VDURA, a leader in AI and high-performance computing (HPC) data infrastructure, proudly announced that its CEO, Ken Claffey, has been named to Channel Insider’s 2025 AI Leaders in the Channel List. The annual list recognizes executives driving transformative AI innovation across the IT channel, spotlighting leaders from MSPs, MSSPs, VARs, GSIs, and vendors delivering measurable AI-driven outcomes.
Recognition: Ken Claffey named to Channel Insider’s 2025 AI Leaders in the Channel List.
Company: VDURA, formerly Panasas, provides software-defined storage for AI and HPC workloads.
Impact: Claffey’s leadership drives AI infrastructure with real-time scale, fault resilience, and GPU efficiency.
Channel Focus: VDURA’s Velocity Partner Program, launched in 2024, grew channel resources by 250%.
Market Context: AI infrastructure market projected to reach $96B by 2029, growing at 34% CAGR (Statista, 2025).
Key Achievements: VDURA’s V11 platform and V5000 All-Flash Appliance enhance AI workload performance.
Ken Claffey’s inclusion in the 2025 AI Leaders List reflects his pivotal role in transforming VDURA into a software-first, AI-ready data platform. “I’m honored to be recognized alongside other forward-thinking leaders,” said Claffey. “At VDURA, we view AI as a transformational force, demanding infrastructure capable of real-time scale, fault resilience, and GPU efficiency.” Under Claffey’s leadership since September 2023, VDURA (rebranded from Panasas in May 2024) has shifted from proprietary hardware to a SaaS model, delivering the V11 Data Platform and V5000 All-Flash Appliance for AI and HPC workloads.
Claffey’s prior roles at Seagate, where he drove enterprise storage growth, and Xyratex, where he built the ClusterStor HPC platform powering 40% of global supercomputers, underscore his expertise. His strategic vision emphasizes a hybrid file-and-object storage approach, integrating high-performance object stores with parallel file systems to optimize AI training and inference.
VDURA’s platform, built on the PanFS parallel file system, offers >11 nines durability, supporting GPU-intensive AI tasks across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments. The V11 release, launched in November 2024, introduced a microservices-based architecture and flash-optimized metadata engine, delivering millions of IOPS for AI workloads. The company’s Avnet Direct Connect partnership and upcoming cloud integrations enhance hardware flexibility and cost efficiency.
The Velocity Partner Program, led by ex-Seagate executives Samantha Clarke and Brad Painter, grew VDURA’s channel team by 250% in 2024, offering sales incentives, deal registration, and technical support to partners. This aligns with Channel Insider’s recognition of Claffey’s role in delivering AI-driven outcomes in cybersecurity, automation, and operations.
The AI infrastructure market is projected to grow to $96B by 2029 (Statista, 2025), driven by demand for scalable, reliable storage. VDURA competes with VAST Data, Weka, and DDN, but its hybrid architecture and 12-nines durability commitment set it apart. Claffey’s recognition follows his 2025 HPCwire “People to Watch” listing, affirming VDURA’s leadership in AI and HPC. Challenges include navigating competitive pressures and ensuring cloud integration success, as noted in industry analyses.
VDURA builds the world’s strongest data platform for AI and high-performance computing, blending flash-first speed with true hyperscale capacity and an industry-leading 12-nines durability commitment.
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