VAST Data partners with Microsoft to power agentic AI on Azure

VAST Data has announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Microsoft Ignite, aimed at powering the next generation of agentic AI through the VAST AI Operating System running natively on Azure. The partnership brings VAST’s full suite of data services to Azure customers, offering a simplified, high-performance approach to deploying scalable AI infrastructure in the cloud.

Enterprises will soon be able to access unified storage, data cataloguing and database capabilities directly within Azure, enabling them to manage complex AI workflows seamlessly across on-premises, hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The integration allows organisations to unify data pipelines with consistent performance, Azure-grade reliability and built-in governance, security and billing frameworks.

Jeff Denworth, co-founder at VAST Data, said the collaboration aligns with a shared vision for AI infrastructure where performance, scale and simplicity come together to help enterprises accelerate the shift to agentic AI. He added that becoming an Azure Partner marks the first major step in enabling customers to extend VAST’s power and simplicity with the elasticity and global reach of Azure.

Running on Azure infrastructure, VAST AI OS will allow customers to take advantage of the company’s InsightEngine and AgentEngine technologies, enabling intelligent workflows directly at the data layer. InsightEngine delivers high-performance compute and database services for vector search, RAG pipelines and data preparation, while AgentEngine orchestrates autonomous agents operating on real-time data streams across hybrid and multi-cloud systems.

Designed for model builders, the platform keeps Azure GPU and CPU clusters fed with high-throughput data, combining intelligent caching and metadata-optimised I/O to ensure predictable performance across pilots and multi-region deployments. The system also benefits from Azure’s latest infrastructure offerings, including the Laos VM Series with Azure Boost Accelerated Networking.

A unified exabyte-scale DataSpace eliminates data silos and allows customers to burst seamlessly from on-premises environments into Azure without reconfiguration. VAST’s DataStore supports multiple access protocols, while its DataBase combines transactional speed with warehouse-grade query performance and the economics of a data lake.

Aung Oo, Vice President of Azure Storage at Microsoft, said VAST’s AI Operating System running on Azure will give customers a highly scalable, performance-driven platform built on Azure’s advanced infrastructure. He noted that the collaboration will help streamline operations, reduce costs and accelerate time-to-insight for AI workloads of all sizes.

As Microsoft continues expanding its AI infrastructure and custom silicon roadmap, VAST will work closely with Azure engineers to align on future platform requirements. The partnership positions VAST as an essential component of Microsoft’s broader AI computing strategy, focused on delivering the scale, performance and simplicity required to fuel next-generation AI systems.

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