Lenovo Unveils First AI Inferencing Server Compact Enough to Bring Enterprise-Level AI Anywhere

• 07 Mar 2025
• TM Team
• 0 Comments

Lenovo, a global technology powerhouse, redefines flexibility and efficiency for Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the edge with the first-to-market, entry-level AI inferencing server – designed to make edge AI accessible and affordable for SMBs and enterprises alike¹. Showcased as part of a full-stack of cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable hybrid AI solutions at MWC25, the Lenovo ThinkEdge SE100 bridges the gap between client and edge servers to deliver enterprise-level intelligence for every business and is a critical link to enabling AI capabilities for all environments.  

Lenovo continues to deliver on its mission of enabling smarter AI for all by making implementation feasible for every business, in every industry with infrastructure that goes beyond traditional data center architecture to bring AI to the data. Rather than sending the data to the cloud to be processed, edge computing uses devices located at the data source, reducing latency so businesses can make faster decisions and solve challenges in real time.  

By 2030, the edge market is projected to grow at an annual rate of nearly 37%. Lenovo is leading this moment with the industry’s broadest portfolio of edge computing infrastructure and over a million edge systems shipped globally, achieving 13 consecutive quarters of growth in edge revenue while expanding AI computing’s reach. 

“Lenovo is committed to bringing AI-powered innovation to everyone with continued innovation that simplifies deployment and speeds the time to results,” said Scott Tease, Vice President of Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group, Products. “The Lenovo ThinkEdge SE100 is a high-performance, low-latency platform for inferencing. Its compact and cost-effective design is easily tailored to diverse business needs across a broad range of industries. This unique, purpose-driven system adapts to any environment, seamlessly scaling from a base device, to a GPU-optimized system that enables easy-to-deploy, low-cost inferencing at the edge.” 

AI Inferencing Performance Designed for Life at the Edge 

The new AI inferencing server is 85% smaller² and 100 percent powerful. Meeting customers where they are, it redefines edge AI with powerful, scalable, and versatile performance that accelerates ROI. Despite a three-fold spend increase, recent global IDC research commissioned by Lenovo reveals ROI remains the greatest AI adoption barrier. Adaptable for desktops, wall-mounts, ceilings, and 1U racks, the SE100 is engineered to be uniquely affordable, breaking price barriers with AI inferencing performance that supports better business outcomes while lowering costs.  

As the most compact, AI-ready edge solution on the market³, the Lenovo ThinkEdge SE100 is perfect for constrained spaces without compromising performance and answers customer demand for accelerated AI-level compute that can go anywhere. The breakthrough server delivers enterprise-level, whisper quiet performance with enhanced security features in a design that is GPU-ready for AI workloads, like real-time inferencing, video analytics and object detection across telco, retail, industrial and manufacturing environments. 

The ThinkEdge SE100 maximizes performance in an AI-ready server, evolving from a base device to an industrial grade, GPU-optimized solution as the end user sees fit. The ThinkEdge SE100 can be equipped with up to six or eight performance cores, ensuring the device’s power is maximized in a smaller footprint.  

Edge AI Inferencing in Action  

Across industries, the inferencing server is designed for low latency and workload consolidation, supporting hybrid cloud deployments and machine learning for AI tasks like object detection and text recognition, all while maintaining data security. The ThinkEdge SE100’s rugged design includes dust filtering and tamper protection, to give peace of mind for utilization in real-world environments. Robust security controls, including USB port disabling and disk encryption, serve to protect sensitive data from outside threats.  

“Together, Lenovo and Scale Computing are delivering innovative, enterprise-grade solutions to customers worldwide. Leveraging the ThinkEdge SE100, we are bringing together Lenovo’s industry-leading hardware reliability with Scale Computing’s proven edge software to create a purpose-built HCI solution for AI at the edge,” said Jeff Ready, CEO and co-founder of Scale Computing. “With its compact, power-efficient design and enterprise-class performance, the ThinkEdge SE100 is redefining how businesses of all sizes deploy scalable, resilient infrastructure in the most demanding environments. This latest innovation reflects Lenovo’s leadership in edge-AI computing and our shared commitment to bringing the future of intelligent, AI-powered infrastructure to businesses now.” 

Retailers can leverage the innovation to power inventory and associate management or support loss prevention at self-checkout. Manufacturers can leverage the SE100 to power quality assurance capabilities and warehouse monitoring. Healthcare professionals can equip remote offices with a ThinkEdge SE100 server to power process automation, handling lab data and ensuring back-office efficiency. Finally, the ThinkEdge SE100 can be used by energy companies in gas stations and refineries, helping with power logistics and smart meters.  

Enabling New Levels of Efficiency and Scalability  

Lenovo’s Open Cloud Automation (LOC-A) and a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) built into the device eliminate traditional deployment difficulties for seamless installations. Deployment costs are reduced by up to 47%, and users experience both resource and time savings of up to 60%⁴. After deployment, the ThinkEdge SE100 also provides ease of management through Lenovo’s latest version of XClarity, which centralizes monitoring, configuration and troubleshooting infrastructure in a single pane of glass. 

Lenovo ThinkEdge SE100 supports robust AI performance without compromising energy efficiency to optimize total cost of ownership and support sustainability commitments. The SE100’s system power is designed to stay under 140W even in its fullest GPU-equipped configuration, supporting lower power consumption. Additionally, Lenovo’s energy-saving implementations reduce overall carbon emissions of the ThinkEdge SE100 by up to 84%⁵. This starts before the device is even turned on, thanks to a 90% EPE packaging design that cuts its transportation footprint. Design elements, like a new low-temperature solder and post-consumer recycled content along with Lenovo’s Product End-Of-Life (PELM) program, also support a transition to a circular economy. 

Across its full-stack hybrid AI portfolio, Lenovo delivers powerful, adaptable, and responsible AI solutions to transform industries and empower individuals with innovations that enable Smarter AI for all.  The SE100 is part of the new ThinkSystem V4 Servers Powered by Intel, which also extend Lenovo Neptune liquid cooling from the CPU to the memory with the new Neptune Core Compute Complex Module. The module supports faster workloads with reduced fan speeds, quieter operation and lower power consumption. It is specifically engineered to reduce air flow requirements, yielding lower fan speeds and power consumption while also keeping the parts cooler for improved system health and lifespan.