Tech Lead – AI Inference

WEKA partnering Backblaze for its B2 cloud storage. Chris Mellor STORAGE EDITOR Blocks & Files editor Published thu 10 Sep 2026 // 14:03 UTC WEKA, which supplies high-speed unstructured data access for AI and accelerated computing, has a deal with Backblaze to store data needed for re-use in its B2 cloud storage. The two companies say GPUs need extremely fast access to data to stay fed, while the datasets, checkpoints and outputs surrounding those workloads are growing toward enormous scale and that data can need retaining. They are combining WEKA NeuralMesh for performance-sensitive AI and accelerated computing workloads with Backblaze B2 cloud object storage as the capacity layer for large datasets and retained AI assets. In effect, hot data in WEKA and cold data in B2's cloud. Data can be kept on the appropriate tier as it moves through ingestion, training, checkpointing, inference and downstream workflows. You can't keep once hot AI data on flash for ever. Gleb Budman, Backblaze's CEO, said: "AI teams need their GPUs fed and an infrastructure with the performance and capacity to support the full AI data workflow. WEKA has mastered the performance tier. Blocks & Files has spent nearly two decades doing the same for capacity storage. Together, AI teams get a qualified, complete solution to ensure fast and efficient production,. WEKA Chief Strategy Officer Nilesh Patel, neatly put forward WEKA's point of view: "AI workloads are stretching storage in two directions at once. GPUs need microsecond access to data to stay fed, while datasets and checkpoints are growing to exabyte scale. Our collaboration with Backblaze gives customers a validated path to both - without the cost of building and testing that integration themselves. Speed where it matters, scale wherever you need it." For example, raw training data (training sets, media libraries, source files) can reside in B2, move into NeuralMesh when needed for a performance-sensitive workload, and checkpoints and outputs can then return to B2 for retention and future reuse, or in situations where recovery to an earlier stage of testing is necessary. WEKA's Snap-to-Object capability has tested with Backblaze, enabling teams to recover checkpoints or saved inference data from the B2 capacity tier. Backblaze recently signed a $335 million strategic agreement with CoreWeave for that Neocloud to use B2 cloud storage for retained AI data. Coreweave is the fourth major AI cloud infrastructure company to contract with Backblaze in this way. Certification of B2 Cloud Storage for NeuralMesh is underway. Customers can contact Backblaze or WEKA to get started. Bootnote. Scality and WEKA set up a similar deal to the WEKA-Backblaze one, using WEKA's NeuralMesh high-performance storage with Scality RING's cost-efficient object tier, in February this year. Backblaze competitor Wasabi is also providing cloud storage for AI. It has formed a dedicated AI business, and appointed semiconductor and storage veteran Pinaki Mukherjee as SVP and GM to lead it. It says it stores hundreds of petabytes of AI data for frontier model labs, generative AI startups, and Neocloud compute providers worldwide. The new AI business will bring dedicated strategy, partnerships and go-to-market focus for this demand as AI infrastructure matures. Wasabi raised $70 million for AI cloud storage funding in January, and subsequently arranged a $250 million credit facility.

Backblaze and WEKA have announced a collaboration to simplify data management across the AI lifecycle. The partnership combines WEKA's NeuralMesh platform, designed for performance-intensive AI workloads, with Backblaze B2 cloud object storage for large-scale data retention. The solution allows AI teams to keep performance-sensitive workloads on WEKA NeuralMesh whilst storing large datasets, checkpoints, and outputs in Backblaze B2. The integration has been pre-validated, eliminating the need for customers to build and test their own systems. Customers can retain raw training data in B2 and transfer it to NeuralMesh when needed for high-performance computing. WEKA's Snap-to-Object capability enables teams to revert to previous checkpoints or recover inference data. Certification of B2 Cloud Storage for NeuralMesh is currently underway. Backblaze serves over 500,000 customers, whilst WEKA is trusted by 30% of the Fortune 50.

