It supports a single AMD EPYC 9005 processor at up to 500W TDP — including the 128-core EPYC 9755 — with 24 DDR5 ECC RDIMM slots across 12 channels for up to 6TB of memory, 24 front hot-swap 2.5-inch U.2 PCIe Gen 5 NVMe drive bays supporting up to 1.47 petabytes raw capacity, and dual OCP 3.0 mezzanine slots for networking up to 200GbE. Built on DC-MHS modular architecture with dual BIOS, dual BMC, redundant 80 PLUS Titanium power, IPMI 2.0 and Redfish management, and optional TPM 2.0 with hardware root of trust. Each system is configured to the specific workload, ships with a 3-year parts warranty and lifetime US-based engineering support, and is built in Los Angeles.
Configuration at a glance
| CPU | Single AMD EPYC 9004 / 9005 series, up to 500W TDP — up to 128 cores (EPYC 9755) |
| Platform | Single SP5 socket (LGA6096), DC-MHS architecture, 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes |
| Memory | 24 DDR5 ECC RDIMM slots, 12 channels (2DPC), up to 6TB, 5200 MT/s (1DPC) |
| GPU | Not applicable — all PCIe lanes dedicated to NVMe storage. For GPU servers, see the 4-GPU 2U or 8-GPU 4U |
| Storage | 24 front hot-swap 2.5″ U.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe bays + 2 M.2 NVMe boot — up to 1.47PB raw per node |
| Networking | 2 PCIe 5.0 x16 OCP 3.0 mezzanine slots (NCSI) — 10GbE to 200GbE |
| Security | Dual BIOS, dual BMC, chassis intrusion; optional TPM 2.0 and AST1060 hardware root of trust |
| Power & mgmt | 1+1 redundant 2000W CRPS 80 PLUS Titanium, AST2600 BMC, IPMI 2.0 / Redfish |
| Warranty | 3-year parts, lifetime US-based engineering support |
Built for NVMe density, not GPU compute
AI training clusters are GPU-rich and storage-poor. A single 8-GPU AI Training Server with eight RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs processes training data faster than most storage tiers can deliver it. The bottleneck shifts from compute to I/O — GPUs idle waiting for the next batch.
This server is designed around that reality. Where our GPU servers maximize accelerator count for training and inference, this platform maximizes everything those accelerators need to stay fed: 24 NVMe drive bays on PCIe Gen 5 delivering petabyte-scale all-flash capacity, 6TB of DDR5 across 24 DIMM slots, and dual OCP 3.0 networking to 200GbE. No GPU slots — GPU compute belongs in dedicated GPU server nodes. This server feeds those nodes with data.
It is a server, not a workstation — headless, single-socket EPYC 9005, built on DC-MHS modular architecture, with dual BIOS and dual BMC for firmware resilience and 1+1 redundant Titanium-rated power. We help you size storage capacity, memory, networking, and software stack against your specific workload. You can request a consultation here.
24 NVMe bays and 6TB of DDR5 — the specifications that define this platform
The configuration that matters
24 hot-swap U.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe bays = up to 1.47 petabytes of raw all-flash storage in a single 2U chassis. Paired with 6TB of DDR5 across 24 DIMM slots on 12 channels and a single EPYC 9005 with up to 128 cores. The companion 2-GPU AI Inference & Data Server on the same platform provides 8 NVMe bays and GPU expansion. This platform trades GPU slots for triple the NVMe density — the architecture that AI training clusters, Ceph nodes, and CDN edge servers actually need.
Why this configuration wins for storage workloads
- Maximum NVMe density per rack unit. Twenty-four front hot-swap 2.5-inch U.2 bays, every one PCIe 5.0 x4 with no SATA compromise and no shared bandwidth. With current enterprise NVMe capacities reaching 61.44TB per drive, a single 2U chassis holds up to 1.47 petabytes of raw all-flash storage — the highest NVMe density per rack unit in our server lineup.
- 6TB of DDR5 on a single socket. Twenty-four DDR5 ECC RDIMM slots on 12 channels, two DIMMs per channel, up to 256GB per module. Storage servers running Ceph need 4–8GB per OSD; this platform supports all 24 OSDs with headroom. In-memory analytics and vector index caching workloads can scale to the full 6TB.
