Since its debut, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.’s memory-driven supercomputer project, The Machine, has had industry analysts scratching their heads. “Where is the product?” they asked. The company’s new Machine kindred, Superdome Flex in-memory computing platform, may be a sneak peek.

“It’s a better product that neither company could have delivered on their own,” said Mike Woodacre (pictured, left), distinguished technologist at HPE. Superdome Flex is based on designs by Silicon Graphics International Corp., which HPE acquired last year. The Machine did not technically spawn Superdome Flex, but the two live in the same in-memory wheelhouse. It is the first jointly-engineered project from the two companies.

Woodacre joined Sharad Singhal (pictured, right), director of machine applications and software at HPE, during an interview at the HPE Discover EU event in Madrid, Spain. They spoke with Dave Vellante (@dvellante) and Peter Burris (@plburris), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio. (* Disclosure below.)

Instantaneous compute power

So why in-memory? Because it brings transaction and data analytics processes together, which unlocks instantaneous compute power, Woodacre explained. “Moving to in-memory is really about bringing real time to the problem,” he said. Real time is a clear winner over batch mode processing for rendering instant insights.

“We’re interactive. We like to ask a question, get an answer, get on to the next question in real time,” Woodacre said. “When processes move from batch mode to real time, you just get a step change in the innovation that can occur.”

“Flex” is the operative word the name; customers can start with a small building block, say four-sockets and three terabytes, and add modules as needed, Woodacre pointed out.

Superdome Flex enables use cases for businesses that need to pool data sets for instant querying, like retail companies. Superdome Flex is a preview of coming attractions to those wondering what The Machine as a product will finally look like. “We can take the benefits we are describing in The Machine program and make those ideas available to customers right now,” Singhal said.

HPE has said the market could expect a productized Machine offering by decade’s end. Collaborating with SGI makes that day seem closer at hand, according to Singhal. “I think I can make it happen right now, and it’s not quite the end of the decade yet,” he concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the HPE Discover EU event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the HPE Discover EU event. Neither Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE