VAST Data, a leading AI data platform company, has strengthened its partnership with Cisco to simplify AI deployments for enterprises. This extended collaboration will offer the VAST Data Platform natively on select Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) servers. The integrated solution will be available through Cisco’s global sales team and network of channel partners.
This expansion builds on the partnership announced in June at Cisco Live 2024, where Cisco introduced the VAST Data Platform as the first data platform optimised and supported with Cisco Nexus HyperFabric AI. By uniting compute, networking, and storage into a single system, Nexus HyperFabric AI powers enterprise applications with a seamless, integrated AI solution.
Jeremy Foster, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Compute, addressed the growing complexity of managing modern data centres, particularly with the increased adoption of AI. “As AI adoption grows, it’s clear that data centres will be a pivotal proving ground where business is won and lost. The challenge is that the complexity with managing, configuring, updating, and patching a modern data centre is only getting harder with AI,” said Foster. He added, “Cisco is proud to work with innovative companies like VAST to massively simplify the overall operation of AI-ready data centres, enabling customers to reduce time, resources, and costs required by delivering an integrated stack of the next generation of storage, compute, and networking.”
Streamlined AI infrastructure for enterprises
VAST Data’s AI-ready platform offers unified storage, database services, and data-driven function engines, specifically designed to support AI workloads. The platform integrates seamlessly with Cisco Nexus HyperFabric AI and features VAST’s Disaggregated Shared Everything (DASE) architecture. This advanced architecture is built to support the world’s largest GPU clusters, enabling enterprises to manage the most demanding AI tasks.
John Mao, Vice President of Technology Alliances at VAST Data, commented on the necessity for businesses to update their infrastructure to accommodate AI workloads. He said, “Enterprises are seeking ways to modernise their data infrastructure to accommodate rigorous AI workloads, while consolidating and simplifying their technology stack to limit complexity. This tight integration and joint selling motion between VAST and Cisco will help to accelerate enterprise AI adoption by providing end-to-end visibility of compute, networking, storage, and data management – allowing organisations to seamlessly build and scale their AI operations.”
The integrated VAST-Cisco solution is designed to handle a variety of AI workloads, including generative AI, RAG-based inferencing, and fine-tuning AI models. The solution enables organisations to reduce the complexity of designing, deploying, and managing AI infrastructure, making advanced AI technology more accessible.
Available in 2025
The new integrated AI solution will be available to Cisco customers and partners in the first half of 2025. By leveraging the VAST Data Platform natively on select Cisco UCS servers with Cisco Nexus HyperFabric AI, enterprises will have access to a fully optimised AI infrastructure solution, simplifying their journey towards AI adoption.
As VAST Data continues to innovate in the enterprise AI space, its growing partnership with Cisco will empower customers worldwide to unlock the full potential of their data by providing a scalable, integrated, and AI-ready infrastructure solution.
