AI’s next evolution is bringing a tidal wave of infrastructure demands — and Dell Technologies is poised to answer that call. That was the clear message from Day 1 of Dell Technologies World 2025 conference in Las Vegas. In a keynote that blended big-picture vision with a healthy dose of practical, on-prem reality, Chairman and CEO Michael Dell laid out how Dell is equipping businesses of all sizes to “bring AI to the data,” not the other way around.
“The future of AI will be decentralized, low latency, and hyper efficient,” he said. “And that’s why Dell is pioneering the edge AI revolution, bringing real-time intelligence to wherever the data lives.”
If you’re in the channel and building AI-ready solutions for SMBs, that should be music to your ears. Here are some of the biggest tidbits from Dell’s keynote.
AI for the 99%, Not Just the Fortune 50
Yes, Dell bragged a bit — and rightly so — about building some of the largest AI infrastructure deployments in the world. Its latest that boasts 10,000 GPUs, 240 megawatts of power, and 27,000 miles of cabling. That said, Dell also emphasized that most businesses don’t need a Colossus (xAI’s massive supercomputer) to leverage AI. They just need the right-sized tools.
“We’re taking all the learnings from these massive systems to make AI easier for you,” he said, noting that Dell’s reach spans “97% of the Fortune 500, millions of small and medium-sized businesses, governments, and institutions.”
Dell + NVIDIA: AI Factory v2.0
One of the day’s biggest announcements at Dell Technologies World was the launch of the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA 2.0. This next-gen platform is designed to deliver enterprise-grade AI at any scale. The platform includes:
- Dell PowerEdge servers with NVIDIA B100 GPUs, boasting 4x faster training and 11x more inferencing power than previous generations
- Advanced liquid cooling with Dell PowerCool, claiming nearly 100% heat load capture and up to 60% reduction in energy cooling costs
- Project Lightning, a blazing-fast parallel file system optimized for massive GPU clusters
- Support for NVIDIA Spectrum-X switches, RTX 6000 GPUs, and even tiny “personal AI clouds” with DGX Spark-class desktops
“The Dell AI Factory refines data into intelligence,” said NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang during a session with Michael Dell. “Every single layer of the tech stack is getting reinvented.”
Huang summed it up with a bold warning: “This is unquestionably the single biggest platform shift. You want to be an early adopter. You don’t want to be second.”
On-Prem AI Isn’t Optional — It’s Strategic
In case there was any doubt, Dell backed up its AI infrastructure pitch with customer stories from two enterprises doubling down on edge and on-prem AI: JPMorgan Chase and Lowe’s.
Larry Feinsmith, a JPMorgan Chase technology leader, said the banking giant has already deployed generative AI tools to over 200,000 employees. “We believe that technology is a differentiator and the heartbeat at everything we do. Dell is incredibly well positioned to help JPMorgan Chase and other companies in their AI journey.”
JPMorgan’s strategy includes using Dell thin clients, PowerEdge servers, and edge compute for low-latency AI. The company also rolled out co-generation AI tools to 40,000 developers, with a reported 20% productivity gain already.
Similarly, Lowe’s CIO Seemantini Godbole recounted how the retailer transformed from a digital laggard into a tech innovator. Today, Lowe’s uses Dell PowerEdge servers and NVIDIA GPUs in each of its 1,700+ stores to power its customer experience initiatives.“This is not a micro data center anymore,” Godbily noted. “It is low latency, high performance. We are doing real-time decisioning and inferencing right there.”
Lowe’s also is leveraging Dell client devices across associates, checkouts, and headquarters, while rolling out generative AI tools that act like “ChatGPT for home improvement” in every employee’s hands.
The PC is the New AI Workstation
Dell also teased new AI PCs, pointing to the impending Windows 10 end-of-life as a key refresh opportunity. Dell’s Pro Max workstations, now equipped with NVIDIA GB300 GPUs, are capable of up to 20 petaflops and 800GB of memory. That’s enough to handle trillion-parameter models, he said.
“Today’s PCs are becoming AI workstations, blazing fast, all-day battery life, powered by NPU and GPU innovation,” Dell emphasized.
For channel pros, that’s another door swinging open.
Services, Subscriptions, and Sustainability
Regarding the services play, Dell APEX is evolving with subscription-based access to AI and infrastructure tools. Dell is also layering managed services into the Dell AI Factory, aimed at helping customers deploy at scale even if they don’t have an army of in-house experts.
On the sustainability front, Dell emphasized liquid cooling, energy telemetry, and aggressive recycling programs to mitigate the environmental cost of all that AI horsepower.
“We are at a golden hour of progress,” Dell said. “But this is going to take a whole lot of infrastructure and a whole lot of energy.”
An Electrifying Opportunity
According to Dell, AI is the new electricity — and Dell Technologies is the grid powering this transformation. To Dell, it isn’t just about selling gear. It’s about drawing a blueprint for how real-world businesses can put AI to work affordably at scale without surrendering control or security. From edge deployments to enterprise-scale AI factories, the strategy is to bring the compute to the data, not the other way around.
For MSPs, integrators, and solution providers, that spells a massive opportunity to guide clients through an AI transformation that stays secure, cost-effective, and aligned with their data strategy.
Dell Technologies World continues through May 22, and we expect a flurry of product announcements on Day 2. Be sure to come back to The ChannelPro Network for more coverage.
