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Concept · Architecture

Rack-Scale Cloud Systems (RSCS).

The architecture behind Vertex Grid: compute, storage, networking, and control software co-designed into a single cloud computer — delivering the simplicity and scalability of the cloud with the control, economics, and sovereignty of infrastructure you own.

Definition

What is a Rack-Scale Cloud System?

Traditional infrastructure is built from separate servers, storage, and networking components that must be integrated and managed independently. Each layer ships from a different vendor, with its own firmware, management tooling, and support contract — and the burden of making them work together falls on you. Public cloud providers proved there's a better approach: design the entire system as one platform, where hardware and software are engineered together.

Rack-Scale Cloud Systems (RSCS) bring that model to infrastructure you own. Instead of assembling a rack from a dozen products, an RSCS is delivered as a single, coherent machine: compute, storage, networking, and control software are co-designed and shipped as one unit. The result behaves like a slice of public cloud — elastic, API-driven, multi-tenant — but it runs in your own data center, on hardware you control outright.

As AI and data-intensive workloads continue to grow, Rack-Scale Cloud Systems are becoming the foundation of the modern data center — combining cloud velocity with on-premises control, economics, and sovereignty.

In one sentence

An RSCS is a rack-scale computer where compute, storage, networking, and the control plane are designed as a single system — giving you a private cloud you own, not a pile of components you integrate.

TRADITIONAL — SEPARATE PRODUCTS Servers Storage arrays Network switches Orchestration SW RSCS — ONE INTEGRATED SYSTEM Control plane · unified API / console / CLI Compute · elastic VMs & containers Storage · NVMe block, triple-mirror Networking · VPCs, programmable switch
The landscape

Three approaches to running compute.

For decades, teams chose between owning hardware or renting cloud — and both demanded compromise. RSCS is the third option that keeps the upside of each.

Traditional on-prem

Ownership, but at a cost

  • 8+ vendors across compute, network, storage, orchestration
  • Brittle integrations and complex day-2 operations
  • Vendors who point fingers and evade accountability
  • Expensive licensing and heavy operational overhead
The public cloud

Speed, but at a cost

  • No ownership — only rental, forever
  • Unpredictable bills and soaring egress fees
  • Governance gaps for regulated workloads
  • Lock-in through proprietary APIs that trap you
Rack-Scale Cloud Systems

The best of both

  • One integrated system, one accountable vendor
  • Cloud elasticity with API, CLI & console
  • Data sovereignty on hardware you own
  • Predictable, lower TCO — no egress fees
Under the hood

Anatomy of an RSCS.

Six layers, designed together as one machine — not bolted together after the fact.

// LAYER 01
Control plane & software
A single, unified API, console, and CLI for the whole rack. Scheduling, placement, multitenancy, quotas, and observability are built in — provision and scale resources on demand, just like the public cloud.
// LAYER 02
Elastic compute
On-demand virtual machines and containers on leading AMD EPYC processors, with live migration and intelligent bin-packing so capacity is used efficiently across the fleet.
// LAYER 03
Elastic storage
NVMe high-performance block storage with triple-mirror data protection, instant snapshots and clones, and support for local NVMe — all managed through the same control plane.
// LAYER 04
Elastic networking
Isolated virtual private clouds on a P4-programmable switch, with software-defined firewalls and high per-VM throughput — networking as software, not a separate appliance to manage.
// LAYER 05
Security & trust
A fully auditable security chain — a hardware root of trust, open-source firmware, and cryptographic isolation between tenants. You can verify exactly what is running, top to bottom.
// LAYER 06
Power & cooling
A shared DC power delivery design with rack-level telemetry — up to 12× cooling efficiency and roughly 55% less total power than equivalent bolted-together infrastructure.
Design principles

What makes an RSCS different.

[ 01 ]

One integrated system

Hardware and software co-designed and shipped as a unit — no integration project, one vendor accountable for the whole rack.

[ 02 ]

API-driven elasticity

Self-service, on-demand compute, storage, and networking through API, CLI, and console — the cloud workflow your teams already know.