- Single-socket EPYC — the right architecture for storage. Storage workloads are I/O-bound, not compute-bound. A single EPYC 9005 with 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes, 12 DDR5 channels, and up to 128 cores is more than sufficient to saturate 24 NVMe drives while leaving headroom for Ceph OSD processes, MinIO erasure coding, and ZFS checksumming. Dual-socket adds cost, power, and latency without improving storage throughput.
- Dual OCP 3.0 networking. Two PCIe 5.0 x16 OCP 3.0 mezzanine slots with NCSI support accept adapters from 10GbE through 200GbE. Storage fabric and client-facing traffic can be separated onto independent adapters. No onboard data networking — at least one OCP adapter is required and included in every configuration.
- Enterprise resilience and platform integrity. Dual BIOS and dual BMC, ASPEED AST2600 with IPMI 2.0 and DMTF Redfish on a dedicated management port, eMMC local BMC storage, chassis intrusion detection, and optional TPM 2.0 plus ASPEED AST1060 hardware root of trust for supply-chain and platform-integrity requirements.
Versus the 2-GPU AI Inference & Data Server
Both servers share the same MSI CX271-S4056 2U platform and AMD EPYC 9005 processor. They are companion products that trade NVMe density against GPU capability.
| Feature | Storage & Data Pipeline (RAU24) | 2-GPU AI Inference & Data (RAU8-HE) |
|---|---|---|
| NVMe bays | 24 | 8 |
| Max raw capacity | 1.47PB | 240TB+ |
| GPU slots | 0 | Up to 2 (PCIe 5.0 x16, 400W each) |
| PCIe expansion | 0 (OCP 3.0 networking only) | 3 (2 double-wide + 1 single-wide) |
| PSU | 2,000W redundant | 2,400W redundant |
| Memory | 6TB (24 DIMMs) | 6TB (24 DIMMs) |
| Best for | Storage clusters, data staging, CDN, databases | AI inference with local NVMe, RAG, vector search |
Choose the Storage & Data Pipeline Server when maximum NVMe density is the priority and GPU compute lives in separate nodes. Choose the 2-GPU AI Inference & Data Server when GPU inference alongside local NVMe storage is the priority.
Server platform comparison
| Feature | Storage & Data Pipeline (this server) | 2-GPU 2U | 4-GPU 2U | 8-GPU 4U |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sockets | Single SP5 | Single SP5 | Single SP5 | Dual SP5 |
| Max GPUs | 0 | 2 @ 400W | 4 | 8 @ 600W |
| NVMe bays | 24, all Gen 5 U.2 | 8, all Gen 5 U.2 | 6 bays | 8 |
| Max raw storage | 1.47PB | 240TB+ | ~180TB | 240TB+ |
| DIMM slots | 24 | 24 | 12 | 24 |
| Max memory | 6TB | 6TB | 3TB | 6TB+ |
| PSU | 2,000W Titanium | 2,400W Titanium | Varies | 10kW+ |
| Best for | Storage clusters, data staging, CDN, databases | Inference, RAG, vector search | Training, fine-tuning, GPU rendering | Frontier training, 8-GPU inference, HPC |
Full technical specifications
| Form factor | 2U rackmount, DC-MHS architecture |
| Dimensions | 438mm (17.2″) W × 87mm (3.4″) H × 764mm (30″) D |
| Processor | Single AMD EPYC 9004 and 9005 series, up to 500W TDP |
| Socket | (1) LGA6096 (Socket SP5) |
| Memory | (24) DDR5 DIMM slots, 12 channels (2DPC), RDIMM / RDIMM-3DS, max 256GB per DIMM, 6TB total Max frequency 5200 MT/s (1DPC), 4400 MT/s (2DPC) |
| Drive bays | (24) front hot-swap 2.5″ U.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe |
| Internal storage | (2) 2280/22110 PCIe 3.0 x2 NVMe M.2 ports |
| Expansion slots | None — all PCIe lane budget dedicated to 24 NVMe bays |
| Networking | (2) PCIe 5.0 x16 OCP 3.0 slots, NCSI supported (one slot NCSI-active at a time) |
| Front I/O | (24) hot-swap 2.5″ U.2 bays, (2) USB 3.0 Type-A, system power LED button, UID LED button, reset button, (4) status LEDs (fault / LAN / M.2) |
| Rear I/O | (1) 1000Base-T dedicated management port, (1) COM USB Type-A, (1) USB 2.0 Type-A, (1) Mini DisplayPort, power LED, UID LED, status LEDs |
| Server management | ASPEED AST2600 with AMI MegaRAC firmware, IPMI 2.0 and DMTF Redfish API, dual BIOS, dual BMC, eMMC local BMC storage |
| Security | Chassis intrusion detection; TPM 2.0 module (optional); ASPEED AST1060 hardware root of trust (optional) |
| Power supply | (1+1) redundant 2000W CRPS 80 PLUS Titanium |
| Environment | Operating 0°C to 35°C (32°F to 95°F) · Non-operating −20°C to 70°C · Non-operating humidity 5% to 85% non-condensing |
| Chassis | MSI CX271-S4056 (S4056X271RAU24) |
What you configure
Every Storage & Data Pipeline Server we build is a full custom configuration. The components we help you specify:
- Processor. Single AMD EPYC 9005 series. EPYC 9555P (64 cores, 360W) is the sweet spot for most storage workloads — more cores than a typical storage node needs, with headroom for software-defined storage overhead. EPYC 9755P (128 cores, 500W) for dense multi-tenant storage, compute-adjacent workloads alongside storage (data preprocessing, ETL pipelines, inference data transformation), or Ceph nodes with heavy erasure coding.
