Shows
Shared EverythingWhen Software Becomes a System: The Architecture Behind VAST 5.4In this episode Nicole talks to Jeff Denworth, Co-Founder of VAST Data, about the deep architectural shifts behind the 5.4 release, delving into how a new distributed runtime, native vector database, and event-driven compute layer transform VAST from a storage platform into a fully programmable AI operating system. Jeff explains how real-time vector inserts, parallelism without inter-node communication, and disaggregated shared-everything design make it possible to reason over data as it arrives, powering applications from Smart City analytics to trillion-scale AI pipelines.
2025-11-0522 minShared EverythingFrom Cloud to Cosmos: Jason Vallery on Building the Next Generation of AI InfrastructureOn today’s episode of the Shared Everything podcast, Nicole talks to Jason Vallery, who just joined VAST after a 13-year career at Microsoft where he helped build the Azure cloud from the ground up. Jason reflects on the early days of object storage and cloud-native computing, when scaling from petabytes to exabytes redefined what infrastructure meant, and explains how lessons from Azure’s hyperscale era now shape his vision for VAST’s role in the AI age. He talks about the convergence of file and object systems, the evolution of AI storage built for thousands of GPUs, and the indust...
2025-10-2414 minShared EverythingData Proximity and the Quantum Architecture of TomorrowIn this episode Nicole talks to Chris Powell, Chief Scientist at SAIC, and Kartik, Chief Scientist at VAST Data, about how the foundations of supercomputing are being rewritten by quantum advances, new architectures, and the collapse of distance between data and compute. Together they explore what happens when data becomes the environment of computation itself, how proximity and randomness define the next frontier, and why the systems of the future will think exactly where the information lives.
2025-10-2129 minShared EverythingFrom AlphaGo to Surfer H: The New Frontier of AI Agents for AllIn this episode Nicole talks to Laurent Sifre, co-founder and CTO of H Company and former DeepMind scientist behind AlphaGo, AlphaFold, and Chinchilla. They explore how his discoveries in model scaling shaped the design of H Company’s computer-use agents, including the Surfer H platform that learns to navigate software through perception and action instead of APIs. The conversation dives into data infrastructure, distributed KV caching, sovereign compute, and why the future of automation depends on smaller, specialized models that act in the real digital world.
2025-10-1518 minShared EverythingThe Future of Reasoning Models and AI InfrastructureIn this episode of the Shared Everything, reasoning models take center stage. No longer just text predictors, they now loop, branch, and drag in outside data, which blows open context windows and GPU limits. Alon Horev, CTO of VAST Data, unpacks how this shift strains infrastructure, while Kevin Deierling, SVP of Networking at NVIDIA, explains how NVIDIA Dynamo moves KV caches and workloads across GPUs, networks, and storage to keep agentic workflows moving. Data platforms become an extension of memory, enabling longer chains of thought, real-time agents, and secure, observable data paths. The result is a vivid picture of the...
2025-10-0132 minShared EverythingBuilding the Secure AI Factory: Cisco, NVIDIA, and VAST Rewire the Enterprise DatacenterOn this episode, Nicole sits down with Danny McGinniss, VP of Product Management for Cisco Compute, Jacob Liberman, Director of Enterprise Product at NVIDIA, and John Mao, VP of Business Development and Alliances at VAST, to pull apart what it really means when three of the biggest forces in infrastructure line up behind the Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA, an architecture that brings together Cisco’s compute and networking, NVIDIA AI Data Platform, and VAST InsightEngine. The episode walks through the reimagining the datacenter as an AI factory where security, storage, speed, and data gravity collide to make enterprise AI...
2025-09-0433 minShared EverythingHow Engineers Navigate Data Transition in the Age of AIIn this episode, Nicole speaks with Aaron Chaisson and Blake Golliher of VAST Data about how the company is reframing its mission for the AI era, centering on the idea of becoming the Operating System for AI. Aaron lays out the strategy behind this shift, while Blake—drawing on his deep background in building large-scale data platforms explains how the VAST SyncEngine enables customers to move and manage massive volumes of data across sites, clouds, and AI pipelines in real time. The discussion highlights why the ability to synchronize data at scale is critical for enterprise AI adoption, and how VA...
2025-08-2113 minShared EverythingHow SK Telecom Built a Sovereign AI Cloud from the GPU UpIn this episode, we explore how SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest wireless carrier and now a major force in AI infrastructure, joined forces with VAST Data to tackle one of the most difficult problems in large-scale computing: building a sovereign AI cloud that doesn’t compromise on speed, security, or scalability. Facing the nation’s mandate to keep AI models, data, and infrastructure fully under domestic control, SK Telecom had to rethink GPU virtualization from the ground up. The result is a platform that delivers near-bare-metal performance, strict multi-tenancy, and instant provisioning, setting a new standard for how sovereign AI inf...
2025-08-1419 minShared EverythingLambda's VP of Infrastructure on Building the Aggregated Edge for Sovereign AIIn this episode, Nicole talks with Ken Patchett, VP of Datacenter Infrastructure at Lambda, about how hyperscale AI and sovereign LLMs are redefining datacenter and data management strategies. Ken highlights the challenge of data gravity, emphasizing the critical role of co-locating extensive storage infrastructure alongside ultra-high-density compute to support increasingly data-hungry workloads. He outlines Lambda’s "aggregated edge" model, designed for regional deployment of inference and enterprise workloads, enabling localized data processing and compliance with global sovereignty and privacy regulations. The conversation also addresses how these changes demand adaptive multi-density infrastructure, integrating flexible compute-storage designs that accommodate shifting hardware requirements an...
