Nvidia’s Updated Software Makes Running AI Models ‘Simpler’

‘This software platform allows enterprises to have a much simpler experience at building, deploying, and running AI models,’ one solution provider executive tells CRN.

In a bid to simplify deployment and scale artificial intelligence applications across metal, virtual, container, and cloud environments, Nvidia has updated its software, the Santa Clara, California-based global tech company announced.

AI Enterprise 2.1 promises more accessibility across hybrid or multi-cloud environments to support AI. It adds support for Red Hat’s OpenShift, the software family that features a hybrid cloud platform as a service, and Microsoft Corp.’s Azure NVads A10 v5 series, a cloud platform of more than 200 products and cloud services crafted to solve pain points.

Andy Lin, vice president of strategy, innovation, and chief technology officer at Mark III Systems, a Houston-based digital and IT transformation solution provider, gave the upgrade a thumbs-up.

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“This software platform allows enterprises to have a much simpler experience at building, deploying, and running AI models,” he told CRN.

Before AI Enterprise, he said, most of the industry operated with open-source techniques, defined as AI tech that is available for commercial and non-commercial use under a variety of open source licenses.

This latest release has expanded the types of frameworks that is supported, such as the cloud, Lin added.

The announcement comes one month after Nvidia and flash storage developer Pure Storage launched what they called the next generation of their AIRI AI-ready infrastructure. It combines Pure Storage’s new FlashBlade//S: array with Nvidia’s DGX GPU and promised to update that infrastructure to more advanced Nvidia GPUs as they become available.

The new AIRI//S, which includes the FlashBlade//S: and Nvidia’s DGX A100 systems, provides a simple on-demand infrastructure aimed at accelerating AI initiatives, said Amy Fowler, vice president of product marketing for FlashBlade at Pure Storage.

Justin Boitano, vice president of enterprise and edge at Nvidia, said much of the innovation around AI was driven through the cloud and cloud services. Today, he said, more enterprises prefer to operate those services in their own data centers for better efficiencies. The idea, he said, is to automate conversations between customers and virtual agents and reduce costs.

“We see AI graduating from the cloud into enterprise data centers,” he told CRN. “…It’s delivered as a holistic package.”