NETAPP & SAMSUNG
which means that for a single training task , you use multiple computers , each of which has several GPUs .
“ The hunger for data goes up exponentially and the storage system , which is generally just the one system , must be able to feed all of this . So you distribute the compute , but the storage remains a monolith . But now it has to feed the multitude of GPUs ,” Bangert explains .
“ NetApp is perfectly positioned to accomplish that task . At Samsung SDS , we just write the software , so we rely on our hardware partners to be able to ensure it is performant , resilient and cost-efficient . NetApp has been extremely helpful for us ,” he adds .
Both Sagert and Bangert recognise that NetApp and Samsung SDS are better together as they can combine their expertise to develop a solution that will deliver real benefits to their clients .
“ We do artificial intelligence , but that ' s really just mathematics . It ' s a bunch of lines of code ,” says Bangert .
“ But , when we need to run the code , we need computing infrastructure . Data is really the heart and soul of artificial intelligence , and that needs to be on storage systems that are large enough and efficient enough to serve that data to the compute side of things in a timely manner .
“ The ONTAP platform , the software layer within the NetApp storage systems , is capable of serving the data very effectively with a high rate of throughput and low latency , which is exactly what we need for AI because we want to eat as much data as quickly as we can ,” he continues .
Supporting industries as they turn to AI technology Adopting AI into any business strategy is no mean feat . It is time-consuming and complex , and the implementation of AI threatens to bring a lot of challenges to uninitiated technologists who have never worked with these types of enterprise systems before .
“ We ’ re trying to offer a more holistic solution than other people , to take away that organisational effort from our customers and say , ‘ We ' re going to offer you everything at once . Here ' s a computer , storage , a software environment : everything ' s ready to go . It ' s all been tested . We can solve your problem more readily ’. I think this kind of partnership is very helpful to the customer . They can trust that they get a holistic solution to their problem ,” explains Bangert .
RUSS SAGERT
Sagert most recently joined NetApp from GE , where , as a Senior Solutions Architect , he focused on Industrial Internet of Things ( IIoT ) digital transformations . From his first function as a geophysicist for Shell Canada , his 30-year career in the Oil & Gas industry included executive roles for consultancy firms , business development leadership , and portfolio management roles for Schlumberger before becoming Vice President for Oil & Gas software at IHS .
126 April 2022