ASUS RS521A-E12-RS12U: 2U Single-Socket EPYC 9005 Server

The ASUS RS521A-E12-RS12U is a high-performance 2U rack server designed for storage-intensive workloads, HPC, AI inference, virtualization, and software-defined storage. Powered by an AMD EPYC 9005 processor (up to 192 Zen 5c cores, 400W TDP) with 12-channel DDR5 memory architecture, it delivers exceptional compute density and scalability.

Memory & Storage

• DIMMs: 24 DDR5 slots (12 channels, 2 DPC) supporting up to 3TB at 5200MHz

• Front Bays: 12x 3.5"/2.5" hot-swap bays (NVMe/SATA/SAS) – up to 12 NVMe drives

• Rear Bays: 2x 2.5" hot-swap SATAIII bays

• Internal: 2x M.2 sockets (PCIe Gen4 x4, up to 22110)

• Total Drives: Up to 16 storage devices

Expansion & I/O

• PCIe 5.0: 5 slots (2x FHFL x16 + 3x configurable x8) + 1x OCP 3.0 (Gen5 x16)

• GPU Support: Up to 2 dual-slot GPUs (NVIDIA A100, AMD Instinct, etc.)

• Networking: Dual 1GbE (Intel I350-AM2) + dedicated management LAN

• I/O: 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 front/rear, VGA front/rear

Management & Security

• BMC: ASMB11-iKVM (ASPEED AST2600) with KVM-over-IP and Redfish API

• Software: ASUS Control Center for centralized management

• Security: Hardware Root-of-Trust; optional TPM and PFR modules

Cooling & Power

• Cooling: 4x 80x56mm hot-swap fans with air-cooled heatsink

• Power: 1+1 redundant hot-swap PSUs (1600W or 2000W, 80 PLUS Titanium)

• Efficiency: Lower PUE and optimized TCO

Physical Specifications

• Dimensions: 449 x 88.1 x 840 mm (17.68" x 3.47" x 33.07")

• Net Weight: 17.95 kg (39.6 lbs)

Why choose this server?

• Exceptional core density: 192 cores in 2U – industry-leading single-socket density

• Massive memory capacity: 3TB DDR5 at 5200MHz

• High storage density: 12 front NVMe + 2 rear SATA + 2 M.2

• PCIe 5.0 ready: 2x bandwidth over PCIe 4.0

• GPU ready: Supports up to 2 dual-slot accelerators

• Enterprise reliability: Redundant Titanium PSUs, hot-swap components

• Comprehensive management: ASMB11-iKVM, ASUS Control Center, Redfish API

• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS certified with 3-year warranty

Ideal for organizations seeking a powerful, cost-effective, and future-proof 2U server platform for HPC, AI inference, database management, and software-defined storage workloads.