Zoho has unveiled in-house Nathu La server to cut costs and boost AI performance and advance digital sovereignty.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that global technology company Zoho Corporation has announced the launch of Nathu La, its first designed-in-house server platform, marking a major milestone in the company’s long-term strategy to build and control its entire technology stack, from hardware infrastructure to software applications.
The new server, developed in collaboration with Intel and powered by Intel® Xeon® 6 processors, is expected to help Zoho reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) by between 20 and 30 percent while lowering power consumption by 12 to 18 percent. The gains are expected to significantly reduce AI inference costs and improve operational efficiency across the company’s data centres.
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Speaking on the development, Country Head of Zoho Nigeria, Kehinde Ogundare, said the launch reflects the company’s commitment to building sustainable and cost-effective technology infrastructure.
“Zoho Corporation has invested in building its own technology stack from the ground up over the last three decades. The Nathu La server launch is in line with that goal,” Ogundare said.
He explained that Zoho’s strategy of running contextual and right-sized AI models on its own platform, servers, and data centres enables the company to maximise efficiency while delivering greater value to customers.
According to him, the company’s continued investments in research and development across every layer of the technology stack are designed to ensure that its solutions remain accessible, secure, and sustainable for businesses worldwide.
Built for Performance and Efficiency
The Nathu La server was designed using principles from the Open Compute Project (OCP), with a focus on modularity, thermal efficiency, and ease of maintenance. The architecture allows Zoho to optimise power usage and reduce operational costs across its global infrastructure.
The company plans to host its software applications on the Nathu La platform, allowing it to optimise both hardware and software for specific workloads. This approach is expected to enhance performance, strengthen data governance, improve scalability, and lower AI processing costs.
The server platform is designed to support a wide range of enterprise applications, including virtualisation, high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence inference, and data storage workloads.
Investing in Engineering Talent
Zoho revealed that the Nathu La project is the result of five years of intensive research and development spanning hardware engineering, firmware development, and systems management.
The initiative was driven by a dedicated R&D team established in 2020 in Nagpur, India. Several team members were recruited through Zoho’s Student’s Engagement for Transformative Upskilling (SETU) programme, which aims to develop industry-ready engineers with expertise in Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM).
The programme focuses on strengthening foundational engineering skills and promoting hands-on innovation, creativity, and problem-solving capabilities in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
To date, more than 300 students have completed training through the SETU initiative, with some joining Zoho’s engineering workforce.
Advanced Features and Proprietary Innovation
The Nathu La server incorporates customised power delivery systems, an in-house Data Centre Secure Control Module (DC-SCM), and modular chassis options that can be adapted to different deployment environments.
According to Zoho, all key modular components, including the DC-SCM and Network Interface Card (NIC), were designed internally by its hardware engineering team before being assembled through manufacturing partners.
The company disclosed that it has filed more than five patents covering advanced thermal management systems and cost-optimised server architecture innovations developed during the project.
Driving Technological Sovereignty
A major objective behind the Nathu La platform is to strengthen technological sovereignty by reducing dependence on external providers for critical infrastructure, firmware updates, licensing, and security management.
Zoho said the server has been engineered with hardware-based security integrated throughout the technology stack, providing greater control over system integrity and cybersecurity.
The company noted that the platform aligns with open-source software principles and supports the growing global emphasis on digital sovereignty, local innovation ecosystems, and secure high-performance computing infrastructure.
With the launch of Nathu La, Zoho takes another step toward its vision of owning and operating every layer of its technology ecosystem, positioning itself to deliver more efficient, secure, and scalable solutions for businesses around the world.
