AI is changing how we design and operate enterprise IT. Most of the attention goes to GPUs and models, but AI is still a data problem at its core. Without the right infrastructure, performance gains disappear.

NetApp’s new data storage architecture, AFX, is designed to fix that gap. It brings AI performance and enterprise-grade reliability together on a platform that organizations already know: ONTAP.

AFX: Purpose-built for enterprise AI

At NetApp INSIGHT 2024, the company outlined a goal to make AI infrastructure simpler and more scalable. A year later, AFX delivers on that vision with a disaggregated storage architecture that lets you scale performance and capacity independently.

It runs on ONTAP, which means you keep the same management, automation, and security features that are already proven in production environments. Instead of reinventing storage for AI, AFX enhances what enterprises already trust.

One platform for business and AI workloads

Traditional AI deployments often use separate infrastructure from core business systems. That separation creates complexity, inefficiency, and extra data movement. AFX allows high-performance AI workloads to run on the same ONTAP infrastructure used for enterprise data.

This reduces silos and provides:

• Consistent security and governance
• A single management interface
• No proprietary client software
• Support for high-speed networking such as 400 GbE

The result is better performance without a complete rebuild of your storage environment.

Scaling for real AI workloads

AI data patterns are unpredictable. They spike, change shape, and can overwhelm rigid systems. AFX handles these shifts with automated load balancing, seamless scaling, and strong multitenancy controls.

Because it’s ONTAP based, it works with existing automation and integration tools, keeping operational changes minimal while still supporting heavy I/O and demanding pipelines.

Security and data protection

Security must be part of the foundation, not an afterthought. AFX builds on ONTAP’s security framework and includes autonomous ransomware protection that detects threats with high accuracy. This protects not only datasets and models, but also the processes that feed them.

Hybrid by design

Modern enterprises operate across data centers, clouds, and edge locations. AFX integrates with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud so that data can move freely between environments. The NetApp AI Data Engine adds features like metadata indexing, privacy management, and vectorization, helping teams prepare data for AI use without manual work.

The future of enterprise AI

AFX has the potential to become a key building block for AI-driven enterprises. It builds on familiar technology while addressing new performance and scalability needs.

A few things to watch for as this technology starts getting into customer environments:

• Real-world scalability beyond lab results
• Operational simplicity for disaggregated deployments
• Integration depth with cloud and AI ecosystems
• Cost efficiency compared to traditional silos

The future of enterprise AI is bright. Look to NetApp to lead the charge with solutions like AFX.