Predictika · Scale-up server configuration quotes

An AI sales agent's BullSequana SH server quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a BullSequana SH scale-up server: the model, the number of sockets, the processor series and cores, the memory modules, GPUs and network and Fibre Channel adapters, NVMe drives, the operating system, hardware partitions, the support term, a discount and the total the quote states. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of how those choices fit together and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.

Scope: One BullSequana SH server quote: model, sockets, processors, memory, GPUs and cards, NVMe drives, operating system, partitions, support, discount and the stated total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models BullSequana SH server quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Model and processors — the SH21, SH41, SH81 and SH161, each with its own socket range, Xeon 6700P or 6500P series and core count; the SH161 takes the Xeon 6700P series only, with 24 cores or more.
  • Memory — 64, 96, 128 or 256 GB modules, one to 16 per socket, within the minimum and maximum memory of the model; 256 GB modules need an availability check with a sales representative.
  • GPUs, cards and drives — GPUs and 400GbE adapters share the x16 slots, Fibre Channel and standard network adapters use the x8 slots, and E1.S and M.2 NVMe drives each have a limit per model.
  • Operating system and partitions — Red Hat, SUSE, Oracle Linux, VMware or Windows Server, except that the SH161 is quoted with the Linux systems only; hardware partitions need at least two sockets each and are not available on the SH21.
  • Total, support and discount — a price build-up from the chassis, processors, memory, cards, drives and the support term, less the discount, compared with the total the quote states; any discount needs sales management approval and a discount above 10 percent is blocked.

Any BullSequana SH quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: the SH321, the BullSequana SA and XH lines, Digital Workplace and managed services. Model names and configuration limits follow the public Eviden BullSequana SH factsheet where it gives them; all prices and some rules are modeled from comparable servers and are illustrative, not published by Eviden.

The AI sales agentBuilds the server quote from the conversation with the customer and says it is ready to send.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 2 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Limits that depend on the modelOnly with care
Sockets, memory, GPUs, adapters and drives each have their own limit on the SH21, SH41, SH81 and SH161, so every limit needs a table of its own and a new model means touching all of them.		The model is one choice and every limit is read from it in the same pass.
Cards that share slotsOnly with care
GPUs and 400GbE adapters compete for the same x16 slots, so a rule on each alone passes a quote that no chassis can hold.		The x16 and x8 slot counts are checked against the cards together, whatever order they were added.
Approvals that depend on the dealOnly with workarounds
256 GB memory modules and any discount send the quote to a person, while a discount above 10 percent is a block, so the same field leads to different outcomes.		Blocks and approvals come back together, with the threshold computed from the list total.
A stated total that must match the computed totalOnly with workarounds
The total is built from the chassis, processors, memory, cards, drives and support, so a separate rule is needed to recompute it and compare it with the stated figure.		The total is computed inside the model and compared with the stated one on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, so the agent can fix them in a single pass.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
13 sockets is outside what this model supports (2 to 2 sockets, in 2-socket steps).
2The SH161 is quoted with Xeon 6500P processors; it takes Xeon 6700P series only.
3The SH161 is quoted with 16-core processors; its Xeon 6700P options start at 24 cores.
4The quote has 768 GB of memory; this model starts at 1,024 GB.
5256 GB memory modules need an availability check with a sales representative.
617 memory modules per socket is outside the 1 to 16 slots each socket has.
7The quote has 17,408 GB of memory; this model holds up to 16,384 GB.
8The quote has 5 GPUs; this model takes up to 4.
9GPUs and 400GbE adapters need x16 slots; this model has 4 in the mixed layout.
10Fibre Channel and standard network adapters need x8 slots; this model has 12 in the mixed layout.
11The quote has 17 E1.S NVMe drives; this model takes up to 16.
12The quote has 3 M.2 NVMe drives; this model takes up to 2.
13The SH161 is quoted with VMware or Windows Server; its supported systems are Red Hat, SUSE and Oracle Linux.
143 hardware partitions is not possible on this configuration (the SH21 has none, and each partition needs at least 2 sockets).
15A discount of USD 2,000 needs sales management approval.
16A discount of USD 13,691 is more than 10 percent of the list total of USD 136,900.
17The quote states a total of USD 136,899; the configuration adds up to USD 136,900.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. SH161 configuration: A 12-socket SH161 with Xeon 6500P processors, 16-core CPUs, small memory, 20 GPUs, Windows Server and 8 partitions

