Powering the Next Era of AI Infrastructure in France
In a significant step forward for AI infrastructure in Europe, Sesterce has become one of the first companies in France to deploy the NVIDIA HGX H200 system. As Sesterce continues to expand its ambitions as a leading cloud service provider, its partnership with VAST Data is proving to be a win-win collaboration, offering advanced compute and data to meet the growing demands of AI-driven businesses.
Nicolas Paugam, Director, Laboratory & Infrastructure, at Sesterce, reveals that the deployment of the HGX H200 system marks a pivotal moment for the company’s operations. As one of the first clusters of its kind in France, this deployment is set to position Sesterce as a frontrunner in AI infrastructure, providing customers with robust GPU resources and a seamless data platform powered by VAST Data.
“We have big ambitions to be Europe’s largest supplier of GPU access. Partnering with VAST Data is a natural choice for us, it allows us to scale our compute clusters efficiently while providing significant data capacities to our customers.”
Why VAST Data?
Sesterce’s decision to choose VAST Data came after a thorough evaluation of data platform options. Paugam noted that many of Sesterce’s customers were already using VAST Data, resulting in a smoother transition. However, beyond customer familiarity, VAST Data stood out for its performance. The platform offers unique data preparation capabilities, global synchronization, and scalability that are ideal for Sesterce’s diverse customer base.
“I bench-tested other suppliers and VAST was the most efficient in terms of price-to-performance ratio. The ease of use and support from the VAST technical and account teams made it an obvious choice for us.”
Building AI-Powered Solutions for European Businesses
Sesterce is deploying its HGX H200 system at an Equinix data center, establishing a strategic partnership to expand its hosting capacities. This infrastructure features high-performance network fabrics designed to support demanding AI workloads, and the company plans to push its data and compute capabilities even further.
Custom Solutions Tailored to Customer Needs
What sets Sesterce apart from other cloud service providers is its focus on customer-centric solutions. Rather than pushing customers into a rigid, pre-defined system, Sesterce works closely with its clients to design tailor-made solutions that meet their specific needs.
“We’re not like other large suppliers who force clients to adapt to their systems. We take pride in working hand-in-hand with our customers to design the clusters they need. This flexibility is our strength, and we believe this is what sets us apart in the market.”
Expanding Horizons
While Sesterce initially focused on serving AI companies, it is now broadening its scope. It now aims to engage institutional customers across industries, including government and enterprise clients. “The AI story is much bigger now, and we’re looking to work with more diverse industries like government institutions and traditional enterprises,” said Paugam. This diversification represents the next major step for Sesterce, as it looks to broaden its customer base beyond AI-focused companies.
