SNIA launches Storage.AI to develop open standards for efficient data infrastructure in AI workloads

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) has introduced Storage.AI, an open standards initiative targeting efficient data services for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. Storage.AI is designed to foster a vendor-neutral and non-proprietary framework that addresses performance, efficiency, and cost concerns unique to AI data operations, according to SNIA’s announcement.Participating companies in the initial launch include AMD, Cisco, DDN, Dell, IBM, Intel, KIOXIA, Microchip, Micron, NetApp, Pure Storage, Samsung, Seagate, Solidigm, and WEKA. Storage.AI will operate within SNIA’s ecosystem and collaborate with external partners such as UEC, NVM Express, Open Compute Project (OCP), OpenFabrics Alliance (OFA), Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF), and the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC).

The Storage.AI project is set to create open standards for handling the increasing complexity of AI workloads, specifically focusing on issues such as latency, power, cooling, memory, and data access limitations in modern infrastructure. For data center operators and technology vendors, the project aims to improve integration between storage solutions and AI compute pipelines to maximize throughput and reduce bottlenecks.

The organization says: “The unprecedented demands of AI require a holistic view of the data pipeline, from storage and memory to networking and processing,” said Dr. J Metz, SNIA Chair. “No single company can solve these challenges alone. SNIA’s Storage.AI provides the essential, vendor-neutral framework for the industry to coordinate a wide range of data services, building the efficient, non-proprietary solutions needed to accelerate AI for everyone.”

Founding members highlight a shared focus on standards and interoperability. Technical leaders from AMD, Cisco, DDN, Dell, IBM, Intel, Microchip, Micron, NetApp, Pure Storage, Samsung, Seagate, Solidigm, and WEKA have each emphasized the importance of open architectures and collaborative efforts in optimizing storage performance and resiliency for data-intensive AI environments.

SNIA reports that technical work on Storage.AI is underway. Companies interested in joining the project are encouraged to make contact through official SNIA channels.

Source: SNIA