    
The agent's request. Please quote a BullSequana SH161 with 12 sockets of Xeon 6500P processors with 16 cores each, and 4 memory modules of 64 GB per socket. The server takes 20 GPUs, 2 Fibre Channel adapters and 1 standard network adapter, with 4 E1.S NVMe drives and 2 M.2 NVMe drives. It runs Windows Server, is split into 8 hardware partitions and comes with the standard 3-year support. The sales rep offers no discount. The quote states a total of USD 740,500. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • SH161 takes Xeon 6700P only. The SH161 is quoted with Xeon 6500P processors; it takes Xeon 6700P series only.
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  • SH161 needs 24 cores or more. The SH161 is quoted with 16-core processors; its Xeon 6700P options start at 24 cores.
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  • Memory below the model minimum. The quote has 3,072 GB of memory; this model starts at 4,096 GB.
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  • Too many GPUs. The quote has 20 GPUs; this model takes up to 16.
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  • Too many x16 cards. GPUs and 400GbE adapters need x16 slots; this model has 16 in the mixed layout.
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  • Operating system not listed for SH161. The SH161 is quoted with VMware or Windows Server; its supported systems are Red Hat, SUSE and Oracle Linux.
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  • Hardware partitions. 8 hardware partitions is not possible on this configuration (the SH21 has none, and each partition needs at least 2 sockets).
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of USD 740,500; the configuration adds up to USD 749,500.
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2. SH161 configuration: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a BullSequana SH161 with 12 sockets of Xeon 6700P processors with 32 cores each, and 4 memory modules of 128 GB per socket. The server takes 20 GPUs, 2 Fibre Channel adapters and 1 standard network adapter, with 4 E1.S NVMe drives and 2 M.2 NVMe drives. It runs Red Hat Enterprise Linux, is split into 8 hardware partitions and comes with the standard 3-year support. The sales rep offers no discount. The quote states a total of USD 804,700. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many GPUs. The quote has 20 GPUs; this model takes up to 16.
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  • Too many x16 cards. GPUs and 400GbE adapters need x16 slots; this model has 16 in the mixed layout.
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  • Hardware partitions. 8 hardware partitions is not possible on this configuration (the SH21 has none, and each partition needs at least 2 sockets).
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3. SH161 configuration: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a BullSequana SH161 with 12 sockets of Xeon 6700P processors with 32 cores each, and 4 memory modules of 128 GB per socket. The server takes 8 GPUs, 2 400GbE adapters, 2 Fibre Channel adapters and 1 standard network adapter, with 4 E1.S NVMe drives and 2 M.2 NVMe drives. It runs Red Hat Enterprise Linux, is split into 4 hardware partitions and comes with the standard 3-year support. The sales rep offers no discount. The quote states a total of USD 473,500. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 12 socket(s), 6,144 GB of memory, net total of USD 473,500 at modeled list prices.
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4. SH81 configuration: A 6-socket SH81 with 9 GPUs, 40 E1.S and 9 M.2 drives, low memory, 4 partitions and a USD 40,000 discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote a BullSequana SH81 with 6 sockets of Xeon 6700P processors with 32 cores each, and 8 memory modules of 64 GB per socket. The server takes 9 GPUs, 2 Fibre Channel adapters and 1 standard network adapter, with 40 E1.S NVMe drives and 9 M.2 NVMe drives. It runs Red Hat Enterprise Linux, is split into 4 hardware partitions and comes with the standard 3-year support. The sales rep offers a discount of USD 40,000. The quote states a total of USD 380,350. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Memory below the model minimum. The quote has 3,072 GB of memory; this model starts at 8,192 GB.
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  • Too many GPUs. The quote has 9 GPUs; this model takes up to 8.
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  • Too many x16 cards. GPUs and 400GbE adapters need x16 slots; this model has 8 in the mixed layout.
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  • Too many E1.S drives. The quote has 40 E1.S NVMe drives; this model takes up to 32.
