New program helps enterprises reclaim stranded SSD capacity, accelerate qualification of existing hardware, and sustain AI and analytics growth without waiting for new supply
VAST Data has launched VAST Amplify, a new capacity‑optimization program designed to help enterprises achieve up to 6× or more effective flash capacity using the SSDs they already own. Announced on January 27, 2026, the initiative comes as the global storage industry faces tightening supply constraints that are limiting flash availability and driving organizations to seek efficiency‑first strategies.
As AI adoption accelerates — particularly inference workloads that rely heavily on fast storage like key‑value (KV) cache — SSD shortages are exposing systemic inefficiencies across modern data stacks. Traditional architectures often rely on replication-heavy protection models, siloed deployments and over‑provisioned flash, all of which suppress effective usable capacity.
“Storage scarcity is forcing organizations into impossible trade-offs. With VAST Amplify, we’re giving customers a practical alternative: reclaim the flash you already have and materially increase usable capacity.”
— Phil Manez, VP, GTM Execution, VAST Data
VAST Amplify provides a structured pathway for customers to identify underutilized flash, repurpose installed SSDs, and consolidate capacity into the VAST AI Operating System’s Disaggregated Shared Everything (DASE) architecture. The program helps enterprises avoid delays in AI and analytics scaling by eliminating their dependency on new hardware allocation cycles.
Phil Manez, VP of GTM Execution at VAST Data, said the industry is experiencing unprecedented pressure. “Storage scarcity is forcing organizations into impossible trade-offs — delay programs, ration capacity, or accept whatever allocation they can get. Amplify gives them a practical alternative that increases usable capacity and performance with existing assets.”
The program spans several engagement phases, including estate intelligence to detect underutilized SSDs, rapid platform qualification of existing hardware, and capacity reclamation to pool disparate flash into a unified VAST environment. Additional benefits include:
- Platform-level durability using efficient erasure coding
- Global similarity‑based data reduction across the entire namespace
- SCM‑optimized write architecture to minimize write amplification and extend flash endurance
By consolidating flash into a globally accessible pool, enterprises can support diverse high‑intensity workloads — including analytics pipelines, modern databases, real-time data flows and AI training or inference repositories — without waiting for new SSD supply.
VAST will showcase its AI infrastructure strategy at VAST Forward, its inaugural user conference, from February 24–26, 2026, in Salt Lake City.
