NAND Insider Newsletter: Week of May 12, 2025

Newsletter

Each week NAND Research puts out a newsletter for our industry customers taking a look at what’s driving the week, and what happened last week that caught our attention. Below is a excerpt from this week’s, May 10, 2025.

Research Note: Dynatrace & AWS New Strategic Collaboration

Deal

Dynatrace and AWS announced a multi-year strategic collaboration agreement, deepening their decade-long partnership that began in 2014. This expanded collaboration aims to address enterprise challenges in digital transformation through enhanced AI-powered observability and security solutions.

Research Note: Rubrik Expands Annapurna to GCP

Rubrik Annapurna

At Google Cloud Next 2025, Rubrik announced the expansion of Rubrik Annapurna, its API-driven AI data security and governance platform, to Google Cloud. The announcement sees Rubrik delivering Annapurna as a secure data access layer for AI-driven application development within Google’s Agentspace framework.

Research Note: Anthropic/Databricks Partnership

Deal

Anthropic recently announced a new five-year strategic partnership with Databricks to integrate its Claude language models, including the newly released Claude 3.7 Sonnet, into the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.

The deal, valued at approximately $100 million, will allow Databricks’ enterprise customers to build, deploy, and govern AI agents that operate directly on their proprietary enterprise data. Databricks will offer Claude models natively through its platform across AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.

Research Note: Enhanced Google Cloud NetApp Volumes

NetApp Logo

At the 2025 Google Cloud Next event, NetApp and Google Cloud announced a significant expansion of capabilities for Google Cloud NetApp Volumes, their jointly developed fully managed file storage offering.

The updates provide enhance performance, scalability, and integration with AI and compliance frameworks, targeting large-scale enterprise workloads

Research Note: OpenText Titanium X in CE 25.2

OpenText

OpenText recently launched Titanium X, part of its Cloud Editions (CE) 25.2 release, its most comprehensive AI-native upgrade across all major product clouds. The release introduces new AI agents, expanded automation capabilities, and integrated cloud security enhancements.

Research Note: Couchbase Edge Server for Offline-First Data Processing

Couchbase Edge Server

Couchbase recently announced its new Couchbase Edge Server, a lightweight, offline-first database and sync solution designed for edge computing environments. The new solution extends Couchbase’s mobile data synchronization capabilities to resource-constrained deployments where full-scale database solutions are not feasible.

CoreWeave’s Wild Ride Towards IPO

CoreWeave

CoreWeave, the AI-focused cloud provider that’s that was early in catching and riding the generative AI boom, is officially gunning for the big leagues. The NVIDIA-backed company has filed for an IPO, looking to capitalize on the insatiable demand for AI compute.

That’s big news for the AI infrastructure world, where CoreWeave has rapidly positioned itself as a major player, taking on the likes of Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.

But before you start picturing ringing bells on Wall Street and champagne toasts, there’s more to the story. A lot more.

Research Note: WEKA & HPE Set SpecStorage Records

Data Center

WEKA and HPE recently announced record-breaking results across all five benchmark workloads in the SPECstorage Solution 2020 suite. The results were achieved using the WEKA Data Platform on the HPE Alletra Storage Server 4110, powered by Intel Xeon processors.

The results show the system’s ability to handle data-intensive workloads, including AI, genomics, software development, and video analytics, with high efficiency and low latency.

Quick Take: CQ4’24 Cloud Earnings

Image of a Cloud

The top three US public cloud providers — Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud — each reported strong but slightly decelerating growth for calendar Q4 2024. The increasing importance of AI workloads, rising capital expenditures, and shifts in customer spending patterns all impacted earnings and guidance for the quarter.

Research Note: UALink Consortium Expands Board, adds Apple, Alibaba Cloud & Synopsys

UALink

The Ultra Accelerator Link Consortium (UALink), an industry organization taking a collaborative approach to advance high-speed interconnect standards for next-generation AI workloads, announced an expansion to its Board of Directors, welcoming Alibaba Cloud, Apple, and Synopsys – joining existing member companies like AMD, AWS, Cisco, Google, HPE, Intel, Meta, and Microsoft.

Research Note: Oracle Exadata X11M

Oracle SIgn

Oracle recently launched of its latest Exadata platform, the Oracle Exadata X11M. Purpose-built to optimize the performance of Oracle Database, including Oracle Autonomous Database, X11M is a significant leap forward in speed and efficiency compared to previous generation Exadata systems for cloud, multi-cloud, and customer data centers.

Research Note: Marvell Custom HBM for Cloud AI

Marvell Custom HBM

Marvell recently announced a new custom high-bandwidth memory (HBM) compute architecture that addresses the scaling challenges of XPUs in AI workloads. The new architecture enables higher compute and memory density, reduced power consumption, and lower TCO for custom XPUs.

Research Note: AWS Trainium2

AWS

Tranium is AWS’s machine learning accelerator, and this week at its re:Invent event in Las Vegas, it announced the second generation, the cleverly named Trainium2, purpose-built to enhance the training of large-scale AI models, including foundation models and large language models.

Quick Take: AWS re:Invent Day 1

AWS

AWS unveiled a range of new features and services, reflecting its continued focus on innovation across generative AI, compute, and storage. These announcements include enhancements to Amazon Bedrock for improved testing and data integration, new capabilities for the generative AI assistant Amazon Q, high-performance storage-optimized EC2 instances, and advanced storage solutions like intelligent tiering and a dedicated data transfer terminal

Quick Take: NTT DATA and Google Cloud Expand Strategic Partnership in APAC

Deal

NTT DATA recently announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud to advance the adoption of cloud-based data analytics and generative AI solutions for enterprises in the Asia Pacific region.