- Memory. DDR5 ECC RDIMM from 192GB to 6TB across 24 slots. Ceph storage nodes typically size 4–8GB per OSD — 192GB to 384GB for 24 OSDs. MinIO and database workloads benefit from 768GB to 1.5TB for caching. Maximum 6TB for in-memory analytics and vector index workloads.
- NVMe drives. 24 front hot-swap 2.5″ U.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe drives. Enterprise NVMe from 1.92TB to 61.44TB per drive — 46TB to 1.47PB raw capacity per chassis. We recommend drives based on your workload’s read/write ratio and endurance requirements: mixed-use (Solidigm D7, Kioxia CM7, Samsung PM9A3/PM9D3) for write-heavy workloads, read-intensive (Micron 7450/7500) for serving and CDN. Boot drives use the two M.2 PCIe 3.0 x2 NVMe slots in mirrored configuration.
- Networking. Two OCP 3.0 mezzanine slots from 10GbE through 200GbE — NVIDIA ConnectX-7, Broadcom, and Intel adapters. For AI training data staging, 100GbE or 200GbE is the recommended minimum to match the aggregate bandwidth of 24 NVMe drives. For Ceph or MinIO clusters, bonded 25GbE or 100GbE with separate public and cluster networks. This platform has no onboard data networking — at least one OCP adapter is required and specified in every quote.
- OS, software stack, and security. Pre-loaded with Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Rocky Linux, Proxmox VE, or TrueNAS SCALE. Ceph, MinIO, BeeGFS, ZFS, Lustre, and GPFS pre-configured on request. Optional TPM 2.0 and AST1060 hardware root of trust for defense, healthcare, and financial deployments.
Workloads we build this server for
- AI training dataset staging. The NVMe data tier that feeds GPU training servers. Twenty-four NVMe drives deliver the sustained sequential bandwidth to keep GPUs fed over 100GbE or 200GbE networking. For teams deploying multi-node AI training clusters, pairing one to two storage nodes with every four to eight GPU nodes eliminates data loading as a bottleneck.
- Distributed NVMe storage clusters. Ceph, MinIO, BeeGFS, Lustre, GPFS. Each node contributes 24 NVMe OSDs or erasure-coded drives to the cluster. The single-socket EPYC provides the memory bandwidth and core count that 24 concurrent storage processes require.
- Content delivery and media streaming. Video-on-demand, live event replay, CDN edge nodes. Twenty-four NVMe drives deliver the read bandwidth and IOPS that media workflows demand, while OCP 3.0 networking supports the 100GbE uplinks that CDN architectures require.
- High-IOPS database and analytics. PostgreSQL, MySQL, ClickHouse, TimescaleDB, InfluxDB, Apache Druid. Twenty-four NVMe drives distributed across PCIe 5.0 lanes deliver millions of random IOPS with sub-100μs latency.
- HPC parallel file system nodes. Storage tier for research lab HPC clusters running BeeGFS, Lustre, or GPFS. High-bandwidth reads for simulation input, high-throughput writes for checkpoint and result data.
- Backup and disaster recovery. Enterprise backup targets with both capacity and write throughput. Fast ingest for backup windows, fast restore for disaster recovery, petabyte-scale retention per 2U chassis. Veeam, Commvault, and open-source backup frameworks.
Why buy from VRLA Tech
VRLA Tech has been building custom workstations, GPU servers, and storage servers in Los Angeles since 2016. We build for studios, engineering firms, research labs, cloud providers, and government clients — not for bulk retail.