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  • Too many M.2 drives. The quote has 9 M.2 NVMe drives; this model takes up to 8.
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  • Hardware partitions. 4 hardware partitions is not possible on this configuration (the SH21 has none, and each partition needs at least 2 sockets).
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  • Discount to approve. A discount of USD 40,000 needs sales management approval.
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5. SH81 configuration: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a BullSequana SH81 with 6 sockets of Xeon 6700P processors with 32 cores each, and 12 memory modules of 128 GB per socket. The server takes 8 GPUs, 2 Fibre Channel adapters and 1 standard network adapter, with 32 E1.S NVMe drives and 8 M.2 NVMe drives. It runs Red Hat Enterprise Linux, is split into 3 hardware partitions and comes with the standard 3-year support. The sales rep offers a discount of USD 20,000. The quote states a total of USD 413,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount to approve. A discount of USD 20,000 needs sales management approval.
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  • Order summary. 6 socket(s), 9,216 GB of memory, net total of USD 413,000 at modeled list prices.
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6. SH81 configuration: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a BullSequana SH81 with 6 sockets of Xeon 6700P processors with 32 cores each, and 12 memory modules of 128 GB per socket. The server takes 8 GPUs, 2 Fibre Channel adapters and 1 standard network adapter, with 32 E1.S NVMe drives and 8 M.2 NVMe drives. It runs Red Hat Enterprise Linux, is split into 3 hardware partitions and comes with the standard 3-year support. The sales rep offers no discount. The quote states a total of USD 433,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 6 socket(s), 9,216 GB of memory, net total of USD 433,000 at modeled list prices.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a BullSequana SH scale-up server: the model, the number of sockets, the processor series and cores, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of how those choices fit together and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote a BullSequana SH161 with 12 sockets of Xeon 6500P processors with 16 cores each, and 4 memory modules of 64 GB per socket. The server takes 20 GPUs, 2 Fibre Channel adapters and 1 standard network adapter, with 4 E1.S NVMe drives and 2 M.2 NVMe drives. The rest of the request is on screen. The quote states a total of USD 740,500.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with eight findings, all in one answer. The SH161 is quoted with Xeon 6500P processors; it takes Xeon 6700P series only. The SH161 is quoted with 16-core processors; its Xeon 6700P options start at 24 cores. The quote has 3,072 GB of memory; this model starts at 4,096 GB. The other five are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned eight blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other and against the stated total.
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  7. What this shows: for a stated total that must match the computed total, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the processors to Xeon 6700P, 32 cores, the memory module size to 128, the operating system to Red Hat Enterprise Linux and the total stated on the quote to 804,700.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. Still blocked, with three findings, all in one answer. The quote has 20 GPUs; this model takes up to 16. GPUs and 400GbE adapters need x16 slots; this model has 16 in the mixed layout. 8 hardware partitions is not possible on this configuration (the SH21 has none, and each partition needs at least 2 sockets).
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  12. Five findings cleared. Still blocking: too many GPUs, too many x16 cards and hardware partitions.
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  13. The agent resubmits once more.
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  14. The revised request. It changes the GPUs to 8, the 400GbE adapters to 2, the hardware partitions to 4 and the total stated on the quote to 473,500.
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  15. It calls the validator once more.
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  16. This time the validator clears it.
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  17. All three earlier findings are cleared.
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  18. Eight problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    19.