Nutanix and Pure Storage partnership solution is finally generally available as of December 10th, 2026.
What does that mean exactly? Why should anyone care? I will try my best to break it down below.
Benefits of the solution (Pros)
- Pure Storage FlashArray delivers all-flash, NVMe-based performance with low latency and efficient data reduction.
- Nutanix native deduplication/compression does not come close to the DRR numbers that Pure Storage can deliver.
- Real life comparison, if Nutanix provides 2:1 DRR then a Pure Storage array will provide 4:1 and possibly higher.
- Pure Storage provides always-on, in-line deduplication and compression with predictable efficiency ratios.
- Nutanix native storage provides CPU intensive, often post-process efficiencies.
- NVMe over TCP integration with Nutanix enables strong storage performance for virtualization workloads.
- NVME over TCP is built for flash & NVMe media.
- It is meaningfully better for latency, queue depth and CPU efficiency over iSCSI.
- NFS is a different animal altogether. It is easier, more flexible, but not designed for ultra-low latency workloads.
- Nutanix Prism allows IT admins to manage from one single pane of glass.
- This includes compute, virtualization, networking and the integrated Pure FlashArray storage.
- More affordable Nutanix NCI compute licensing
- This allows customers to allocate those licensing savings towards their external storage.
- Freedom from VMware Lock-in
- For current Pure Storage customers, this solution allows an easier migration from VMware to AHV.
- Disaster Recovery in the public cloud (Future feature release. Pure Storage is not currently available for NC2).
- Hot HCI storage in NC2 gets expensive quickly
- Always-On HCI economics don’t always match DR reality when they are idle 99% of the time
- HCI Storage data reduction doesn’t save enough capacity
Drawbacks of the solution (Cons)
- Requires Separate Storage Hardware
- If you are not a Pure Storage customer already, you will need to add this piece to your procurement list.
- Complexity for hyperconverged enthusiasts
- Organizations that are already leveraging traditional HCI might find the disaggregated model more complex.
- This integration will not work along with HCI nodes (at least for now)
- Nutanix Compute-Only nodes are a requirement to start leveraging this solution
- FlashArray //C is not compatible with this architecture (at least for now)
- Only FlashArray //X and //XL are initially supported
- Integration maturity & early access
- Early implementations often require careful testing before widespread production use.
- Cost Trade-Offs
- While Nutanix compute-only licensing might be cheaper, you are now adding Pure Storage costs to the mix.
Best fit for:
Organizations with existing Pure Storage arrays who want Nutanix compute flexibility.
Workloads needing high-performance, scalable storage without having to expand HCI nodes.
Teams that want to reduce VMware costs and adopt Nutanix AHV.
Less ideal for:
Nutanix HCI shops who prefer storage bundled with compute.
Small shops where managing separate compute and storage tiers adds complexity.
At its core, this partnership is about restoring architectural choice. It gives organizations a credible path to reduce or exit VMware licensing costs without sacrificing resiliency or performance. It also allows customers to leverage existing storage investments instead of forcing data into compute-driven HCI economics. The result is a more flexible, high-performance platform that aligns infrastructure design with how data actually grows.
For deeper technical details or validation from product teams, you can review the official GA announcement from Nutanix.
Link: https://www.nutanix.com/blog/nutanix-with-flasharray-now-generally-available
Pure Storage deep dive conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=AJpjHukCxebztyK0&v=CpOsTlzpVnI&feature=youtu.be
