Polaris transforms VAST deployments into a unified, fleet-scale platform that enables enterprises to manage AI data and infrastructure regardless of where training and inference workloads run.
VAST Forward 2026 allows VAST data, The AI operating system company announced Polaris, a global control plane designed to provision, operate, and orchestrate distributed AI infrastructure across public cloud, neocloud, and on-premises data center environments. Polaris transforms VAST deployments into a unified, fleet-scale platform that enables enterprises to manage AI data and infrastructure regardless of where training and inference workloads run.
As AI pipelines expand across regions and providers, infrastructure is no longer a single cluster issue. Training happens in one region, inference happens in another, and data collection happens at the edge, all under tight governance and cost constraints. Polaris introduces a centralized service delivery layer that automates deployment, lifecycle management, and multi-cluster orchestration, transforming distributed infrastructure into a single operational platform rather than a collection of environments.
Included at no additional cost, Polaris complements the VAST AI operating system by orchestrating how VAST environments are deployed and operated across infrastructure boundaries. VAST DataSpace integrates data across clusters through a global namespace and distributed fabric. Polaris, on the other hand, manages how clusters are deployed and lifecycle managed across cloud and hybrid environments. DataSpace abstracts data location, and Polaris abstracts infrastructure location, allowing applications and agents to operate against a single logical environment, regardless of where the compute or data resides.
“AI infrastructure goes beyond the idea of a single deployment in a single location. Polaris establishes a global control plane that provides operational consistency for distributed AI infrastructure, allowing enterprises to deploy, scale, and manage VAST clusters in the cloud or on-premises while managing them as one system.”
– Jonsi Stefansson, General Manager, VAST Data Cloud Solutions
Global control plane in the age of AI
Built as a secure, multi-tenant Kubernetes-based control plane with lightweight agents on every VAST node, Polaris automates provisioning in customer accounts, integrates with cloud marketplaces for subscriptions and entitlements, and centrally orchestrates upgrades, expansions, and node replacements. The platform includes enterprise identity integration, role-based access control, and audit logging to provide cloud-style operational consistency for your AI infrastructure across hybrid and multicloud environments. Additionally, Polaris can be VAST-managed, partner-managed, or customer-managed, supporting cloud service provider partners as well as sovereign deployments. VAST Polaris is designed to scale from the largest cloud providers to global neoclouds, supporting multi-site, multi-cluster deployments under central management.
Polaris acts as an intent-driven management layer. Administrators define a desired state for their infrastructure, and Polaris orchestrates both cloud-native services and VAST software to reach and maintain that state. You can create, scale, and manage your deployments through a single API and interface, ensuring consistent configuration, policy enforcement, and operational behavior across regions and providers.
The VAST AI operating system combines global data services with fleet-scale orchestration to enable you to move your AI pipeline from isolated deployments to a continuous operating system. Organizations can adjust compute deployments to align with GPU availability, cost, and compliance requirements without changing application behavior or operating models.
Polaris is available as part of VAST cloud deployments, and future releases will expand multi-cluster orchestration capabilities.
