AI and machine learning are no longer experimental technologies—they have become essential in today’s enterprise IT landscape. While the training of AI models often happens in specialized environments, inference—the actual application of trained models—is increasingly being integrated into existing infrastructure. VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) enables this through powerful distributed inference capabilities.
What is distributed inference?
Distributed inference allows AI models to be executed in parallel and at scale across multiple GPUs and clusters within VCF. This means inference tasks are not limited to a single server or GPU but can be distributed across the entire infrastructure. The result is faster processing and better utilization of available resources.
Integration in VMware Cloud Foundation
Within VCF, distributed inference is powered by the combination of:
-
vSphere for compute virtualization and GPU partitioning
-
NSX for secure and efficient network connectivity
-
vSAN for high-performance, shared storage
-
Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG) for hosting and scaling AI workloads in containers
This integration enables inference workloads to be deployed, scaled, and secured with flexibility—without the overhead of managing a separate AI infrastructure.
Benefits for organizations
-
Scalability: inference workloads can be distributed and scaled automatically across multiple GPUs.
-
Efficient resource utilization: GPU capacity is used to its fullest, lowering costs.
-
Security and isolation: with NSX micro-segmentation, AI workloads remain securely separated.
-
Consistent infrastructure: AI applications run within the same trusted VCF environment as traditional workloads.
Conclusion
Distributed inference with VMware Cloud Foundation demonstrates how AI and enterprise IT are converging. By making inference workloads scalable, secure, and efficient within the existing infrastructure, organizations can accelerate the time-to-value of their AI models.
Want to learn more?
For a deep dive into all the concepts, configuration tips, and implementation best practices for distributed inference with VMware Cloud Foundation, get a copy of the full whitepaper.