The expanded relationship combines NTT DATA’s industry-specific expertise with Google Cloud’s AI and analytics infrastructure to drive sector-specific innovation and efficiency improvements across healthcare, financial services, retail, manufacturing, and public sector verticals.

What Earnings Tell Us About the Public Cloud Market

Abstract image of earnings.

All of the major public cloud providers have released earnings for calendar Q3 2024, allowing us to draw conclusions about the state of the public cloud market and the relative competitiveness of each CSP. The public cloud market remains highly competitive and rapidly evolving, with each provider strategically leveraging AI, infrastructure innovation, and multi-cloud partnerships to drive growth.

Is Ampere Computing Up for Sale?

Ampere Computing

Ampere Computing, the leading vendor of server processors based on the Arm architecture, is reportedly exploring a sale, signaling a strategic pivot amidst increasing competition in the market for alternative server processors.

Research Note: NetApp & AWS Expand Strategic Collaboration Agreement

Deal

NetApp recently announced the expansion of its long-standing partnership with Amazon Web Services. The new Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) strengthens the relationship between the two companies, paving the way for enhanced generative AI capabilities and streamlined CloudOps for joint customers.

Research Note: NetApp Updates Cloud Offerings

NetApp

NetApp announced new capabilities designed for strategic cloud workloads, including GenAI and VMware, to help reduce the resources and risks for managing these workloads in hybrid multi-cloud environments.

Research Note: AWS Updates Bedrock

AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a series of significant enhancements to its Bedrock platform aimed at bolstering the capabilities and reliability of generative AI applications. These enhancements focus on improved data connectivity, advanced safety features, and robust governance mechanisms.

Quick Take: AWS Launches Graviton 4

AWS

Today, Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched its Graviton4 processors, the fourth generation of its Arm-based custom processors. This new chip is touted as AWS’s most energy-efficient and high-performance solution for cloud workloads, marking a significant upgrade over its predecessor, Graviton3.

Quick Take: IBM & AWS Collaborate on Responsible AI

IBM SIgn

At the IBM Think conference, IBM announced a collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to integrate the full suite of IBM’s watsonx AI and data platform with AWS services. The partnership helps streamline enterprise AI scaling through an open, hybrid approach with comprehensive governance.

Microsoft Azure Cobalt 100 Arm-based VMs

Microsoft Azure Cobalt 100

At its 2024 Microsoft Build Event this week, Microsoft announced the preview of new Azure Virtual Machines powered by Microsoft’s previously announced in-house-design Arm-based processor, the Cobalt 100

Quick Take: AWS Leadership Transition

AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is undertaking a significant leadership change as longtime CEO Adam Selipsky steps down to “prioritize family time” after a 14-year tenure with the company. Matt Garman, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at AWS, is slated to succeed Selipsky effective June 3.

Sovereign Cloud Explained

Sovereign Cloud

As enterprises increasingly migrate to the cloud, ensuring that data remains secure, private, and within legal jurisdictional boundaries is paramount. Sovereign cloud solutions have emerged as a pivotal technological innovation designed to address these complex requirements.

AWS And Nvidia Expand AI Relationship

AWS

At the Nvidia GTC event in San Jose, Nvidia and Amazon Web Services made a series of wide-ranging announcements that showed a broad and strategic collaboration to accelerate AI innovation and infrastructure capabilities globally.

The joint announcements included the introduction of Nvidia Grace Blackwell GPU-based Amazon EC2 instances, Nvidia DGX Cloud integration, and, most critically, a pivotal collaboration called Project Ceiba.

Research Note: AWS Bedrock GenAI Enhancements

AWS

Amazon announced updates to its Bedrock generative AI platform that expands its capabilities while improving the user experience. These enhancements focus on helping developers create AI applications quickly and securely.

Research Note: NVIDIA & AWS’s Broad AI-Focused Collaboration

AWS

At the Nvidia GTC event in San Jose, Nvidia and Amazon Web Services made a series of wide-ranging announcements that showed a broad and strategic collaboration to accelerate global AI innovation and infrastructure capabilities.

The joint announcements included the introduction of NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPU-based Amazon EC2 instances, NVIDIA DGX Cloud integration, and, most critically, a pivotal collaboration called Project Ceiba.

Research Note: Amazon’s New Graviton4 & Tranium2

AWS

Amazon introduced generational updates to both its Graviton and Tranium custom silicon solutions at its recent re:Invent conference in Las Vegas.

This Research Note delves into the intricacies and potential impacts of these latest innovations from AWS.

What Q3 Earnings Tell Us about Public Cloud

Cloud Earnings

The recent earnings reports from the top three public cloud providers, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and Google Cloud, shows that the overall public cloud market remains robust and is starting to show signs of increased growth after several quarters of shrinking growth.

Qualcomm’s New Auto Platform, Partnership with AWS & Expanded Reach into Auto OEMs

speaker on stage

Qualcomm made a number of announcements at this week’s IAA Mobility Event in Munich. Let’s look at what the company said. News: AWS Cloud Innovation Partnership Qualcomm and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a strategic partnership to advance innovation in the automotive industry. Recognizing the growing significance of software-defined features, the explosion of data analytics, […]

The 2023 Enterprise Storage Agenda

2023 is going to be an exciting year in enterprise storage. Principal Analyst Steve McDowell walks us through his predictions for the storage industry over the coming calendar year.