NetApp has introduced StorageGRID 12.1, adding a federated global namespace and a range of performance, data management, and security enhancements aimed at AI, analytics, and other large-scale object storage workloads. The release is designed to simplify the management of globally distributed object data while improving the efficiency of AI data pipelines and modern cloud-native applications.
As enterprises continue to generate rapidly expanding volumes of unstructured data, object storage platforms are increasingly expected to serve as the foundation for AI infrastructure in addition to traditional backup and archival use cases. StorageGRID 12.1 addresses this shift by improving access to distributed data and streamlining operations across hybrid environments.
A key addition in StorageGRID 12.1 is the Global Federated Namespace, which allows organizations to manage multiple geographically distributed StorageGRID deployments through a single namespace. NetApp says the capability scales to up to 10 exabytes without requiring applications or existing workflows to be redesigned, making it easier to build globally distributed AI data lakes and object repositories.
The release also delivers significant performance improvements over the previous version. According to NetApp, StorageGRID 12.1 can provide up to 400% higher throughput than StorageGRID 12.0, depending on workload characteristics and object size. At scale, the platform can deliver up to 12 TB/s of aggregate throughput for large AI infrastructure deployments.
Operational improvements focus on managing increasingly large object repositories. New batch operations enable administrators to perform actions across billions of objects, while enhanced change tracking allows AI applications and agents to identify modifications made to object storage buckets since a previous scan. These capabilities are intended to reduce the overhead associated with maintaining AI data pipelines and keeping large datasets synchronized.
Security and governance have also been expanded in StorageGRID 12.1. Multi-admin verification introduces additional administrative controls for organizations operating in regulated industries, helping enforce governance policies around critical configuration changes.
NetApp said the new release extends its data platform by providing a unified global namespace that enables organizations to manage large-scale distributed datasets and accelerate AI and analytics workloads, regardless of where data resides.
Separately, NetApp announced it has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Object Storage Solutions, Q2 2026. In its inaugural evaluation of the object storage market, Forrester cited NetApp’s strategy for hybrid, multicloud, and sovereign deployments, noting the platform’s suitability for enterprises managing distributed and regulated object storage environments while supporting AI-focused storage services.
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