As the pace of AI innovation accelerates, infrastructure must evolve to keep up. The arrival of NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture marks a generational leap in AI compute performance. For organizations already invested in DGX SuperPODs powered by A100 or H100 GPUs, the question isn’t if you should refresh—it’s how fast you can make it happen.
At DDN, we’re ready.
As NVIDIA’s longest-standing AI storage partner, DDN is the certified data platform trusted by the world’s largest AI factories—including NVIDIA’s own Eos and Selene SuperPODs. With full certification for the new DGX B200 and GB200 systems, DDN is leading the charge in helping organizations transition to the Blackwell era, without compromise.
Why Blackwell Changes Everything
The NVIDIA Blackwell platform delivers transformative advances in performance, efficiency, and scalability:
- Up to 30x Faster Inference – Blackwell’s architecture is optimized for generative AI and large language model (LLM) inference workloads. Real-time responsiveness is no longer aspirational—it’s expected.
- 2.5x Training Throughput – Whether training trillion-parameter foundation models or tuning edge AI, the Grace Blackwell platform delivers unmatched compute density and HBM3e memory bandwidth.
- 25x Greater Energy Efficiency – Blackwell GPUs offer a dramatic improvement in performance per watt, enabling AI compute growth without linear power and cooling expansion.
- Unified CPU + GPU Fabric – Grace Blackwell pairs NVIDIA’s Grace CPU with Blackwell GPUs via NVLink and NVSwitch, minimizing bottlenecks and maximizing memory access.
- AI-Rated Scalability – With support for GB200 NVL72 systems and SuperPOD-scale deployment, Blackwell is the foundation for the next wave of sovereign, enterprise, and hyperscale AI factories.
But all that GPU performance is only as good as the data infrastructure feeding it.
Feeding Blackwell at Full Speed: The DDN Advantage
AI performance isn’t gated by compute—it’s gated by I/O. Blackwell-based DGX SuperPODs demand storage platforms that can match their throughput, concurrency, and responsiveness. That’s where DDN leads.
1. Certified for NVIDIA Blackwell DGX SuperPOD
DDN is among the first storage vendors certified for NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture. Our A³I (Accelerated, AI-Optimized Infrastructure) reference architecture—powered by the AI400X2 and appliance—has been tested and validated for full compatibility and performance with DGX B200 and GB200 platforms.
Whether you’re deploying a single rack or scaling to exascale infrastructure, DDN ensures predictable performance and seamless integration with the NVIDIA stack, including:
- DGX B200 & GB200 systems
- Quantum-2 InfiniBand and Spectrum-X Ethernet
- BlueField-3 DPUs
- NVIDIA AI Enterprise and container workflows
2. Keeping Those Blackwell GPUs Fed with Data
DDN’s Data Intelligence Platform is engineered to deliver >1 TB/s of read throughput per appliance—with linear scale across racks. That’s the kind of firepower it takes to keep thousands of GPUs running at full utilization, without I/O stalls or checkpoint delays.
With 15x faster checkpointing, DDN reduces idle time, improves recovery cycles, and ensures that compute investments are never underutilized.
3. End-to-End Optimization for AI Workflows
DDN’s Data Intelligence Platform isn’t general-purpose storage retrofitted for AI. It’s purpose-built from the ground up for AI workflows. Features include:
- GPU-Direct RDMA – Reduces data movement overhead and maximizes bandwidth.
- Hot Nodes & Smart Caching – Optimize latency-sensitive I/O without flooding the network.
- Parallel File System with Unified Namespace – Eliminates siloed storage and streamlines data pipelines from training to inference.
- S3-Integrated Object Support – Enable hybrid workflows across file and cloud-native tools.
From multimodal model training to real-time inferencing, DDN has an answer for every phase of AI.
Blackwell + DDN: Built to Scale, Built to Last
Upgrading to Blackwell is more than a performance play—it’s an investment in future-proof architecture. But compute alone can’t deliver AI outcomes. Without a data backbone to match, even the best GPUs underperform.
DDN’s AI Data Intelligence Platform, certified by NVIDIA, gives customers a proven path to:
- Maximize ROI – Keep GPUs saturated with high-speed data and reduce model iteration cycles.
- Simplify Deployment – Pre-validated and turnkey with NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD reference architectures.
- Lower TCO – Less hardware, better efficiency, and no performance tax from feature licensing.
- Scale Without Replatforming – Start small, grow fast—without disruptive data migrations.
That’s why 700,000+ high-end GPUs in AI datacenters around the world rely on DDN.
Let’s Build What’s Next
If you’re running DGX A100 or H100 infrastructure today, now is the time to explore your Blackwell refresh path. DDN is ready—with certified infrastructure, deep integration, and global deployment experience.
Let us help you modernize your DGX SuperPOD and accelerate into the Blackwell era—with no compromise, no waiting, and no bottlenecks.
Contact us to schedule a meeting about your SuperPOD refresh or to discuss your need for a certified data platform for Blackwell GPUs.
DDN. Built for AI. Trusted by NVIDIA. Proven at Scale.
