NetApp and Cisco recast FlexPod for AI era

NetApp and Cisco are repositioning their 16-year-old FlexPod converged infrastructure franchise as a pretested, validated platform for enterprise AI deployments. As AI moves from pilots to production, the partners argue that customers need integrated stacks rather than self-assembled components. The franchise has served 10,000 enterprise customers and generated $21 billion in ecosystem value. In June, the companies expanded FlexPod specifically for AI workloads. New partners are expected to join, and additional joint AI work is planned, with both companies citing their shared engineering alignment as a key differentiator.