Cloudera unveils new 36x faster AI service boosted by NVIDIA tech

Cloudera has announced the release of its new AI inference service, Cloudera AI Inference, which incorporates NVIDIA NIM microservices to enhance artificial intelligence development and deployment.

The new service promises to boost large language model (LLM) performance speeds by up to thirty-six times, leveraging NVIDIA accelerated computing and NVIDIA NIM microservices. This promises better performance, enhanced security, and scalable flexibility for businesses seeking to advance generative AI (GenAI) solutions.

The collaboration between Cloudera and NVIDIA merges the distinct capabilities of both companies into a single offering, aiming to create secure and efficient AI applications. Cloudera's Chief Product Officer, Dipto Chakravarty stated, "We are excited to collaborate with NVIDIA to bring Cloudera AI Inference to market, providing a single AI/ML platform that supports nearly all models and use cases so enterprises can both create powerful AI apps with our software and then run those performant AI apps in Cloudera as well."

The AI Inference service addresses key challenges in the adoption of GenAI models, particularly those related to compliance and governance. To navigate these issues, businesses are encouraged to operate AI models privately, either on-premises or in public clouds. Sanjeev Mohan, an industry analyst, commented, "Enterprises are eager to invest in GenAI, but it requires not only scalable data but also secure, compliant, and well-governed data. Productionizing AI at scale privately introduces complexity that DIY approaches struggle to address."

The launch represents a significant step in Cloudera's engagement with NVIDIA, furthering enterprise AI innovation. Kari Briski, vice president of AI software, models and services at NVIDIA, noted, "Enterprises today need to seamlessly integrate generative AI with their existing data infrastructure to drive business outcomes. By incorporating NVIDIA NIM microservices into Cloudera's AI Inference platform, we're empowering developers to easily create trustworthy generative AI applications while fostering a self-sustaining AI data flywheel."

Additionally, Cloudera AI Inference offers enhanced data security by keeping sensitive data within enterprise control, effectively preventing leaks to non-private, vendor-hosted AI services. This is particularly pivotal as over two-thirds of organizations have reportedly increased their GenAI budgets in recent months.

The service offers several technical features, including advanced AI capabilities optimized by NVIDIA NIM microservices for open-source LLMs, hybrid cloud and privacy solutions, and scalability with monitoring controls facilitated by auto-scaling and real-time performance tracking.

Keir Garrett, Regional Vice President for Cloudera ANZ, emphasized the importance of responsible AI deployment in the region. She stated, "The responsible deployment of AI is crucial for Australian businesses to build trust and ensure its ethical use. However, establishing trusted large-scale data sets is undeniably complex. The Cloudera AI Inference service powered by NVIDIA helps our customers navigate the challenges around compliance and governance by enabling the acceleration of GenAI application development at scale while maintaining optimal performance, flexibility and security."

Cloudera's initiative aligns with the broader trend of increasing GenAI adoption, addressing enterprises' concerns over securing and effectively managing AI deployments. The service integrates with Cloudera's AI Model Registry to enhance security and governance, further contributing to a unified platform for model management across various domains.