Oracle rolls out smaller Cloud@Customer database appliance

Oracle has introduced Base Database Cloud@Customer, an on-premises appliance for running its flagship database in customer-controlled locations such as branch offices and smaller business units. The company did not disclose pricing, saying only that the system is sold through a cloud subscription model and managed by Oracle.

The launch fills a gap below Oracle’s existing Cloud@Customer hardware for larger database estates. Oracle already sells Exadata Cloud@Customer X11M, a higher-end system tuned for database workloads that can be configured with up to 6,080 cores and 87.5 terabytes of memory. Base Database Cloud@Customer is aimed at deployments that do not need that scale but still want Oracle-managed infrastructure on premises.

Oracle executives Bryce Cracco and Kevin Deihl wrote in a company blog post that the system is intended to help organizations update IT environments in more locations, keep data at chosen sites and use a cloud-style operating model. Those claims fit the broader pitch around Cloud@Customer: customers get cloud-managed Oracle software without moving the underlying data into a public cloud region.

Smaller hardware target

The appliance is an 8U system, about 14 inches tall, designed for standard server racks. It includes two servers, each using a processor from Advanced Micro Devices’ fifth-generation Epyc line. Each server has 60 usable CPU cores and 660 gigabytes of memory.

Storage starts with an 11.6-terabyte flash module. Customers can expand capacity to 47.2 terabytes by adding more solid-state drives. Oracle said the storage layer uses triple mirroring, creating three copies of each record and placing them on separate SSDs. The design is meant to keep data available if a drive or copy becomes inaccessible because of hardware failure.

Oracle is also packaging high-availability features into the appliance. By default, database instances run on one of the two servers. A high availability mode can spread a single database instance across both servers, reducing the effect of a localized failure.

The system also includes Active Data Guard, Oracle’s disaster recovery tool. The software maintains a read-only replica of a database and updates it as new records are added to the primary system. Before records are synchronized to the backup copy, the tool checks files for threats including ransomware, according to Oracle.

AI claims added to the database pitch

Oracle is positioning the appliance for more than database hosting. The company said Base Database Cloud@Customer can also run workloads such as AI agents, arguing that placing an agent on the same system as the database it queries can lower latency and simplify operations. Oracle did not provide performance benchmarks or customer examples for that claim.

The appliance comes with two Oracle tools tied to AI development. Oracle AI Database Private Agent Factory is described by the company as a low-code environment for building agents. Oracle Private AI Services Container is used to convert business data into vectors and organize those vectors in indexes so AI agents can query them more quickly.

The product signals that Oracle sees demand for smaller, managed on-premises systems as enterprises keep some databases close to branch operations, regulated environments or existing facilities. It also gives Oracle another place to attach its AI Database messaging, though the disclosed details are mostly infrastructure specifications and management features rather than evidence of new AI adoption.

This story draws on original reporting from SiliconANGLE.