NetApp Enhances Google Cloud Volumes for AI and Block Storage

NetApp®, a leader in intelligent data infrastructure, announced an expanded collaboration with Google Cloud to accelerate enterprise cloud transformation. The partnership introduces new block storage capabilities in Google Cloud NetApp Volumes, optimizing unified storage for critical workloads such as virtualized environments, self-managed databases, and AI-driven innovation. This aligns with NetApp’s INSIGHT 2025 event in Las Vegas (October 14–16), where the company showcased its advancements in AI-ready data solutions.

Quick Intel

• NTAP Stock Overview: As shown in the finance card above, NetApp’s stock price is $121.47 USD as of October 15, 2025, with a market cap of $24.06 billion, up 0.76% from the previous close of $120.55.
• Block Storage Enhancements: Google Cloud NetApp Volumes now supports iSCSI block storage alongside NAS protocols (NFS/SMB), enabling virtualized environments and databases.
• AI Integration: Seamless integration with Google Cloud’s Vertex AI and Gemini Enterprise allows AI models to access unified data without movement, supporting RAG applications.
• Performance Boost: Premium and Extreme service levels offer up to 1PiB storage and 30GiB/s throughput; Flex service level scales up to 5GiB/s and 160K IOPS.
• Cyber Resilience: Features AI-driven ransomware detection and data breach protection, validated with 99% accuracy and zero false positives.
• Market Impact: NetApp’s 70% gross profit margin and $1.64 billion EBITDA (last 12 months) underscore its capacity to innovate in cloud storage solutions.

Unified Storage for AI and Enterprise Needs

The enhanced Google Cloud NetApp Volumes integrate block storage via iSCSI with existing file storage (NFS/SMB), creating a unified platform for diverse workloads. This supports virtualized environments, self-managed databases, and AI-driven applications, eliminating data silos and movement costs. The NetApp Data Platform, built on ONTAP, ensures secure, low-latency access to enterprise data across hybrid and multicloud environments, enabling any AI model—on-premises or cloud-based—to leverage a customer’s entire data estate without costly migrations.

“For many organizations, the cloud is the fastest and simplest path to using AI to uncover data-driven insights,” said Pravjit Tiwana, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Storage at NetApp. “Our collaboration with Google Cloud is accelerating generative AI data pipelines by seamlessly integrating the latest AI innovations with the robust data management capabilities of NetApp ONTAP®.”

Sameet Agarwal, Vice President and General Manager of Storage at Google Cloud, added, “By combining Google Cloud’s global infrastructure and Vertex AI with NetApp’s expertise in data management, we’re delivering integrated solutions that help enterprises transform and accelerate their digital journeys.”

Advanced Features for Scalability and Compliance

• Block Storage (iSCSI): Now generally available, this supports SAN protocols, enabling efficient management of virtualized environments and databases.
• High-Performance Volumes: Premium and Extreme service levels scale to 1PiB with 30GiB/s throughput, ideal for AI, EDA, and large-scale datasets. Flex service level offers up to 5GiB/s and 160K IOPS, reducing overprovisioning.
• AI Integration: Integration with Vertex AI and Gemini Enterprise (in preview) enables custom AI agents for RAG applications, leveraging NetApp’s data without redundant copies.
• Compliance: Upcoming support for Google Cloud Assured Workloads ensures data residency, transparent access control, and key management compliance.
• Cybersecurity: AI-powered Ransomware Resilience detects breaches with 99% accuracy, offering isolated recovery environments to restore clean data.

These capabilities reduce cloud waste, enhance performance, and simplify infrastructure management, allowing IT teams to focus on business outcomes rather than data logistics.

Strategic and Financial Context

NetApp’s collaboration with Google Cloud, recognized with the 2025 Google Cloud Infrastructure Modernization Partner of the Year for Storage award, underscores its leadership in cloud-native storage. The company’s Q2 FY’25 revenue reached $1.66 billion, up 6.4% year-over-year, with a 19% rise in all-flash array revenue and a 43% growth in cloud storage services. The finance card above indicates NTAP’s stock rose from $118.46 in September to $121.47 in October 2025, reflecting investor confidence in its AI and cloud strategy.

The partnership challenges competitors like AWS and Azure by offering SLA-backed performance and native cloud integration, particularly for regulated sectors like healthcare and finance. NetApp’s disaggregated storage architecture, combined with its AI Data Engine (AIDE) and NVIDIA’s AI platform, further enhances scalability for petabyte-scale AI workloads.

Customer and Industry Impact

The updated NetApp Volumes service supports industries like electronic design automation (EDA), where high-performance storage accelerates chip design, and enterprises building custom AI agents. OpenText, a customer, leverages NetApp Volumes for efficient data management on Google Cloud. IDC notes NetApp’s unique position as the only storage vendor with co-engineered native services across major clouds, providing a competitive edge.

“With the accelerating pace of change and innovation, enterprises need unified access to all of their data wherever it lives,” said Dave McCarthy, Research Vice President at IDC. “NetApp’s data platform is the first unified storage built natively into the world’s largest public clouds, enabling enterprises to securely access their entire data estate without incurring delays and costs from data movement.”

Strategic Implications

This partnership positions NetApp and Google Cloud as leaders in AI-ready infrastructure, offering scalable, secure, and compliant solutions for enterprise transformation. The focus on block storage and AI integration addresses the growing demand for data-intensive workloads, while cybersecurity features mitigate rising threats. As NetApp prepares for its Q2 FY’26 results on November 25, 2025, its continued innovation signals strong growth potential in the $297.9 billion AI software market by 2027.

• Net AppGoogle CloudAI InfrastructureCloud Storage