Emirates NBD has expanded its deployment of AMD processors across both its central data centres and employee laptops to upgrade its digital banking systems. The banking group broadened its hardware footprint following an initial adoption of AMD EPYC server CPUs in 2022, adding AMD Ryzen PRO processors to its workplace machines.
Measurable Gains Across Core Systems
According to internal evaluation data released by the bank, the server migration produced notable operational improvements. Server performance increased by up to 51% compared with alternative hardware, while comparative testing demonstrated average gains exceeding 42%. Furthermore, banking transaction processing times dropped from between 1 and 2 seconds down to 0.5 to 1 second.
Log processing showed similar operational efficiency gains under testing. Outstanding processing jobs per node decreased from historical ranges of 100 to 300 down to five or fewer. Consequently, the bank moved its entire central data centre footprint to AMD EPYC hardware.
Private Cloud Architecture and Scale
The updated infrastructure supports the bank’s private cloud environment across 13 international markets. This setup hosts more than 350 applications and operates over 2,000 APIs, managing more than 300 million daily API calls. The institution began this technological modernization program in 2018 to address infrastructure complexity and expand service capacity.
“We are now running all our data centers on AMD EPYC CPUs. These high frequency EPYC processors are energy efficient and contribute to the bank’s wider ESG targets. Few banks operate with the same level of efficiency that we do today.”
Marwan Abdulla, Head of Data Center and Operations, Emirates NBD
Workplace Integration of AMD Processors
Following server evaluations, Emirates NBD tested client hardware for its workforce. Employee laptops running AMD processors registered 40% faster average performance during internal evaluations. As a result of these findings, the institution selected the processors for all new corporate laptops distributed to personnel.
“When we tested the different laptops, we were very impressed with AMD processors. They were 40% faster on average and had the GPU included. When it came time to refresh our laptops, it was an easy decision to go with AMD CPUs.”
Ali Rey, Group Head of Technology Platforms, Emirates NBD
Operational Infrastructure Strategy
The bank linked the hardware transition to its broader corporate initiatives across fintech and digital transformation programs. Management confirmed that hardware evaluations remain ongoing as service demand increases across regional retail branches. In addition, the group plans to maintain standardized processor architectures across its regional operational hubs.
