Dropbox announces new gen server hardware for higher efficiency and scalability
16 days ago
- #AI
- #Hardware
- #Infrastructure
- Dropbox has evolved its custom-built storage system from a few servers to tens of thousands, scaling to meet growing user demands.
- The seventh-generation hardware platform introduces Crush, Dexter, and Sonic for compute, database, and storage workloads, along with GPU tiers Gumby and Godzilla for AI tasks.
- Key improvements include increased storage bandwidth, doubled rack power, and next-gen storage chassis to minimize vibration and heat.
- Dropbox's infrastructure strategy focuses on emerging tech, supplier partnerships, and software co-design to enhance performance and scalability.
- The new Crush platform features an 84-core AMD EPYC 9634 processor, offering 75% more cores, 2x memory capacity, and 100Gb networking.
- Database performance saw up to 3.57x less replication lag with the Dexter platform, improving high-demand workloads.
- Storage advancements include 30TB+ drives, 200Gbps throughput, and a new 400G-ready data center architecture.
- Thermal and power management upgrades include smarter cooling, optimized fan curves, and doubling rack power capacity.
- GPU tiers Gumby and Godzilla support AI workloads, with Gumby for lightweight inference and Godzilla for high-throughput ML tasks.
- Lessons learned highlight the importance of thermal and power management, supplier collaboration, and a product-first approach to hardware design.