NetApp Announces Advanced AI Solutions for Enterprises with NVIDIA

NetApp, a data infrastructure company, has introduced a generative AI data vision and integrated solutions that combine NVIDIA AI software and accelerated computing with NetApp's intelligent data infrastructure. The solutions are designed to support enterprise retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and enable the development of next-generation AI applications.

New Capabilities in NetApp ONTAP Unified Storage System

The announcement includes new capabilities within the NetApp ONTAP unified storage operating system. These capabilities utilize a global metadata namespace, enabling enterprises to unify their data stores. This solution is aimed at the tens of thousands of enterprises that rely on NetApp for their data infrastructure. It opens access to exabytes of data stored across cloud and on-premises systems, enhancing the potential for RAG and enabling enterprises to utilize their entire data estate more effectively.

Integration with NVIDIA AI Enterprise Software Platform

The solution integrates the NetApp AIPod architecture with NetApp ONTAP and the NetApp BlueXP unified control plane. It also incorporates NVIDIA NeMo Retriever and NIM microservices, both part of the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform. This integration is designed to enhance the AI capabilities of enterprises and support the development of future AI-driven applications.

“To power AI applications and drive transformative progress for their business, enterprises must unlock the potential of their data,” said Harv Bhela, Chief Product Officer at NetApp. “Combining the NetApp data management engine and NVIDIA AI software empowers AI applications to securely access and leverage vast amounts of data, paving the way for intelligent, agentic AI that tackles complex business challenges and fuels innovation." 

“Data is fundamental to the evolution of generative AI,” said Manuvir Das, vice president, Enterprise Computing at NVIDIA. “By combining NVIDIA AI software and accelerated computing with NetApp intelligent data infrastructure, enterprises can turn their data into knowledge, and AI agents can turn that knowledge into action.”

New AI Features in NetApp AIPod for Enhanced Data Management

NetApp has introduced new AI capabilities within its AIPod solution, certified for NVIDIA DGX BasePOD infrastructure and NVIDIA OVX solutions, and managed through BlueXP. These capabilities enable NetApp customers to easily discover, search, and curate data both on-premises and in the public cloud. The process adheres to existing policy-based governance criteria.

Data Collection and Processing for GenAI Deployments

Once data is collected through NetApp BlueXP, it can be dynamically connected to NVIDIA NeMo Retriever. In this environment, the dataset is processed and vectorized, making it accessible for enterprise generative AI (GenAI) deployments. The process incorporates access controls and privacy guardrails, establishing a foundation for a generative AI flywheel. This system supports a range of tasks including customer service, business operations, and financial services.

Responsible AI Integration for Enterprise Use

The end-to-end integration maintains security and policy compliance throughout the AI data and model lifecycle. This integration was first introduced during NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's keynote address at the GTC 2024 conference. Customers can experience this GenAI integration at NetApp INSIGHT, and a technology preview is planned for release later this year.

NVIDIA Certification for NetApp ONTAP Storage

NetApp has begun the certification process for its ONTAP storage on the AFF A90 platform with NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD. This will allow organizations to leverage NetApp's data management capabilities for large AI projects. The certification builds on the existing certification with NVIDIA DGX BasePOD, addressing data management challenges for large language models and optimizing AI training workloads. 

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