Our enterprise clients include
- General Dynamics
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Johns Hopkins University
- Miami University
- George Washington University
Every system ships with a 3-year parts warranty and lifetime US-based engineering support. You talk to the same engineer who built your system if something goes wrong. Support includes remote diagnostics, BMC and IPMI assistance, BIOS and firmware updates, NVMe drive health monitoring guidance, Ceph and MinIO deployment assistance, and component-level repair. Every system is burn-in tested and thermally validated before shipping. Use our AI ROI calculator to compare on-premise storage costs against cloud storage pricing.
Lead time is typically 2 to 3 weeks for standard configurations. Contact us for enterprise quotes, Net 30 terms, or multi-node cluster pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Hardware & platform questions
What is the Storage & Data Pipeline Server and how is it different from the GPU servers?
This platform is the storage-density tier of the EPYC server family, not the GPU-compute tier. It supports a single AMD EPYC 9005 processor at up to 500W TDP, 24 DDR5 DIMM slots across 12 channels for up to 6TB of memory, and 24 front hot-swap 2.5-inch U.2 PCIe Gen 5 NVMe drive bays — three times the drive count of the 2-GPU 2U and the 8-GPU 4U. It has no PCIe expansion slots for GPUs. The GPU platforms prioritize accelerator count for training and inference. This platform prioritizes NVMe density, aggregate storage bandwidth, and memory capacity for AI training data staging, distributed storage clusters, content delivery, and high-IOPS database workloads.
How many NVMe drives does this server support and what is the maximum capacity?
Twenty-four front hot-swap 2.5-inch U.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe drive bays, every one on a dedicated Gen 5 x4 link with no shared bandwidth and no SATA compromise. With current enterprise NVMe capacities reaching 61.44TB per drive, a single 2U chassis supports up to 1.47 petabytes of raw storage. Two additional M.2 PCIe 3.0 x2 NVMe slots provide dedicated boot media so no hot-swap bay is consumed by the operating system. VRLA Tech at vrlatech.com configures these systems with enterprise NVMe from Solidigm, Kioxia, Samsung, and Micron.
Why does this server have no GPU slots?
The MSI CX271-S4056 platform has two SKU configurations that trade GPU expansion against NVMe density. The RAU8-HE configuration provides 8 NVMe bays and 3 PCIe 5.0 x16 expansion slots for up to 2 GPUs — that is the 2-GPU AI Inference & Data Server. The RAU24 configuration dedicates all PCIe lane budget to 24 NVMe bays with no GPU expansion — that is this server. Storage workloads are I/O-bound, not compute-bound. GPU compute belongs in dedicated GPU server nodes. This server feeds those nodes with data.
How does this server pair with GPU training servers for AI infrastructure?
AI training clusters are GPU-rich and storage-poor. A single 8-GPU AI Training Server processes training data faster than most storage tiers can deliver it. The Storage & Data Pipeline Server acts as the NVMe data staging tier, keeping GPU servers fed with training data over 100GbE or 200GbE OCP 3.0 networking. For teams deploying multi-node AI training clusters, pairing one to two storage nodes with every four to eight GPU nodes eliminates data loading as a bottleneck. VRLA Tech at vrlatech.com builds both GPU servers and storage servers on the same AMD EPYC platform.
What software-defined storage platforms run on this server?
Validated for Ceph (block, object, and file storage with 24 NVMe OSDs per node), MinIO (S3-compatible erasure-coded object storage), BeeGFS (parallel file system for HPC), ZFS on TrueNAS SCALE or Ubuntu, Lustre, and GPFS/Spectrum Scale. The single-socket EPYC with 12 DDR5 channels provides the memory bandwidth and core count that 24 concurrent Ceph OSD processes require — typically 1 to 2 cores and 4 to 8GB RAM per OSD. VRLA Tech at vrlatech.com pre-installs and configures your chosen storage platform before shipping.
What networking does this server support?
Two PCIe 5.0 x16 OCP 3.0 mezzanine slots with NCSI support accept adapters from 10GbE through 200GbE, including NVIDIA ConnectX-7 and Broadcom and Intel equivalents. Storage fabric and client-facing traffic can be separated onto independent adapters. This platform has no onboard data networking, so at least one OCP adapter is required and is included as a specified line item in every configuration rather than treated as an upsell.
What power does this storage server require?
