Intel & NetApp unveil AI solution aimed at smaller business teams

Intel and NetApp have formed a new partnership to introduce an integrated AI inferencing solution aimed at simplifying deployment for specialised and local business applications.

The jointly developed NetApp AIPod Mini is intended to help business departments and teams utilise AI when general-purpose AI tools are insufficient or too complex to customise. The solution is presented as an answer for departments that lack the technical skills or the resources to create bespoke AI applications.

Departments that could benefit from the NetApp AIPod Mini include legal teams seeking to automate aspects of document drafting and research, retail groups aiming to implement personalised shopping and dynamic pricing, and manufacturing operations working to optimise predictive maintenance and supply chains. The solution is intended to be affordable for departmental budgets, straightforward to set up, and designed with on-premises data processing to address security and privacy requirements.

The integration combines Intel Xeon 6 processors and Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions with NetApp's all-flash storage, data management tools, and Kubernetes integration. By doing so, the solution aims to deliver high-performance, cost-efficient AI inferencing on a scalable, open framework that organisations can tailor to their unique requirements. The solution utilises the Open Platform for Enterprise AI (OPEA) to support flexible deployments.

NetApp AIPod Mini features pre-packaged Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) workflows, which enable enterprises to combine generative AI capabilities with their proprietary data. This approach is designed to ensure that insights produced are both precise and relevant within the specific context of an organisation's operations.

Discussing the new offering, Dallas Olson, Chief Commercial Officer at NetApp, said, "Our mission is to unlock AI for every team at every level without the traditional barriers of complexity or cost. NetApp AIPod Mini with Intel gives our customers a solution that not only transforms how teams can use AI but also makes it easy to customise, deploy, and maintain. We are turning proprietary enterprise data into powerful business outcomes."

Key features identified by NetApp include affordability for departments or small business units, simplified implementation through a pre-validated reference design, and security built on NetApp ONTAP's cyber resiliency and data governance capabilities. By processing data on-premises, the solution is positioned to ensure privacy and compliance, with features such as access controls, versioning, and traceability integrated into AI workflows.

Greg Ernst, Americas Corporate Vice President and General Manager at Intel, commented on the collaboration: "A good AI solution needs to be both powerful and efficient to ensure it delivers a strong return on investment. By combining Intel Xeon processors with NetApp's robust data management and storage capabilities, the NetApp AIPod Mini solution offers business units the chance to deploy AI in tackling their unique challenges. This solution empowers users to harness AI without the burden of oversized infrastructure or unnecessary technical complexity."

The hardware platform is intended to support modular and scalable deployments aligned with specific departmental business goals. Intel Xeon processors are selected for their capacity to increase computing performance and efficiency, aiming to make AI workloads accessible and feasible for smaller business units without extensive IT infrastructure.

NetApp will distribute the AIPod Mini solution through selected channel partners, targeting global availability via distributors such as Arrow Electronics and TD SYNNEX, as well as integration partners including Insight Partners, CDW USA, CDW UK&I, Presidio, and Long View Systems. These partners will provide support and service for the purchasing and deployment of NetApp AIPod Mini, addressing business-specific AI use cases.

A recent Harvard Business School study was cited by both companies, which found consultants working with AI tools completed 12.2% more tasks and did so 25.1% more quickly, marking tangible productivity gains that businesses are seeking to achieve with practical AI deployments.

The NetApp AIPod Mini with Intel is scheduled for release in the summer of 2025 and will be targeted at enterprise clients seeking to enhance the use of AI across various business functions while managing issues related to complexity, security, and cost.