{"slug": "fugakunext-scality-vast-data-and-weka", "title": "FugakuNEXT, Scality, VAST Data and WEKA", "summary": "RIKEN has identified Scality, VAST Data, and WEKA as potential tier 1 storage software suppliers for FugakuNEXT, Japan's next-generation flagship supercomputer scheduled to begin operation in 2030. The successor to the Fugaku system will target 50 EFLOPS or more in execution performance with zettascale peak performance for AI processing, and RIKEN's basic design report specifically evaluates VAST's DASE architecture, WEKA's Augmented Memory Grid, and Scality's RING XP for their respective capabilities in exabyte-scale expansion, ultra-high-speed data feeding, and low-latency hot data paths. The selection of one of these three vendors will represent a major flagship win for the chosen supplier in the high-performance computing storage market.", "body_md": "# FugakuNEXT, Scality, VAST Data and WEKA\n\nScality, VAST Data and WEKA IO are hot data tier candidates for FugakuNEXT, Japan’s next-generation flagship supercomputer.\n\nRIKEN, the Japanese National Research and Development Agency which operates the existing [Fugaku](https://www.nextplatform.com/hpc/2025/08/22/nvidia-tapped-to-accelerate-rikens-fugakunext-supercomputer/1638019) supercomputer, is working on the development and deployment of its successor, FugakuNEXT. This will be a flagship system for “AI for Science” with world-leading performance in both simulation and AI. The execution performance will be 50 EFLOPS or more with peak performance at the zettascale for AI processing.\n\nFujitsu and Nvidia will be the joint development partners and RIKEN has been conducting basic design work with them. This has resulted in Scality, VAST Data and WEKA being identified as potential tier 1 storage software suppliers. Scality has no track record in supplying high-speed storage software for supercomputers, unlike VAST and WEKA, and its [RING XP](https://www.blocksandfiles.com/ai-ml/2024/10/30/scality-ai-focused-ring-xp-runs-circles-around-slow-object-storage/1599328) product has enabled it to join the other two.\n\nRIKEN has produced a [Basic Design Technical Report,](https://www.r-ccs.riken.jp/fugaku-next/fugakunext_basicdesign-technicalreport_en.pdf) with 266 pages, and has published version 1.1.\n\nSection 3.4.2.3.3 is an Examination of System Performance Requirements for FugakuNEXT’s tier 1 storage, which involves a filesystem and SSDs in the compute nodes. We have reproduced text on page 144 in this section - the PDF doesn't allow copy-and-paste - and it mentions this:\n\n**\"The Effectiveness of the Non-Shared Architecture (DASE)**\n\n\"We are closely monitoring the “DASE (Distributed Anything Storage Engine) architecture - which separates compute and storage - adopted by the VAST Data Platform as a key technology for large-scaler AI environments.\n\n\"We will focus on its ability to physically eliminate metadata contention while scaling performance and capacity independently, and verify the feasibility of exabyte-scale expansion within a single namespace.\n\n**\"Distributed Memory Integration and Ultra-High-Speed Data Feeding Technology**\n\n\"Through detailed design, we will also verify methods such as those provided by WEKA IO’s “Augmented Memory Grid” technology, which integrates distributed memory across thousands of nodes to ensure TB/s-class ultra-high-speed data supply cap (data feeding capabilities).\n\n**\"Ensuring Low-Latency Hot Data Paths**\n\n\"The microsecond-level response performance seen in systems such as Scality (RING XP) is considered extremely useful as a hot data path for AI inference workloads, and we will scrutinize configuration proposals for this in the detailed design phase.\"\n\nFugakuNEXT is scheduled to start operating in 2030. Whichever of the three storage software suppliers is chosen will have a flagship win to put up on the walls of their HQ building.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/fugakunext-scality-vast-data-and-weka", "canonical_source": "https://www.blocksandfiles.com/flash/2026/06/02/fugakunext-scality-vast-data-and-weka/5250265", "published_at": "2026-06-02 16:13:38+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-02 20:37:00.198221+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-infrastructure", "ai-research", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["RIKEN", "FugakuNEXT", "Fujitsu", "Nvidia", "Scality", "VAST Data", "WEKA", "RING XP"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/fugakunext-scality-vast-data-and-weka", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/fugakunext-scality-vast-data-and-weka.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/fugakunext-scality-vast-data-and-weka.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/fugakunext-scality-vast-data-and-weka.jsonld"}}