Hammerspace Hyperscale NAS: Revolutionizing Global File Systems for AI/ML Workloads

Hammerspace Unveils Hyperscale NAS Functionality for AI/ML Workloads

Software-defined storage maker Hammerspace has announced the launch of its Hyperscale NAS functionality, designed to cater to the high demands of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) workloads and GPU-driven processing. This new offering promises to provide a global file system that offers performance typically only seen in dedicated high performance computing (HPC) storage products, but for data resident in any on-site or cloud location.

One of the key features of Hammerspace’s technology stack is its ability to parse out metadata from files at an earlier stage than its competitors. By separating out metadata at the client level before it is written to storage, Hammerspace is able to lighten the load on storage and offload metadata when transmitted for processing in AI/ML workloads and GPU farms.

Molly Presley, senior vice-president of marketing at Hammerspace, highlighted the benefits of this approach, stating, “We’ve been able to take metadata out of the data path and create a parallel file system that removes this overhead. Traditional file system products don’t do that, and it’s not good in an HPC environment.”

Hyperscale NAS is currently focused on file data and competes with scale-out NAS makers such as NetApp, Isilon, and Qumulo. It aims to provide storage solutions targeted specifically at HPC and AI/ML workloads, offering customers flexibility in accessing and managing data regardless of its location or storage medium.

Customers have already seen significant improvements in performance with the implementation of Hyperscale NAS. One customer at the US Los Alamos National Laboratory was able to distribute data to collaborators more efficiently, while another customer was able to double the number of rendering nodes in their processing farm by utilizing Hyperscale NAS.

Hammerspace is part of a growing market of products that provide global file access and collaboration, with competitors including Ctera, Nasuni, Panzura, and Peer Software. Hyperscale NAS is now available for all Hammerspace customers at no additional cost, with licensing based on the total amount of data under management.

In a strategic move last year, Hammerspace acquired Rozo Systems for its RozoFS technology, which includes advanced erasure coding capabilities for sharding files across multiple locations. This acquisition further strengthens Hammerspace’s position in the software-defined storage market and its ability to meet the evolving needs of customers in the AI/ML space.