Nutanix unveils new tools aim to simplify AI, cloud and enterprise IT: All you need to know

It’s been a few years since artificial intelligence, aka AI, broke into the scene, and it’s surprising that in 2026 too, it’s still a major buzzword. In today’s day and age, whether you’re a teacher, a student, a working professional, or even running a small business, there’s a lot of dependence on AI among the general public. But when we talk about enterprise tech, the situation often looks complicated. And this is because not every company has the necessary resources to run large AI models with ease. This is where companies like Nutanix step in.

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Nutanix is hosting the NEXT 2026 event in Chicago, and on day 1, multiple announcements showed how the brand is trying to position itself as a simpler alternative in an increasingly complex cloud and AI landscape. Of course, the intent of the announcements has echoes of making enterprise tech easier to run, more flexible to scale, and less dependent on expensive hardware upgrades. Nutanix is now building toward a future where businesses can run traditional apps and advanced AI systems side by side without needing completely different setups. Read on to know all that was just announced.

Nutanix Cloud Platform: Simplify AI infrastructure for companies

Companies should not need entirely new infrastructure just to run AI; they should be able to run modern AI workloads using the infrastructure they already have. And this is more complicated than it looks. With its cloud platform, that’s exactly what Nutanix is enabling businesses to do.

The Nutanix Cloud Platform is being called a ‘full-stack solution’ that can handle virtual machines, containers, and AI workloads together. This includes the upcoming Nutanix Agentic AI platform that integrates compute, storage, networking, and Kubernetes into one system. Alongside this, NKP Metal will allow businesses to run Kubernetes directly on physical servers, improving performance for AI training and edge workloads.

The company is also expanding its partner ecosystem with brands like Dell Technologies, Cisco, and AMD. This gives enterprises more flexibility when choosing hardware, especially at a time when GPU supply remains tight. The broader goal here is to reduce dependency on specialised hardware while still enabling high-performance AI deployments.

Strengthening data and cloud flexibility with NetApp

Nutanix also announced the deepening of its partnership with NetApp to improve how enterprises manage data across cloud and on-premise environments. The collaboration will bring NetApp’s Intelligent Data Infrastructure, built on its ONTAP storage systems, into the Nutanix Cloud Platform later this year, alongside the Nutanix AHV hypervisor.

By combining NetApp ONTAP’s data management capabilities with Nutanix’s hybrid multicloud platform, enterprises can modernise their virtualisation stack without completely overhauling existing systems. In other words, it gives organisations more flexibility to modernise their infrastructure without having to rebuild everything from scratch. This is particularly relevant for companies juggling traditional workloads alongside newer cloud and AI applications.

This flexibility allows organisations to run workloads where it makes the most sense, whether that is on-premise or in the cloud, without needing to redesign their entire infrastructure. In a market where hardware constraints and rising costs are still major concerns, this approach gives businesses more control over how they scale.

One of the biggest advantages here is faster migration. With NFS-based integration between the two platforms, companies will be able to move virtual machines more quickly using tools like NetApp Shift and Nutanix Move. This promises data-in-place conversions in minutes, reducing downtime and speeding up deployment.

The integration also promises to simplify day-to-day operations. Data management can be handled directly through ONTAP, while compute and storage can scale independently. This reduces operational overhead and makes it easier to manage large environments. At the same time, administrators get more granular control at the virtual machine level, allowing them to fine-tune performance, storage, and recovery settings from a unified interface.

In addition to this, it also brings added security, including AI-powered ransomware protection. Looking ahead, both companies are also planning deeper integration with Nutanix’s Agentic AI platform, which could further strengthen AI-driven workloads and data pipelines.

New tools for the next wave of AI cloud providers

Nutanix is also betting on a new category of companies called neoclouds. These are providers that offer AI services rather than just raw computing power. With updates to its Agentic AI platform, Nutanix is making it easier for these providers to deliver complete AI solutions, not just GPU access.

At the centre of this is a new multitenant system that allows multiple customers to share infrastructure while keeping their data separate and secure. It also introduces usage-based billing, so businesses only pay for what they use. This shift is important because it moves AI from being an expensive experiment to something companies can actually deploy at scale.

New platform for companies

Another key announcement was the Service Provider Central, a new platform designed for companies that manage IT services for others. It allows providers to handle multiple customers from a single interface while still promising to offer each one a private and secure environment. The platform also supports usage tracking and budgeting within the same interface, helping organisations better understand and control their cloud spending.

Alongside this, the brand also introduced a verification programme to help customers identify trusted service providers built on its platform. The overall goal is to make cloud services easier to manage while also expanding Nutanix’s partner ecosystem.

Bringing cloud simplicity to physical infrastructure

With NKP Metal, Nutanix is addressing another long-standing challenge. Running applications directly on physical servers can offer better performance, especially for AI and edge workloads, but it is usually harder to manage. And NKP Metal aims to bring cloud-like simplicity to these environments.

It allows businesses to run modern, container-based applications directly on physical hardware while still using familiar tools for automation and management. Nutanix is also combining support for both virtual machines and containers in one system. This unified approach reduces complexity and makes it easier for organisations to handle different types of workloads without separate setups.

Faster and smarter database management

Database operations are another area getting attention. Nutanix has integrated its database service with MongoDB to simplify how enterprises manage large-scale databases.

The biggest improvement here is automation. Tasks that once took days, such as setting up database clusters, can now be done in minutes. Recovery is also faster and more precise, with the ability to restore data down to specific points in time. For businesses dealing with critical data, this can significantly reduce downtime and operational risk.

In addition to this, Nutanix is enhancing its storage and data capabilities with updates like Unified Storage and Data Lens 2.0. These bring features such as ransomware protection, data governance, and improved visibility across distributed systems. So for enterprises dealing with sensitive or large volumes of data, this adds that extra layer of security and control.

What do analysts say?

Taken together, these announcements show a clear strategy. Nutanix is not just adding features. Instead, it is trying to reduce the overall complexity of running modern IT systems. Whether it is AI, cloud, or data management, the company is focusing on unifying everything under one platform while giving businesses more control and flexibility.

Dave Pearson, Group Vice President, Global Lead, Core Infrastructure, IDC, said in a press release, ‘The market is facing multiple pressures as organizations grapple with the uncertainty and potential cost increases from AI transformation and modernization initiatives, virtualization market changes, and hardware supply chain disruptions in both memory and media which are going to take several quarters if not years to resolve. By expanding its ecosystem and providing alternative deployment options, including on-ramps to public cloud, Nutanix is providing a path for customers to make the changes they need to make, ensure long-term platform choice, and deploy critical AI and modern workloads without being held hostage by a constrained infrastructure supply.’

Matt Kimball, VP and Principal Analyst, Moor Insights and Strategy, talks about the brand’s partnership with NetApp and says, ‘This collaboration reflects a broader industry shift toward solutions that combine infrastructure modernisation with intelligent data services. Nutanix and NetApp are giving customers a long-term, stable foundation that supports traditional virtualised workloads today and positions them for the cloud-native, AI-driven environments of tomorrow that will require data to be managed and used more effectively.

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So, in a market that often pushes companies toward more specialised and expensive solutions, Nutanix seems to be making a different pitch. Keep things simple, make better use of what you already have, and scale when needed without unnecessary overhead.