The news
Dell Technologies (DELL), NetApp (NTAP) and Precisely each announced products on October 6, 2026 aimed at the same bottleneck: getting existing enterprise data into a state that AI agents can use safely. The pitch from all three is AI-ready data without forcing companies to rebuild their systems first.
Dell expanded its AI Data Platform with three components, according to SiliconANGLE and Blocks and Files. A Unified Semantic Layer applies shared business definitions, so an agent can tell that a client and an account are the same thing. An Enterprise Knowledge Graph maps how data across systems is related. Knowledge Agents act as topic-specific advisors limited to a defined slice of data, with customer-set rules on quality and spending. Those three are scheduled for the first half of 2027.
Dell also said its Data Processing Engine, running on Nvidia (NVDA) GPUs, processed data 3.9 times faster than CPU-only systems on average in its tests, and up to 20.4 times faster on batch data mining jobs, SiliconANGLE reported. That engine is due in December 2026, and PowerScale storage security and multitenancy updates in November. Arthur Lewis, president of Dell's Infrastructure Solutions Group, said data without context is just noise, according to Blocks and Files.
At its INSIGHT 2026 conference, NetApp argued that companies can make legacy data usable for AI without re-architecting. Jen Prenner, senior vice president of product marketing, told SiliconANGLE that data needs to be accessible, governed, protected and available. NetApp described a platform spanning file, block and object storage across cloud, edge and on-premises sites, announced a fully managed storage service on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure due within 12 months, and expanded its partnership with Commvault for data protection.
Precisely, a data integrity software company, launched the Precisely Platform to prepare data across cloud lakehouses, mainframes and SAP systems without migrating it into one place, plus Precisely AI Studio, a library of ready-made agents and apps. The platform is in preview with general availability expected in early 2027, while AI Studio is available now, SiliconANGLE reported. Chief product officer Matt Waxman warned that agents act on the data they are given at scale, faster than people can catch errors.
The numbers
- Dell processing speedup on Nvidia GPUs, average (Dell tests)
- 3.9x vs CPU
- Dell best-case speedup, batch data mining
- 20.4x
- Dell semantic layer, knowledge graph, Knowledge Agents
- First half of 2027
- NetApp managed service on Oracle Cloud
- Within 12 months
- Precisely Platform general availability
- Early 2027 (expected)
Why CEOs should care
For CIOs and chief data officers, the message is that agent projects stall on data, not models. Before funding new agents, ask which systems they will read from, whether business terms are defined consistently across those systems and who owns data quality. The vendors are betting you will pay to fix those gaps, so know your own answers before the sales calls.
CFOs should note the timelines. Dell's most agent-focused features arrive in the first half of 2027, and Precisely's platform is still in preview. Budgets for 2027 may need a line for data preparation, semantic modeling and governance, and buyers should negotiate pilots tied to measurable outcomes rather than committing to full platforms on roadmap promises.
CISOs should focus on access control. Dell's Knowledge Agents and knowledge graph respect assigned permissions, according to SiliconANGLE, and NetApp stresses built-in protection. Security teams should test that an agent cannot reach data its human user could not, and that every data source an agent touches is logged.
The bigger picture
Storage and data management vendors are positioning themselves as the gatekeepers of enterprise AI. Semantic layers, knowledge graphs and quality scoring were once niche data engineering tools; they are now being packaged as prerequisites for agents. That puts storage vendors in competition with data cloud and analytics platforms for the same budget.
What’s next
Watch whether Dell delivers the semantic layer and knowledge graph on its 2027 schedule, how NetApp prices its Oracle Cloud service and whether Precisely's preview customers report results. Independent benchmarks of Dell's speed claims would also help buyers compare options.
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