DDN, a global provider of AI and multi-cloud data management solutions, has made significant improvements to its all-flash and hybrid storage systems.
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The company has developed a hybrid storage solution using a groundbreaking design that blends QLC and TLC SSDs with disk drives and AI compression technologies. This cost and energy-efficient system is suitable for AI and data centers of any size.
DDN's parallel file system technology is ideal for generative AI, machine learning (ML), and other high-performance corporate applications, offering the highest performance efficiency. The complexity of networking and performance barriers are removed by DDN's new AI400X2 QLC and hybrid storage arrays, which set them apart from existing data storage options.
DDN's appliances control and optimize the whole data stream, directly impacting application performance. The platform minimizes the amount of infrastructure needed, the amount of energy used, and the physical footprint of the data center.
DDN's parallel file system and data compression technologies drive their new AI400X2 QLC and hybrid storage arrays, providing many enhancements and advantages for clients. Dr. James Coomer, Senior Vice President of Products at DDN, stressed the benefits of DDN's parallel file system and data compression technologies in tackling the issues encountered by at-scale and high-performance systems.
Specialized infrastructure is needed to support data-intensive activities required for AI storage. DDN provides high-performance and versatile storage options, tailored for any workflow and scalability as a pioneer in AI and multi-cloud data management solutions. DDN's systems offer great IOPS and throughput per rack, with up to 70 million IOPS per rack in all-TLC flash-based systems. The hybrid system supports up to 20 petabytes per rack, while DDN's QLC flash technology offers up to 14 million IOPS in a single rack, providing the lowest pricing per flash terabyte.
DDN's specialized infrastructure for AI storage is built on over 20 years of experience in high-performance storage solutions. They have a range of products and technologies that cater to AI workloads, including their EXAScaler platform, AI400X and AI7990X appliances, and A3I (Accelerated, Any-Scale AI).
The EXAScaler platform is DDN's flagship parallel file system, designed to handle the demands of AI and deep learning workloads. It offers high-performance shared storage with low latency and high bandwidth, enabling fast data access for distributed AI training and inferencing.
The AI400X and AI7990X appliances are purpose-built storage systems optimized for AI workloads. The AI400X is a smaller-scale appliance suitable for edge and small AI deployments, while the AI7990X is a high-density system capable of handling massive AI datasets. Both appliances offer high throughput, low latency, and scalability to accommodate growing AI workloads.
DDN's A3I solution is a turnkey AI infrastructure that combines storage, compute, and networking components into a unified platform. It is designed to accelerate AI projects by providing a complete infrastructure stack that is pre-configured and optimized for AI workloads. A3I supports popular AI frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Caffe, making it easier for organizations to deploy and manage their AI workflows.
In addition to the hardware solutions, DDN also provides software tools and management features to enhance AI storage performance and efficiency. These include data protection mechanisms, intelligent caching algorithms, and data tiering capabilities. These features help organizations optimize their AI data workflows, ensuring data availability, reliability, and efficient use of storage resources.
DDN's specialized infrastructure for AI storage goes beyond just providing high-performance storage solutions. They offer a holistic approach to AI infrastructure, taking into consideration the entire data lifecycle and addressing various aspects of AI workflows.
One key aspect of DDN's infrastructure is their focus on data management. With AI workloads generating vast amounts of data, efficient data management becomes crucial. DDN provides features like data protection, data replication, and data tiering to ensure data integrity, availability, and optimization. These features help organizations safeguard their valuable AI data and make intelligent decisions regarding data storage and movement.
DDN also emphasizes scalability in their infrastructure. As AI workloads grow, organizations need storage solutions that can easily scale to accommodate increasing data demands. DDN's platforms and appliances are designed with scalability in mind, allowing organizations to expand their storage capacity seamlessly without sacrificing performance.
Furthermore, DDN understands the importance of integrating AI storage solutions with other components of the AI stack. They provide integration with popular AI frameworks and tools, making it easier for organizations to leverage their existing AI workflows without any disruption. This seamless integration ensures efficient data transfer between storage systems and compute resources, streamlining AI training and inferencing processes.
Another crucial aspect of DDN's infrastructure is its support for heterogeneous environments. Organizations often have a mix of GPU accelerators, CPUs, and other compute resources in their AI infrastructure. DDN's storage solutions are designed to support these heterogeneous environments, enabling organizations to take full advantage of their diverse compute resources for AI workloads.
Lastly, DDN understands the importance of performance optimization in AI workflows. They continuously invest in research and development to improve their storage technology, leveraging advancements such as NVMe SSDs and parallel file systems. This focus on performance allows organizations to accelerate their AI workloads and reduce time-to-insight.
In summary, DDN's specialized infrastructure for AI storage is a comprehensive solution that addresses the unique challenges of AI workloads. From data management and scalability to integration and performance optimization, DDN offers a range of features and technologies that enable organizations to achieve efficient, high-performance AI deployments.