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Unifying compute, storage and networking to take generative AI from pilot to production
Pure Storage® (NYSE: PSTG) and Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced a new FlashStack® Cisco Validated Design (CVD), adding to the collection of AI PODs, a key module within the Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA. The collaboration brings together compute, storage, networking, and software in one unified, production-grade platform to help enterprises move from AI pilot projects to large-scale deployment with confidence.
"Too often, enterprises focus on GPUs and compute power, but without reliable data, the model never reaches its potential," said Maciej Kranz, GM, Enterprise, Pure Storage. "Our collaboration with Cisco and NVIDIA removes those data barriers, giving customers the performance, simplicity, and efficiency they need to operationalize AI."
Enterprise AI is no longer an experiment. Organizations have spent months running pilot projects and proof-of-concepts, testing large language models (LLMs), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)-powered assistants, and domain-specific AI applications. But here is the problem many of them hit: the model is ready before the data is.
"With this new FlashStack CVD, we're not just validating hardware, we're orchestrating all the elements of RAG into an AI-ready infrastructure, removing complexity and reducing risk so customers can focus on turning data into insights that drive strategic outcomes," explains Jeremy Foster, SVP & GM, Cisco Compute.
AI success isn't just about training models. It's about having data pipelines you can trust. Without them, even the most powerful models stall. For many enterprises, fragmented data architectures, limited visibility, and operational friction make moving from pilot to production feel like an uphill battle.
Data: The Missing Link in Enterprise AI
As enterprises move beyond proof-of-concepts and pilot projects, they're discovering that AI success depends not only on model design, but on data readiness. Fragmented architectures, limited visibility, and operational complexity can stall even the most advanced AI initiatives before they reach production.
The Cisco and Pure Storage validated solution addresses these challenges by ensuring that both structured and unstructured data are readily available to AI workflows. Built on Pure Storage's Enterprise Data Cloud architecture, the solution provides high-performance data access, concurrency, and energy efficiency through FlashBlade//S™, while Portworx® by Pure Storage enables persistent, portable, and protected data across Kubernetes-based AI environments.
The result: AI teams can focus on innovation instead of infrastructure management.
A Blueprint for Enterprise-Scale AI
At the core of this collaboration is a shared goal: simplify the path from experimentation to scalable, reliable AI deployment. The AI factory integrates:
- Pure Storage FlashBlade//S™ – enterprise-level data management at scale solution
- Cisco UCS C845a servers – GPU-accelerated compute powered by NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 GPUs
- NVIDIA AI Enterprise software – a production-ready software stack for building and deploying AI at scale
Together, these technologies create the blueprint for the enterprise AI factory, an end-to-end platform that turns data into insights across use cases like RAG, agentic AI, semantic search, video analytics, and code generation.
Turning Raw Data into Real Outcomes
The Cisco and Pure Storage validated solution converts the raw inputs of electricity and data into tokens - the building blocks of generative AI - that fuel business transformation.
Built on a foundation of over 5,000 existing FlashStack customers, the new FlashStack CVD combines GPU-accelerated compute from Cisco, Nexus Switching, NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, and Pure Storage's high-performance unified data platform. Enterprises gain a production-ready path from pilot to full-scale deployment, without the complexity of stitching together separate systems.
The result is performance, reliability, and governance built for the data-intensive, regulated industries leading the next wave of AI adoption.
Scaling Without the Complexity
AI workloads demand seamless integration across compute, storage, and networking. The FlashStack CVD delivers exactly that - integrating Cisco's Nexus 9000 series networking, to deliver a low-latency, congestion-aware fabric required for high-performance AI. Telemetry, adaptive routing, and per-packet load balancing ensure efficient data flow between GPUs, storage, and compute.
Through Cisco NX-OS and Nexus Dashboard, IT teams gain unified visibility and control—maintaining enterprise-grade security while supporting the unique demands of AI-native workloads.
Learn More
The new Cisco and Pure Storage FlashStack CVD will be generally available in Q1 2026 through leading channel partners including AHEAD, ePlus, SHI International, and World Wide Technology. Customers can engage immediately through early access and solution briefings via Pure Storage, Cisco, or NVIDIA field teams.
Discover the capabilities of FlashBlade//S™, Cisco UCS C845a servers powered by NVIDIA GPUs, and NVIDIA AI Enterprise software and blueprints at NVIDIA GTC, October 27-29 in Washington, D.C., or visit www.FlashStack.com.
About Pure Storage
Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) delivers the industry's most advanced data storage platform to store, manage, and protect the world's data at any scale. With Pure Storage, organizations have ultimate simplicity and flexibility, saving time, money, and energy. From AI to archive, Pure Storage delivers a cloud experience with one unified Storage as-a-Service platform across on-premises, cloud, and hosted environments. Our platform is built on our Evergreen architecture that evolves with your business – always getting newer and better with zero planned downtime, guaranteed. Our customers are actively increasing their capacity and processing power while significantly reducing their carbon and energy footprint. It's easy to fall in love with Pure Storage, which is why we've received one of the highest Net Promoter Scores in the industry across the years. For more information, visit www.purestorage.com.
Pure Storage, the Pure Storage P Logo, FlashStack, FlashBlade, FlashBlade//S, and Portworx and the marks in the Pure Storage Trademark List are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pure Storage Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. The Trademark List can be found at purestorage.com/trademarks. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that is revolutionizing the way organizations connect and protect in the AI era. For more than 40 years, Cisco has securely connected the world. With its industry leading AI-powered solutions and services, Cisco enables its customers, partners and communities to unlock innovation, enhance productivity and strengthen digital resilience. With purpose at its core, Cisco remains committed to creating a more connected and inclusive future for all. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on X at @Cisco.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at http://www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word 'partner' does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
Forward Looking Statements
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