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HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11

The versatile 2U workhorse for virtualization, hybrid cloud, and mixed enterprise workloads

Overview

The HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 is a dual-socket 2U rack server built for virtualization, hybrid cloud, and mixed enterprise workloads, and it is the platform most data centers standardize on when they need one chassis that adapts to nearly any general-purpose role. It pairs 4th and 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors with up to 8TB of DDR5 memory, PCIe Gen5 expansion, and configurable SFF, LFF, or EDSFF storage, so it scales cleanly as VM density and data volume grow without forcing a platform change.

With room for up to 3 double-wide or 4 single-wide GPUs, it also handles VDI graphics, video transcoding, and light AI inference alongside everyday business applications, giving IT teams one server they can point at almost any job. HPE backed that versatility claim with results: the DL380 Gen11 took 9 world records on the VMware VMmark 3.1.1 benchmark, including the top score in the 448-core category, roughly 24% ahead of the nearest competing submission and up to 1.68x faster than the prior Gen10 Plus generation.

iLO 6 with a Silicon Root of Trust anchors platform security from first boot, and HPE Compute Ops Management gives fleet operators a cloud-style console across every site. Federal and regulated buyers can add HPE Trusted Supply Chain to get a DL380T Gen11 build: assembled in a secured US facility, TAA compliant, with documented inspections against counterfeit parts and firmware tampering, the paperwork GPC, SAP, and FAR contracts require. With Gen12 now shipping alongside it, the Gen11 remains the pragmatic choice for standardized virtualization and VDI refreshes where proven certification and lower acquisition cost matter more than the newest Xeon 6 core counts.

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HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11

A closer look

HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 — view 1
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 — view 2

Why HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11

The ProLiant DL380 Gen11 is HPE's workhorse 2U dual-socket rack server, the platform most agencies and enterprises standardize on for virtualization, VDI, and consolidated data-center workloads. Built on 4th and 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors with the iLO 6 Silicon Root of Trust and backed by 9 VMmark world records, it pairs a long, well-certified lifecycle with broad storage and GPU flexibility. For procurement teams, that means one well-understood chassis, available in a TAA-compliant DL380T configuration, that can be sized for nearly any general-purpose role and managed at fleet scale through HPE Compute Ops Management.

Built for mixed enterprise workloads

A balanced 2U design handles virtualization, software-defined storage, databases, and video transcoding on one platform, so it adapts as your needs shift instead of locking you into one job.

Scales deep on memory and I/O

Up to 8TB of DDR5 across 32 DIMM slots plus PCIe Gen5 expansion keeps memory-hungry and bandwidth-heavy applications responsive at peak load.

GPU acceleration when you need it

Room for up to 3 double-wide or 4 single-wide GPUs lets you speed up graphics-intensive work and light AI inference without adding a separate system.

9 VMmark world records

HPE's own benchmark submission put the DL380 Gen11 at the top of the 448-core VMmark 3.1.1 category, 24% ahead of the nearest competitor and up to 1.68x faster than the prior Gen10 Plus generation.

Security rooted in silicon

iLO 6 with HPE's Silicon Root of Trust protects firmware across the server's life, so the platform stays trustworthy from boot through decommission.

TAA-compliant builds via Trusted Supply Chain

Add HPE Trusted Supply Chain and the build ships as a DL380T Gen11, assembled in a secured US facility with documented anti-counterfeit and anti-tamper inspections for federal contracts.

Run it cool and dense

Air cooling and direct liquid cooling options let you push high-TDP processors hard while keeping power and thermals in check.

Manage from anywhere

HPE Compute Ops Management gives you cloud-based monitoring, updates, and automation, so a distributed fleet feels like one system.

What it does

Dual-Socket 4th/5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Performance

Two Intel Xeon Scalable processors, up to 64 cores and 350W each, give the DL380 Gen11 the core density and instruction-per-clock headroom to run dense VM hosts, in-memory databases, and mixed application tiers on one chassis instead of spreading load across more boxes.

Up to 8TB DDR5 Across 32 DIMM Slots

Sixteen DDR5 DIMM channels per processor, running up to 5600 MT/s, deliver up to 8TB of total memory. That headroom matters most for VDI consolidation ratios, SAP HANA-adjacent sizing, and any workload where memory pressure, not CPU, is the bottleneck.

Configurable SFF, LFF, and EDSFF Storage

The same chassis reconfigures from an 8-bay SFF starting point up to 24 front SFF bays (30 with rear expansion), 12 LFF bays (16 with rear), or dense EDSFF NVMe bays for latency-sensitive, high-IOPS roles, so procurement standardizes on one platform for multiple storage profiles.

