NetApp expands enterprise data platform with new AI-focused systems

NetApp has announced new additions to its enterprise data infrastructure portfolio aimed at supporting large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. The updates include the launch of the NetApp AFX storage system and the NetApp AI Data Engine (AIDE), both designed to manage and process enterprise data for AI development and deployment.

The new AFX system separates performance and capacity through a disaggregated version of NetApp’s ONTAP software. It is intended to provide scalable performance for organizations running AI workloads and can be deployed both on-premises and across hybrid or multicloud environments.

The AI Data Engine, meanwhile, integrates with NVIDIA’s AI Data Platform and is built to streamline data handling across the AI pipeline—from ingestion and preparation to serving generative AI applications. It incorporates features such as automated synchronization, built-in data guardrails, and support for NVIDIA’s accelerated computing and AI Enterprise software.

NetApp says these systems allow enterprises to manage large volumes of unstructured data, improve retrieval for AI applications such as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and maintain consistent data governance and security.

Additional updates include:

• Object API for Azure NetApp Files: Users can now access Azure data directly through an Object REST API, eliminating the need to transfer datasets to separate object stores for AI and analytics workloads.

• Enhanced Global Namespace in Azure: New FlexCache capabilities allow organizations to unify on-premises and cloud data under Microsoft Azure, supporting hybrid use cases like backup, disaster recovery, and workload balancing.

Industry analysts noted that the company’s latest systems reflect an ongoing trend of enterprises investing in scalable, AI-optimized data infrastructure to handle increasing data complexity.

NetApp’s new offerings were introduced ahead of the company’s annual INSIGHT 2025 conference in Las Vegas, where it plans to demonstrate its latest data management and AI integration tools.