HPE GreenLake is taking center stage in Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s latest push to redefine the hybrid cloud landscape, with the company unveiling a broad wave of enhancements across virtualization, security, storage, AI infrastructure, and consumption-based financing.
Announced at Discover Barcelona, the updates significantly expand the capabilities of the GreenLake platform and signal HPE’s response to rising enterprise demand for modernized workload deployment, more flexible virtualization strategies, and AI-ready operating environments at scale.
With cost pressures and licensing shifts prompting many organizations to reassess their dependence on incumbent hypervisors, HPE is positioning GreenLake as a unified operating layer capable of supporting both traditional virtualization and emerging AI-driven services.
According to HPE, more than 80% of enterprises are actively re-evaluating how and where they deploy workloads. Rising licensing costs, shifting virtualization models, and the operational weight of hybrid cloud architectures have created decision points that favor platforms capable of streamlining management while preserving architectural choice. Fidelma Russo, HPE’s executive vice president of hybrid cloud and CTO, emphasized that enterprises are not following a single trajectory. Some are moving aggressively toward AI-driven product delivery, others need hardened controls for regulated sectors, and many are pushing for lower cost structures as they scale. GreenLake is positioned as the framework accommodating these divergent priorities.
One of the most substantial updates centers on virtualization. As organizations diversify their hypervisor footprints, HPE is folding new capabilities into its Morpheus Software suite to create a stronger alternative for customers looking to reduce dependence on legacy virtualization providers. HPE Morpheus VM Essentials now supports multi-hypervisor environments and, according to the company, can reduce VM licensing costs by as much as 90%. The platform’s expansion includes new integrations across security, networking, and resilience layers.
Security is reinforced through a zero-trust model using software-defined networking technologies from HPE Juniper Networking. By embedding micro-segmentation at the hypervisor level, Morpheus aims to give enterprises more granular control over east-west traffic and reduce lateral-movement risks in virtual machine environments. Network provisioning is also being automated with the integration of Apstra Data Center Director, enabling consistent VLAN and security policy application across physical and virtual networks.
Resiliency has become a major focus for virtualization consumers facing strict uptime expectations. HPE is introducing stretched clusters with synchronous replication for VMs on the HVM hypervisor, enabling metro-area failover with near-zero downtime. This capability, combined with HPE Alletra Peer Persistence, is designed for industries where downtime translates directly into financial losses or safety risks. At the application layer, Morpheus Enterprise Software now supports Kubernetes and containerized workloads alongside traditional VMs, giving organizations a way to modernize applications while maintaining common operational practices.
Data protection is evolving in parallel. HPE Zerto is being integrated directly into Morpheus to enable continuous data protection and faster recovery for critical workloads. Additionally, Morpheus VM Essentials now works with Veeam Data Platform v13 to support hypervisor-level image backups, expanding the ecosystem of enterprise-grade resiliency options available across private cloud deployments.
HPE’s AIOps strategy is also expanding, with OpsRamp Software advancing full-stack monitoring and automation capabilities across compute and networking. OpsRamp, Morpheus, and Zerto can be deployed independently or as part of the CloudOps Software suite, allowing customers to unify observability, remediation, and resource optimization in hybrid environments.
AI infrastructure represents the other major thrust of HPE’s announcements. Partnering with NVIDIA, HPE introduced an active data layer for AI pipelines using the HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 Data Intelligence Nodes built on NVIDIA’s AI Data Platform reference design. The goal is to create real-time data enrichment pipelines that eliminate bottlenecks between storage systems and AI workloads. At the same time, HPE Private Cloud AI is receiving upgrades with NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs, hardened configurations for secure and air-gapped environments, and expanded support for NVIDIA AI Enterprise software.
Security features are being extended into the AI domain through confidential computing with AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA. By encrypting data, models, and execution environments even during processing, HPE aims to reduce insider-threat exposure and support compliance for customers in finance, healthcare, public sector, and other regulated industries.
Backup and recovery systems are also being refreshed. The new HPE StoreOnce 5720 and 7700 appliances target high-performance data protection with ingest speeds up to 300 TB/hour, enabling rapid protection and recovery for large-scale workloads. HPE claims these systems can cut recovery time in half and help customers avoid losses that can reach $1 million per incident. Both models integrate with Alletra Storage MP and SimpliVity, enabling organizations to mount backup copies for analysis, forensics, or testing.
The GreenLake platform itself is gaining new commercial and operational tools. CloudPhysics Plus, available mid-2026, will broaden visibility into enterprise infrastructure to help customers model migrations, capacity needs, and cost outcomes. Cloud Commit provides new purchasing models designed to make hybrid cloud consumption more predictable. The expanded GreenLake Marketplace gives partners greater visibility and offers customers more streamlined access to services and validated integrations.
HPE Financial Services is extending programs that lower upfront investment barriers for hybrid cloud and storage modernization. Through new financing options, customers can spread software costs over three years at no additional interest. Buyers of HPE Alletra Storage platforms may qualify for up to 10% savings compared to standard purchasing and may defer payments for the first two months, supporting organizations undergoing complex transitions.
Most of the updates will roll out gradually through early and mid-2026, while several Morpheus and GreenLake enhancements are available immediately. The staged release strategy reflects the expanding scope of HPE’s hybrid cloud portfolio and the growing expectations placed on IT teams to unify virtualization, AI pipelines, data governance, and operational resilience under a consistent platform.
Executive Insights FAQ
What strategic gap is HPE targeting with its virtualization updates?
The company is responding to shifting virtualization economics and customer demand for multi-hypervisor environments. HPE Morpheus is positioned as an enterprise-grade alternative for organizations seeking flexibility, cost reductions, and integrated security without dependency on a single vendor ecosystem.
How does the HPE and NVIDIA partnership change AI deployment strategies for enterprises?
The integration of data intelligence nodes and NVIDIA AI software accelerates the movement and preparation of data for training and inference. This helps enterprises eliminate pipeline bottlenecks and deploy AI workloads more securely in on-premises or regulated environments.
What role do the new StoreOnce appliances play in hybrid cloud resilience?
With high-speed ingest and rapid recovery, the systems provide large enterprises with stronger protection against ransomware and operational disruptions. Integration with Alletra and SimpliVity allows protected data to be reused for analysis and testing, expanding the value of backup data.
How does GreenLake’s expanded financial model affect adoption?
By allowing customers to spread costs over time and access savings on storage systems, HPE reduces the financial friction associated with hybrid cloud transitions. This is especially relevant for organizations modernizing large, complex virtualization or AI environments.
Which organizations benefit most from HPE’s updated ecosystem?
Enterprises running mixed virtualization stacks, regulated sectors requiring confidential computing, and companies scaling AI workloads stand to gain the most. The combined updates create a platform suited for both modernization and long-term hybrid cloud operations.
