Oracle’s ruggedized edge devices will enable users to run secure, cloud-level workloads anywhere.
Oracle has expanded its hybrid cloud portfolio with Roving Edge Devices (REDs)—high-powered ruggedized, portable server nodes that allow organizations to run cloud workloads wherever they are needed. REDs deliver cloud computing and storage to the network edge and in disconnected locations. This enables faster processing closer to the data source, which ensures faster insights into the data captured by the system.
Oracle’s hybrid cloud and edge computing services aim to address the customer need for specialized cloud computing, which enable disconnected and intermittently connected operations while also allowing for data locality and security.
REDs meet the regulatory needs of several countries, including Australia and the U.S. This means that Oracle’s offering can provide services to government vendors and that it can be integrated or be on the edges of the already existing government and public cloud regions.

Each Oracle RED is equipped with 40 OCPUs (equivalent to 80 vCPUs), 512 GB of RAM, 61 TB of storage and high-speed networking capabilities. Each RED node includes an embedded NVIDIA T4 Tensor Core GPU designed to support processes like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The device is encased in a 3U military grade shock mount case, providing physical and electromagnetic protection to shield the device from any emanations or outside interference. The Oracle RED can be deployed as a stand-alone unit or be combined into clusters ranging from 5 to 15 individual RED nodes to allow customers to scale their operations based on need.
The REDs can be set up with the services, applications and data that is used by the customer and can remain operational with or without a network connection. The devices are specially designed to provide enough processing, throughput and storage to handle large workloads in limited amounts of time (i.e., syncing periods). These devices can also be deployed in clusters where they can act like mobile data centers or provide better computing power and resources.
One current cloud computing trend is the focus on addressing connections to the cloud at the edges of existing infrastructure in remote locations. This isn’t an easy endeavour, as seen by the cancelation of Google’s project Loon, which intended to use weather balloons to connect those in remote and/or crisis locations. Microsoft, meanwhile, is focusing on providing cloud computing in space, and HPE has already brought edge-computing and AI capabilities to the International Space Station.
Oracle’s REDs step away from merely providing IaaS, like Google’s project Loon, and instead address connectivity issues for large-scale data-driven applications, without the requirement for a constant Internet connectivity. This feature helps the REDs stand out in the market, allowing for an even more-remote connection as they do not require any secondary or tertiary devices to operate.