PCIe Gen5 I/O with 8 Slots and Dual OCP

Up to 8 PCIe Gen5 slots plus 2 OCP 3.0 mezzanine slots for network adapters give the DL380 Gen11 the lane bandwidth for 100GbE+ networking, NVMe fabric expansion, and GPU add-in cards without falling back to PCIe Gen4 bottlenecks.

Up to 3 Double-Wide or 4 Single-Wide GPUs

The standard DL380 Gen11 chassis takes up to 3 double-wide or 4 single-wide GPUs, enough to accelerate VDI graphics, video transcoding, and light inference workloads without moving to a purpose-built AI server for every GPU need.

Silicon Root of Trust and iLO 6

HPE iLO 6 anchors firmware validation in a Silicon Root of Trust baked into the server's custom ASIC, detecting and automatically recovering from firmware tampering before the OS ever boots, a baseline zero-trust security agencies increasingly require by policy.

HPE Trusted Supply Chain for TAA-Compliant Builds

Add the HPE Trusted Supply Chain option and the server ships as a DL380T Gen11, assembled in a secured US facility by vetted personnel with documented inspections against counterfeit parts and malicious microcode, meeting TAA and country-of-origin requirements federal contracts demand.

Fleet-Wide Management via HPE Compute Ops Management

Connect DL380 Gen11 nodes to HPE Compute Ops Management for cloud-delivered monitoring, firmware orchestration, and AI-driven anomaly detection across every site, so a 200-server fleet operates with the same visibility as a single rack.

The HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 lineup

HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11

The flagship general-purpose 2U rack server for virtualization, VDI, and consolidated data-center workloads.

2U, 2P 4th/5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable (up to 64 cores/350W), up to 8TB DDR5, SFF/LFF/EDSFF storage, up to 3 double-wide or 4 single-wide GPUs, iLO 6, air or direct liquid cooling

HPE ProLiant DL380T Gen11 (Trusted Supply Chain)

The compliance-hardened build for federal, defense, and regulated buyers who need TAA documentation with the order.

Same platform as DL380 Gen11 with HPE Trusted Supply Chain applied: US-built, TAA compliant, documented anti-counterfeit and anti-tamper inspections

HPE ProLiant DL380a Gen11

The accelerator-optimized DL380 variant with independent GPU power domains, tuned for generative AI fine-tuning and inferencing.

2U, 2P 4th/5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable, up to 3TB DDR5, SFF/EDSFF storage, up to 8 single-wide NVIDIA L4 or 4 double-wide L40S/H100 NVL GPUs, NVLink Bridge support, iLO 6

At a glance

Form factor
2U rack, dual-socket (2P)
Processors
4th and 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable, up to 64 cores / 350W per CPU
Max memory
Up to 8TB DDR5 (32 DIMM slots, 16 per processor, up to 5600 MT/s)
GPU support
Up to 3 double-wide or 4 single-wide GPUs
Storage
Up to 24 SFF front bays (30 with rear), 12 LFF (16 with rear), or dense EDSFF NVMe
Expansion
Up to 8 PCIe Gen5 slots plus 2 OCP 3.0 NIC slots
Cooling
Air-cooled and direct liquid cooling
Management
HPE iLO 6 with Silicon Root of Trust, HPE Compute Ops Management
Compliance
TAA-compliant DL380T Gen11 build available via HPE Trusted Supply Chain

9 world records

VMmark 3.1.1 benchmark records set by the DL380 Gen11, including top score in the 448-core category(vendor-published figure)

1.68x

Higher virtualization performance vs. the prior HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 Plus generation(vendor-published figure)

Up to 8TB

Maximum DDR5 memory capacity across 32 DIMM slots(vendor-published figure)

How to buy HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11

The DL380 Gen11 is sold as a configure-to-order (CTO) base unit that you build out with processor, memory, drive, NIC, and GPU options, not as a single fixed SKU. As an authorized HPE partner, Uniqcli quotes exact configurations against your contract vehicle and delivers factory-integrated builds with the compliance paperwork procurement needs.

Configure-to-order (CTO) base chassis

Start from the 8SFF, 24SFF, 12LFF, or EDSFF chassis and select processor SKUs, DIMM counts, drive types, and network adapters. We size the build to your virtualization ratio or workload before you commit budget.

HPE Trusted Supply Chain / DL380T Gen11

Add the HPE Trusted Supply Chain option and the CTO build ships as a DL380T Gen11: assembled in a secured US facility with counterfeit-part and firmware-tamper inspections, satisfying TAA and country-of-origin documentation requirements for federal and defense buyers.

HPE Pointnext Tech Care and Complete Care

Attach multi-year Tech Care or Complete Care support at time of purchase to lock in defined response times and proactive firmware guidance for the life of the refresh cycle, instead of negotiating support after a failure.

