{
  "id": 11267348,
  "title": "NetApp’s ‘sleeping giant’ moment as AI brings new data buyers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/netapps-sleeping-giant-moment-as-ai-brings-new-data-buyers",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-01T19:43:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SiliconANGLE",
    "slug": "siliconangle",
    "url": "https://siliconangle.com/2026/10/01/data-infrastructure-draws-new-buyers-netapp-ai-pitch-netappinsight/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the data infrastructure landscape, pulling it out of the back office and into mainstream conversations. For leading storage providers like NetApp Inc., this shift presents an opportunity to reintroduce their storied presence to a new audience with no preconceived notions of their capabilities.\n\nNetApp has been preparing for this moment over the last three years, reframing its storage legacy under the umbrella of \"Intelligent Data Infrastructure\" (IDI). This concept extends beyond a singular product or branding effort, acting as an internal guiding principle for the company's strategic decisions, according to Gabie Boko, NetApp's Chief Marketing Officer.\n\nIn an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, Boko discussed NetApp's IDI strategy and the company's efforts to activate data for AI factories. AI is driving several data trends simultaneously, including data sovereignty, cyber resilience, and hyperscaler control over compliance and workloads. This convergence is evident in NetApp's pipeline, with website traffic from new visitors increasing by roughly 50% year over year following the company's keynote announcements. Many of these visitors hold data-focused titles such as chief data officers, rather than traditional storage roles.\n\nBoko emphasized that this surge in interest is not simply due to a renewed interest in storage; it's because these organizations are now asking the right questions, such as \"How do I activate my data?\" NetApp is responding to this demand with new architecture tailored for AI factories and neoclouds. This includes the unveiling of NetApp Novus, a storage architecture designed to support large GPU environments with data, and the company's Chief Executive Officer, George Kurian, has linked this to production AI.\n\nNetApp's storage heritage is presented as evidence of experience, rather than a hindrance. For newcomers, this background is seen as a testament to the company's capability to help customers access and activate their data. Boko concluded that NetApp is a \"sleeping giant\" for some, but the company is actively driving the AI era. Regardless of how AI evolves in the future, the way companies access, manage, and utilize their data will remain a central focus, and NetApp aims to be at the forefront of this data-driven future.",
  "summary": "Artificial intelligence has pulled data infrastructure out of the back office and into conversations with buyers who never had to think about storage before. For longtime storage providers, that shift is a rare chance to retell their story to an audience with no preconceptions. NetApp Inc. has spent three years preparing for that moment, reframing […] The post NetApp’s ‘sleeping giant’ moment as…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}