INTELLIGENT data infrastructure outfit NetApp has outlined a new data platform strategy to enable ASEAN enterprises move artificial intelligence (AI) from pilot projects into large scale production as Malaysia and the region step up investment in AI and data infrastructure.
The strategy unveiled at its INSIGHT Xtra Singapore 2026 event designed to help organisations run AI workloads securely in line with local regulations and at a sustainable cost across hybrid and on-premise environments.
In the NASDAQ-listed company’s contention, Southeast Asia is approaching a phase where AI spending is growing faster than overall digital investment with adoption expected to add close to US$1 tril (RM3.91 tril) to the region’s GDP (gross domestic product) by 2030.
It added that many enterprises are now focused on how to scale AI in production without losing control over data governance, security and operational stability.
NetApp’s approach centres on what it calls its data platform which brings together storage, data management services and a metadata engine to support AI workloads across different environments.
This is intended to facilitate enterprises in preparing and managing data more effectively so that AI systems can be deployed in real business operations, not just experiments.
Data protection, recovery
“2026 is shaping up to be the year of production AI for ASEAN but businesses here are dealing with complex environments, data security risks and sovereignty requirements,” opined NetApp area vice-president and general manager (Greater China, ASEAN and South Korea) Henry Kho.
“We want to give enterprises a data foundation that builds in governance and cyber resilience from the start so they can use their data with confidence.”
As part of the strategy, NetApp has rolled out new systems and software aimed at supporting large scale AI workloads.
These include (i) the NetApp AFX systems which are designed to separate storage capacity from performance so organisations can scale each independently and (ii) the NetApp AI Data Engine which focuses on preparing and keeping data up to date for AI use.
Built on NVIDIA’s AI Data Platform design, the AI Data Engine is intended to simplify data preparation through features such as semantic search, data vectorisation and change detection, hence reducing the need for multiple copies of the same data.
Elsewhere, NetApp’s ransomware resilience capabilities also position data protection and recovery as a core part of enterprise AI infrastructure rather than a separate security layer.
The company said its systems are already being used within the Malaysian public sector.
It quoted the National Digital Department deputy director Izheir Azam Ibrahim Rais as saying that NetApp’s storage platforms support government efforts to improve digital services while strengthening cyber resilience across agencies.
Very broadly, NetApp has been expanding its focus beyond traditional storage into what it describes as intelligent data infrastructure as enterprises look for ways to manage growing volumes of data and support AI workloads across multiple environments. – Feb 12, 2026