GPC, SAP, FAR, GPC direct, and GPC procurement

We quote DL380 Gen11 and DL380T Gen11 builds against GSA MAS (application in progress), SAP/FAR channels, GPC direct, and standard SLED contract vehicles, and accept Government Purchase Card orders for smaller buys that do not need a formal contract cycle.

GreenLake for Compute Ops Management

Fleets standardizing on DL380 Gen11 can add HPE GreenLake subscription tiers for Compute Ops Management, moving firmware updates, health monitoring, and lifecycle automation to a consumption-based model instead of a one-time license.

Where it fits

Server virtualization and VM consolidation at fleet scale
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) for graphics-heavy engineering and design teams
Container and hybrid-cloud host nodes for OpenShift, Kubernetes, and VMware environments
Databases and line-of-business applications sized against 8TB DDR5 headroom
Federal and defense data-center refresh requiring TAA-compliant DL380T Gen11 builds via GSA or SAP/FAR channels
Light GPU inferencing and accelerated workloads alongside general compute (DL380a Gen11 for dedicated AI density)
SLED and healthcare data-center standardization on one certified, widely supported 2U chassis

Frequently asked

What processors and memory does the DL380 Gen11 support?

It is a dual-socket (2P) platform running 4th or 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, up to 64 cores and 350W per socket, with up to 8TB of DDR5 memory across 32 DIMM slots at speeds up to 5600 MT/s. We help size the exact CPU SKU, core count, and DIMM population against your virtualization ratio or application requirements before you commit budget.

How much storage can the DL380 Gen11 hold?

The chassis reconfigures across drive types: up to 24 front SFF bays (30 total with rear expansion), 12 LFF bays (16 with rear bays), or dense EDSFF NVMe bays for latency-sensitive workloads. You pick the storage profile at order time and we build the exact backplane and drive mix your application needs.

How is the DL380 Gen11 managed at scale?

Each server includes HPE iLO 6 for secure out-of-band management anchored in a Silicon Root of Trust, and you can connect the fleet to HPE Compute Ops Management for cloud-based monitoring, firmware updates, and AI-driven lifecycle automation across multiple sites.

Can you provide TAA-compliant configurations for federal buyers?

Yes. Adding the HPE Trusted Supply Chain option rebrands the build as a DL380T Gen11, assembled in a secured US facility with documented inspections against counterfeit parts and firmware tampering. As an authorized HPE partner we source these configurations and provide the country-of-origin documentation your contract requires.

What contract vehicles can we buy through?

DL380 Gen11 and DL380T Gen11 configurations are available via GSA MAS (application in progress), SAP/FAR channels, GPC direct, and standard enterprise and SLED procurement, plus Government Purchase Card orders for smaller buys. We align the quote to your preferred vehicle and provide the required line-item detail.

What is the difference between the DL380 Gen11 and the DL380a Gen11?

The standard DL380 Gen11 is the general-purpose 2U server for virtualization, VDI, and mixed workloads, with up to 3 double-wide or 4 single-wide GPUs and up to 8TB of DDR5. The DL380a Gen11 is the AI-focused variant with independent GPU power domains, supporting up to 8 single-wide NVIDIA L4 or 4 double-wide L40S and H100 NVL GPUs with NVLink Bridge support, at a lower 3TB memory ceiling optimized for GPU density over memory capacity.

Is the DL380 Gen11 still worth buying now that Gen12 is out?

For most general virtualization, VDI, and standardized fleets, yes. Gen11 is mature, broadly certified against existing hypervisor and application stacks, and typically available at lower acquisition cost than Gen12's Xeon 6 platform. Gen12 makes more sense for new AI-inference or GPU-dense builds that need its wider PCIe lane counts and higher EDSFF density; for a straight server refresh, Gen11 remains the pragmatic buy.

What support and warranty options are available?

The DL380 Gen11 is backed by HPE's standard server warranty, with HPE Pointnext Tech Care and Complete Care options for extended coverage, defined response times, and proactive support. We can quote multi-year support aligned to your refresh cycle.

Where do we get a quote or configure a build?

Use Uniqcli's /quote tool to submit your target processor, memory, storage, and quantity, and we return a configured DL380 Gen11 or DL380T Gen11 quote mapped to your contract vehicle. For side-by-side sizing against multiple systems in one request, the /bom builder lets you assemble a full bill of materials before you submit.

Build your HPE bill of materials.

Send us the requirement, the project, or an existing quote to beat. We come back with a validated, TAA-compliant HPE configuration and a real price, often below list.

connect [at] getuniqcli.com · Chicago, IL