2025-08-1126 minShared EverythingThe AI Dilemma: Why Federal IT Projects Fail and How to Fix ThemStacks of federal reports tell countless stories of IT investments gone sideways, yet the stakes have never been higher as artificial intelligence reshapes government. David Hinchman, Director of IT and Cybersecurity at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), joins Shared Everything to dissect why federal technology initiatives often falter and how these invisible fault lines could dangerously widen in the age of AI. From planning pitfalls to hidden infrastructure challenges, Hinchman reveals the critical decisions that determine whether AI becomes government’s greatest tool...or its most costly failure.
2025-07-2822 minShared EverythingFrom Supercomputers to the Frontlines of AI Inference: Glenn Lockwood on Infrastructure That LastsIn this episode of Shared Everything, Glenn Lockwood, just named Principal Technical Strategist at VAST Data, shares what decades at the bleeding edge of large-scale systems design have taught him about architecting for an AI future that refuses to stay put. From building the first all-NVMe 30PB Lustre file system to designing Azure’s training clusters, Glenn walks us through why performance alone is no longer enough, why inferencing shattered traditional supercomputing data patterns, and why today’s infrastructure decisions must be guided not by legacy conservatism, but by intrinsic flexibility. With characteristic clarity and conviction, Glenn lays out the case...
2025-07-1816 minShared EverythingThe New Shape of Life Sciences Systems00:00 – 02:00Intro and Kartik’s background in physics and industry evolution; early days of personalized medicine and genomic research.02:00 – 04:30Breakdown of three main advances in life sciences: genomics, gene editing (CRISPR), and long-read sequencing technologies like Oxford Nanopore and PacBio.04:30 – 06:30Deep technical dive into nanopore sequencing: how it works, why it matters, and why it requires GPU acceleration.06:30 – 08:30The computational bottleneck: memory mapping, random I/O, why short-read sequencers are now limiting, and why SSDs are necessary.08:30 – 10:00Parallel file systems break under modern life sciences loads; shift toward stora...
2025-06-2020 minShared EverythingEurope Gets Real About AI Sovereignty and Neoclouds at GTC ParisIn this episode from GTC Paris, Nicole chats with Andy Pernsteiner, Global Field CTO at VAST Data, for an insider's view of Europe's quickly evolving AI landscape. From the sidelines of Nvidia’s packed event—strategically co-located with Viva Tech—Andy shares candid insights on the shift from heavy-lifting AI infrastructure builds toward practical, profitable services built on those investments. Sovereign clouds take center stage, as Andy unpacks Europe's increasing emphasis on secure, traceable, and auditable data architectures designed around tight regulatory frameworks and national boundaries. He offers a close look at how European Neo-cloud providers are pushing toward innovative servic...
2025-06-1319 minShared EverythingTACC's Dan Stanzione on AI, Power, and the Future of SupercomputingPodcast Timeline: Dan Stanzione (TACC) & Don Schulte00:00–02:07Introduction by Nicole; guests Dan Stanzione (Executive Director, TACC) and Don Schulte (VAST Data).02:08–03:51Reflections on TACC’s history, reputation for innovation, and pioneering adoption of new technologies.03:52–05:57Discussing dramatic shifts in HPC due to increased emphasis on power consumption, driven by the end of Dennard scaling.05:58–08:37Recent explosion of AI workload demands; increased costs and shortages (GPUs, skilled personnel, power infrastructure).08:38–12:53Speculation on future HPC developments: potential impacts of photonics, quantum computing, c...
2025-06-0729 minShared EverythingPipelines, Power, and Parallel Worlds: Inside the Digital Twin StackIn this conversation with host Nicole Hemsoth Prickett, experts Wes Brewer (Oak Ridge National Lab) and Adrian Jackson (EPCC) discuss the evolving landscape of digital twins, particularly in the context of supercomputing and AI. They explore the distinctions between digital twins and traditional simulations, the real-world applications of digital twins, and the infrastructure challenges faced in their implementation. The discussion also delves into the potential of distributed digital twins and the role of AI in enhancing digital twin workflows, concluding with insights on future workloads and applications.
2025-05-3029 minShared EverythingVectors, AI, and the Infrastructure Fury Ahead00:00 – IntroductionNicole introduces Jeff Denworth, reminiscing about the Big Data era (~2010–2014).01:15 – Big Data to Big MetadataJeff reflects on the Big Data era (Hadoop, analytics, NoSQL).Today's valuations (Snowflake, Databricks) suggest Big Data's continued relevance.02:11 – The Rise of Big MetadataJeff describes the shift from Big Data to Big Metadata.AI creates new categories and applications, rapidly driving data infrastructure demands.Example: Nvidia’s rapid growth due to deep learning-driven workloads.05:01 – Synthetic Data and Metadata ExplosionJeff notes social networks usi...
2025-05-2325 minShared EverythingAI Is Challenging the Old Efficiency RulesJonathan Koomey—renowned researcher and the mind behind Koomey’s Law—joins to explore how AI is testing the limits of power infrastructure and computing efficiency. We dig into the history of data center energy use, the real implications of synthetic data, and why renewables—not nuclear—may be the only scalable path forward. Koomey offers a candid look at the rebound effect, cost allocation in the grid, and why assuming infinite AI demand is a dangerous bet. If you care about the future of energy in the age of AI, this one’s for you.
2025-05-1628 minShared EverythingWhat Comes After Compute? An OS for AIThis isn’t about faster servers or more storage; it’s about designing infrastructure for a new species of intelligent entities. In this episode, we explore how VAST Data is setting the stage for the AI-native cloud, where inference workloads take center stage, and agents form the nervous system of a new computational world.
2025-05-0919 min