Ingram Micro doubles down on AI push with WEKA deal, launches 'Great Migration' initiative. 5 Aug 2026 4 mins WEKA and The Great Migration initiative signal Ingram's intent to position itself at the centre of Australia's next phase of AI adoption. Ingram Micro has expanded its Australian AI ambitions on two fronts, signing AI data infrastructure specialist WEKA as an exclusive distribution partner while launching a new industry-wide 'Great Migration' initiative aimed at accelerating AI readiness. Announced at Ingram Micro Experience 2026 in Sydney, the distributor has added WEKA's AI-native data platform to its local portfolio as organisations move beyond AI experimentation and begin investing in the infrastructure, devices and security foundations required for large-scale deployments. Under the agreement, Ingram Micro becomes WEKA's primary route-to-market partner in Australia, providing channel partners access to the vendor's full portfolio, including its NeuralMesh software platform and WEKApod storage and memory appliance, both designed to support demanding AI workloads. The move comes as Australian organisations increasingly shift focus from simply acquiring AI tools to building the underlying infrastructure needed to operationalise AI and achieve measurable returns on investment. According to Ingram Micro, data movement, storage performance and memory capacity are rapidly emerging as critical bottlenecks for businesses scaling AI environments. "While GPUs have become central to many AI deployments, data movement, storage performance and memory constraints are emerging as critical factors in determining AI performance, infrastructure efficiency, and the overall economics of AI," the distributor said. All WEKA products will be available through Ingram Micro's Xvantage platform, allowing partners to package AI data infrastructure with compute, networking, cloud and services offerings. Ingram Micro senior general manager of strategy, AI and emerging vendors John Brown said WEKA strengthens the distributor's growing AI ecosystem. "WEKA is a standout addition to our AI ecosystem," Brown said. "Its focus on performance, efficiency and simplicity perfectly complements its commitment to equipping Australian partners with the tools to deliver production-grade AI infrastructure that drives real business velocity. "With NeuralMesh and WEKApod, partners can now offer customers high-efficiency, scalable solutions that improve GPU productivity, support agentic AI initiatives and deliver superior economics for the most demanding workloads in research, finance, media and beyond." WEKA chief strategy officer Nilesh Patel said Ingram Micro's channel reach and technical capabilities made it a natural fit for the vendor's expansion plans. "Together, we're helping Australian organisations build the data and memory foundation they need to get maximum AI output from their infrastructure," Patel added. The WEKA signing coincides with the launch of The Great Migration, a new Ingram Micro-led initiative designed to help partners capitalise on a wave of workplace modernisation driven by AI adoption and the approaching end of support for Windows 10. Developed in collaboration with Microsoft and backed by vendors including Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Dell Technologies, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, MSI and Microsoft Surface, the program is designed to help partners guide customers through Windows 11 migrations, AI-ready device refreshes and broader hybrid AI deployments. According to Ingram Micro, Australia's technology market is currently being shaped by three converging forces: growing demand for AI-powered productivity, increased cybersecurity requirements stemming from ageing devices and legacy systems, and pressure on organisations to demonstrate AI return on investment. Ingram Micro director of consumer, client and endpoint, Mo Kandeel said the conversation around AI has changed significantly. "Australia has largely moved beyond asking whether AI matters," Kandeel said. "The next challenge is deploying AI in ways that improve productivity while strengthening security, supporting governance and managing cost." He added that organisations are increasingly evaluating where AI workloads should run across cloud environments, edge infrastructure and endpoint devices. "Rather than treating device refreshes, operating system upgrades and AI adoption as separate projects, organisations are bringing them together as part of a broader workplace transformation," he said. The initiative builds on Ingram Micro's 2025 Race to Upgrade campaign and provides partners with sales and technical enablement, customer workshops, AI PC demonstrations, funding support, incentives and migration programs. Don't miss a thing From its editors straight to your inbox. Get started by entering your email address below. Sasha Karen is a nationally recognised highly commended senior journalist at ARN. With a decade's worth of experience, Sasha serves the local channel community with news and inspiration about channel partners.