[ 03 ]

Secure by default

Hardware root of trust, open firmware, and cryptographic tenant isolation — a verifiable, auditable chain end to end.

[ 04 ]

Predictable economics

A one-time purchase with no per-core licensing, no surprise bills, and no egress fees — typically about half the TCO of public cloud.

[ 05 ]

Sovereignty & control

Your data stays in your authority, on hardware you own and can verify — built for regulated and sensitive workloads.

[ 06 ]

Efficiency by design

Shared power and cooling engineered at rack scale dramatically cut energy use compared with assembled infrastructure.

Side by side

RSCS vs. the alternatives.

How a Rack-Scale Cloud System compares with traditional on-prem and the public cloud across the dimensions that matter.

Dimension Traditional on-prem Public cloud Rack-Scale Cloud System
Procurement8+ separate vendorsSelf-service rentalOne integrated system
IntegrationDIY, brittlePre-integrated by providerCo-designed hardware + software
OperationsMany tools, high overheadAbstracted awayOne control plane, cloud-native APIs
OwnershipYou own the hardwareRental only, foreverYou own it outright
Cost modelCapEx + heavy licensingVariable + egress feesOne-time, predictable, no egress
SecurityPatchwork, opaque firmwareTrust the providerHW root of trust, open firmware
ScalingProcure & rack for monthsElastic, on-demandElastic on owned capacity
Data sovereigntyIn your DC, fragmented controlIn provider's jurisdictionFully in your authority
Time to first instanceWeeks to monthsMinutes (rented)~2 hours (delivery → live)
Where it fits

Workloads built for RSCS.

Anywhere ownership, latency, economics, or control are non-negotiable.

// AI / Machine learning

Train & serve where data lives

Run data-intensive pipelines and low-latency inference on hardware you control — without shipping sensitive data to a third party.

// Cloud repatriation

Cloud experience, on-prem TCO

Bring runaway cloud spend back in-house while keeping the elastic, API-driven workflow your teams expect.

// Sovereign cloud

Data in your authority

Run regulated and sensitive workloads on hardware you can verify and own outright, with a full audit chain.

// High-performance computing

Batch & simulation at scale

Secure, multi-tenant infrastructure for HPC, data staging, and orchestration tooling at rack scale.

// Hypervisor exit

Escape per-core licensing

Co-designed hardware and software as a one-time purchase — no renewals, no licensing meters running in the background.

// CI/CD

Secure builds you own

Dedicated runners with security baked in at a fixed cost — no metered minutes, no noisy-neighbor builds.

FAQ

Common questions about RSCS.

What exactly is a Rack-Scale Cloud System? +

It's a rack-scale computer in which compute, storage, networking, and the control plane are co-designed and delivered as one integrated system. It behaves like a private slice of public cloud — elastic and API-driven — but runs on hardware you own in your own data center.

How is RSCS different from hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI)? +

HCI converges compute and storage on commodity servers but still relies on a separate hypervisor license, a separate switch, and assembled components. An RSCS goes further: the hardware, firmware, networking switch, and cloud software are engineered together as a single product, with a unified control plane and no per-core licensing.

Does an RSCS lock me into a proprietary platform? +

No. RSCS is built around open, standard interfaces — provision via API, CLI, or console and use the tools you already know. Open-source firmware and a verifiable security chain mean you can audit what runs on your own hardware.

How long does it take to deploy? +

Because the system arrives pre-integrated, you go from delivery to provisioning the same afternoon — typically around two hours. Add power and networking, and start creating instances. No multi-month integration project.

What workloads is RSCS best suited for? +

AI/ML training and inference, sovereign and regulated workloads, cloud repatriation, high-performance computing, hypervisor/VMware exit, and CI/CD — anywhere ownership, predictable cost, low latency, or data control matter.

See a Rack-Scale Cloud System in your data center.

Tell us about your workloads and our engineers will scope a Vertex Grid deployment — typically provisioned the same afternoon it arrives.