
Cloud-based & AI-Op Management, Your Data & Your App Server On Premises
Solution Overview
Cloud-Defined Storage is a SaaS-based approach for on-premises, server-based enterprise storage that automates storage operations—no external array needed.
Cloud-Defined Storage (CDS), eliminates the need for a fibre channel SAN and flash storage array with a cloud-managed, server-based enterprise storage installed in Supermicro servers.
CDS is powered by a PCIe-based card called the Nebulon Services Processing Unit (SPU) pre-installed on Supermicro’s Ultra platform and a cloud-based control plane called Nebulon ON. The SPU runs a full stack of enterprise data services for shared or local storage applications, connects directly to the SSDs inside the server, and provides all the storage services needed for VMware or Linux-based applications running on that server.
Unlike Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI), no Nebulon software is installed on the server so the OS restrictions and server overhead of HCI simply don’t exist. CDS supports any OS or hypervisor, and VMs or application loads get 100% of the server’s CPU, memory and networking.
CDS administration is done entirely from the Nebulon ON cloud control plane. Automated software updates, AI-assisted remote monitoring and administration, and fleet management are all standard with the Supermicro CDS solution.
Solution Benefits
- Reduce operational overhead by up to 75%
Benefit from AI-assisted analytics and administration, powerful automation at-scale and software updates as-a-service with cloud-based management - Reduce storage costs by up to 50%
Eliminate the expense and complexity of storage arrays and 3-tier architectures - Use 100% of your server for any application, any OS
Support critical workloads without the server CPU/memory/network overhead of HCI and SDS—run any virtualized, containerized, or bare metal applications - No new vendor required
The Nebulon solution and support is available as a server option from Supermicro

Nebulon ON: single-API endpoint in the cloud
- Application owners self-provision infrastructure with customizable application templates tailored for their application clusters
- AI-assisted administration provided through the cloud
- API-driven automation provides universal insights and simple automation at your fingertips
- Always up-to-date with cloud-delivered software
Nebulon Services Processing Unit (SPU)
Unlike PCIe accelerators that only offload specific storage functions, SPUs run the entire suite of enterprise data services that external storage arrays run. SPUs connect to server storage media and do not consume any server CPU/memory or network resources to run software on the application server. This makes the SPUs an ideal fit for enterprise applications in any operating environment, including container, hypervisor and bare-metal.
Use Cases
Supermicro–Nebulon Reference Architecture
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Compute with Storage | Qty | |
Supermicro SKU Option |
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1 |
Storage Media | Please refer to system HCL for compatible drives | 6~24 |
CPU Option1 |
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2 |
Memory | 16G | 12 |
Nebulon SPU | 1x AOC-NB-NEBSPUSM100-3Y | 1 |
Nebulon ON Subscription Option |
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1 |
1 Upgrading to PWS-1K62A-1R power supply may be recommended based on the CPU selected. Please contact nebulon-pm@supermicro.com for details.
Supermicro Ultra
Supermicro 2U Ultra Servers are designed to deliver the highest performance, flexibility, scalability and serviceability to demanding IT environments, and to power mission-critical Enterprise workloads. With Redundant Titanium Level (96%+) Power Supplies (1000W), Supermicro Ultra Servers are able to provide green computing solutions to our customers while delivering unrivaled performance, flexibility, scalability, and serviceability for demanding Enterprise workloads.
Ultra SuperServers support up to: 6TB DDR4 2933MHz in 24 DIMMs; SATA3 with optional SAS3 and NVMe support for increased storage bandwidth; a variety of Ultra Riser options, including built-in 1G, 10GBASE-T, 10G SFP+, and 25G Ethernet options; support for add-on SAS3 HW/SW RAID controllers and additional PCI-E 3.0 slots. Supermicro Ultra Servers is the best fit for diverse workloads and applications and can be easily reconfigured for multiple Enterprise and Data Center applications in Virtualization, Big Data, Analytics and Cloud Computing.
Ultra Benefits
- Support for new generation X11 Solutions with Dual Intel® Xeon® Scalable processor up to 205W
- Up to 6TB DDR4 2933MHz in 24 DIMM slots
- 100/40/25/10G Ethernet
- NVMe/SAS3/SATA3 Drive Bays
- Up to 8/4 PCI-E 3.0 Expansion Slots
- Redundant Titanium Level (96%+) Power Supplies
- Dual Socket P (LGA 3647) support: 2nd Gen. Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors; dual UPI up to 10.4GT/s
- 24 DIMMs; up to 6TB 3DS ECC DDR4-2933 MHz RDIMM/LRDIMM
- Supports Intel® Optane™ DCPMM*
- 24 Hot-swap 2.5" drive bays; optional 20 SAS3 + 4 NVMe/SAS3, 2 rear Hot-swap 2.5" drive bays
- Expansion Slots:
- 8 PCI-E Slots: 1 PCI-E 3.0 x16, 6 PCI-E 3.0 x8, 1 Internal PCI-E 3.0 x8
- 7 PCI-E Slots (SYS-2029U-E1CR4T): 2 PCI-E 3.0 x16, 5 PCI-E 3.0 x8
- Networking Options:
- 1 Dedicated IPMI port
- 2 VGA (1 rear, 1 onboard), 1 Serial, 3 USB 3.0 (2 rear, 1 Type A)
- 4 heavy duty 8cm PWM fans
- 1000W Redundant Titanium Level (96%) Power Supplies
*Contact your Supermicro sales rep for more info.