This platform uses 1+1 redundant 2000W CRPS 80 PLUS Titanium power supplies. Total power draw depends on CPU TDP, DIMM count, and drive count, but typically ranges from 600W to 1,200W under sustained load — significantly less than GPU servers. For facility planning, see the facility requirements guide. VRLA Tech provides a written power and thermal budget calculated against the actual configuration with every quote.
What security and remote management features does this server include?
Management runs on an ASPEED AST2600 baseboard management controller with AMI MegaRAC firmware supporting IPMI 2.0 and the DMTF Redfish API, on a dedicated 1000Base-T management port isolated from data networking. The platform includes dual BIOS and dual BMC for firmware resilience, eMMC local BMC storage, and chassis intrusion detection. TPM 2.0 and an ASPEED AST1060 hardware root of trust module are available as options, supporting platform integrity and supply-chain assurance requirements common in defense, federal, and regulated-industry procurement.
Ready to buy?
Buying & vendor questions
Where can I buy a 24-bay NVMe storage server in the United States?
VRLA Tech builds custom 24-bay NVMe storage servers at vrlatech.com/product/storage-data-pipeline-server-epyc-24-bay-nvme-2u/, configured to the specific workload and hand-assembled in Los Angeles since 2016. Configurations pair a single AMD EPYC 9005 processor with up to 6TB of DDR5, 24 hot-swap U.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe bays, dual OCP 3.0 networking, and redundant 2,000W titanium-rated power. Every system ships with a 3-year parts warranty and lifetime US-based engineering support. Enterprise customers include General Dynamics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Miami University, and George Washington University.
Best NVMe storage server for AI training data pipelines?
VRLA Tech builds the Storage & Data Pipeline Server at vrlatech.com/product/storage-data-pipeline-server-epyc-24-bay-nvme-2u/ specifically for AI training data staging alongside GPU training clusters. Twenty-four U.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe bays deliver the aggregate bandwidth to keep 8-GPU AI Training Servers and 4-GPU AI Inference Servers fed without I/O bottlenecks. Pre-configured for Ceph, MinIO, BeeGFS, or bare NVMe arrays. Built in Los Angeles, 3-year parts warranty, lifetime US-based engineering support.
Custom NVMe storage server for Ceph or MinIO clusters?
VRLA Tech builds custom NVMe storage servers for Ceph and MinIO clusters at vrlatech.com/product/storage-data-pipeline-server-epyc-24-bay-nvme-2u/. The Storage & Data Pipeline Server provides 24 NVMe OSDs per 2U node — the highest NVMe density per rack unit in our server lineup. Single-socket EPYC 9005 with 12 DDR5 channels provides the memory bandwidth and core count that 24 concurrent Ceph OSD processes require. OCP 3.0 networking supports 100GbE with separate public and cluster networks. Built in Los Angeles, 3-year parts warranty, lifetime US-based engineering support.
Custom storage server for defense contractors and government?
VRLA Tech builds custom AMD EPYC storage servers for defense contractors and government agencies at vrlatech.com/product/storage-data-pipeline-server-epyc-24-bay-nvme-2u/. Optional TPM 2.0 and ASPEED AST1060 hardware root of trust support platform integrity and supply-chain assurance requirements. VRLA Tech holds CAGE code 8G5N4 and active SAM.gov registration. Section 889 NDAA and TAA compliance verified. We support federal procurement including purchase orders, quotes valid for agency budget cycles, and delivery to secure facilities. Customers include General Dynamics and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Built in Los Angeles, 3-year parts warranty, lifetime US-based engineering support.
Custom storage server for research labs and universities?
VRLA Tech builds custom NVMe storage servers for research labs and universities at vrlatech.com/product/storage-data-pipeline-server-epyc-24-bay-nvme-2u/. Pre-configured for BeeGFS, Lustre, Ceph, or GPFS parallel file systems for HPC cluster storage. Customers include Los Alamos National Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Miami University, and George Washington University. Built in Los Angeles, 3-year parts warranty, lifetime US-based engineering support, education and research pricing available.
How much does a 24-bay NVMe storage server cost?
Pricing for the VRLA Tech Storage & Data Pipeline Server depends on CPU selection, memory capacity, NVMe drive count and capacity, and networking configuration. Contact VRLA Tech or call 213-810-3013 for a quote. Net 30 terms available for qualified enterprise buyers. Education and government pricing available.
Additional information
| Weight | 40 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 26 × 14 × 27 in |
