WWT's AI Proving Ground (AIPG) is where ideas meet execution. For organizations exploring artificial intelligence (AI), this unique, hands-on lab environment allows our clients to work with real infrastructure, real data and real use cases, all with the support of experienced engineers and access to the latest hardware and software stacks.
The following use cases show how the AIPG is helping companies move faster and reduce risk in their AI strategies.
A global media and technology company had been purchasing servers equipped with NVIDIAⓇ BlueFieldⓇ data processing units (DPUs) for years but had not activated their capabilities. With help from AIPG and NVIDIA engineers, the company replicated its production OpenStack environment and tested offloading network services to the DPU. This freed up CPU resources and improved application performance. The team also conducted throughput testing to match real-world conditions. The project gave the company the technical clarity it needed to start using DPUs more strategically.
Validating storage architecture for AI Factory readiness
A major financial institution preparing to launch its own AI Factory environment needed to validate its storage architecture. WWT's engineers built a custom environment with high-speed Ethernet switching, NetApp storage and RoCEv2 protocols. The team ran configuration and validation tests that helped the customer document a reference architecture aligned with best practices. With that foundation in place, the client was ready to move into production with greater speed and confidence.
Resolving compute cluster issues for improved healthcare operations
A health insurer was facing persistent issues in its high-performance compute cluster. The AIPG team replicated the environment using Dell servers and NVIDIA GPUs, then helped the customer test upgrades to its Red Hat OS and Podman container runtime. The customer was able to recreate production issues, test fixes and explore a potential migration to Docker. These tests helped the team identify a practical path to better performance and fewer disruptions within their production deployment.
Securing operational technology at the edge
An energy company wanted to test a security solution designed to protect operational technology (OT) devices at the edge. The AIPG engineers deployed the solution on NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPU and validated its performance in a simulated edge environment. The team demonstrated that the solution could protect programmable logic controllers (PLCs) without consuming CPU cycles needed for other applications. The customer left with a working model that could be replicated across its edge deployments.
A global professional services firm needed to evaluate multiple MLOps and Kubernetes platforms for its AI infrastructure. The AIPG provided a flexible environment with Dell PowerEdge servers and NVIDIA GPUs. The customer tested platforms, including Charmed Kubernetes and NVIDIA Base Command Manager, and used Dell OpenManage Enterprise to explore lifecycle management. Within four weeks, the team completed its evaluations and presented a clear set of recommendations to leadership.
Why it matters
Customers are not just testing technology. They are solving real problems and validating architectures so they can make confident decisions. Whether the goal is to improve performance or explore new solutions, the AIPG provides the tools and expertise to make it happen.
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