From Supercomputers to the Frontlines of AI Inference: Glenn Lockwood on Infrastructure That Lasts

In this episode of Shared Everything, Glenn Lockwood, just named Principal Technical Strategist at VAST Data, shares what decades at the bleeding edge of large-scale systems design have taught him about architecting for an AI future that refuses to stay put. From building the first all-NVMe 30PB Lustre file system to designing Azure’s training clusters, Glenn walks us through why performance alone is no longer enough, why inferencing shattered traditional supercomputing data patterns, and why today’s infrastructure decisions must be guided not by legacy conservatism, but by intrinsic flexibility. With characteristic clarity and conviction, Glenn lays out the case for treating adaptability as a first-class citizen in architecture...and why VAST is where he’s chosen to do just that.