Pure Storage has announced a new range of AI-powered analytics product, while also extending a partnership with Cisco. The company is also making its AI-ready infrastructures AIRI and AIRI Mini compatible with Cisco Nexus Ethernet switches, the California-headquartered flash storage specialists said.

What is AIRI?

AIRI is an AI-ready hardware/software solution that uses NVIDIA and Pure Storage’s FlashBlade storage to “future-proof” enterprise infrastructure. It was purpose-built for a wide range of AI pipeline workloads, including upfront data ingest and preparation, along with modeling, training, and operationalisation.

The main AIRI infrastructure is configured with four NVIDIA DGX-1 Systems, and provides four petaflops of deep learning performance. AIRI is powered by 15 17TB Blades of Pure Storage FlashBlades with 100 gigabyte Ethernet switches with RDMA.

With AIRI Mini, it is only powered with one FlashBlade with fewer than half the configured blades at 7 with 17 Blades. Both AIRI infrastructures come equipped with all software included for data scientists to start working on projects.

Ed Horley, VP of Engineering at IT solutions provider Groupware Technology commented in a release: “With AIRI, customers can begin their AI initiatives within hours and its simple scalable design allows it to grow with your AI needs. By eliminating these infrastructure complexities, customers can focus on what’s important – creating innovative products and services.”

All-New FlashStack

FlashStack, which has been built on FlashBlade allows customers to pay for the amount of compute and blades needed for a project or initiative. Matt Burr, GM of FlashBlade, Pure Storage explained that AIRI is the “perfect fit for organisations that need to deploy AI”.

He also mentioned that FlashStack is used as an “interim step between single-server and AIRI”.

With data being a major part of AI, Pure Storage has also extended their partnership with multinational tech conglomerate Cisco.

“Data is the lifeblood of today’s economy and the fuel for innovation. New cures, new industries, new possibilities will arise – all because of data. This new era demands a new data mindset and strategy,” Michael Sotnick, VP Partners, Services & Business Development at Pure Storage said.