Why the Best AI Clouds Don't Run on Flash Alone

Neoclouds built around GPUs rely on flash storage for active training, but other lifecycle stages—data ingestion, checkpointing, and storing finished models—need cheaper high-capacity storage, which neoclouds often outsource to hyperscalers whose egress fees create data gravity. The article argues a tiered storage architecture, with flash only where speed is required and high-capacity storage elsewhere, lets neoclouds keep the whole customer account, citing Backblaze's B2 Neo as a white-label option. It notes SSD prices rose 257% in under a year and that Google, Meta, and Microsoft have run tiered storage for years.