Predictika · Data platform and AI storage quotes
An AI sales agent prepares a quote for the VAST Data Platform: DataStore with DataBase, DataSpace, DataEngine, InsightEngine and AgentEngine, on a Cisco UCS bundle of EBoxes and CNode-X GPU servers, on a Supermicro EBox cluster or as a software-only subscription, across one site or several, with capacity, CPU core and accelerated core licenses, installation and monitoring services, support and a 36 to 60 month term. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the public VAST, Cisco and Supermicro documents and returns a verdict, every reason, a line-item quote and the figures it computed.
This validator models VAST Data Platform quotes from public Cisco, Supermicro and press documents about VAST, not just the scenarios shown below. Where a rule or number is published it says so; prices, support plans and several limits are assumed or typical and are labelled that way.
Any VAST quote that touches these products, forms and rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: negotiated discounts beyond the limits shown, the Cisco ordering paths for networking beyond leaf switches, VAST on a public cloud, taxes and freight. VAST Data does not publish prices, so every price on this page is illustrative.
7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch
Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.
Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)
Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run
What this means
Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.
| What the validator caught | Typical rules-based CPQ | Predictika |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity licenses that must cover what the cluster holds | Only with workarounds The usable capacity comes from the EBox count, the drive layout and the number of sites; the license quantity is a separate number the rep types. Comparing them takes a calculated field per layout and a validation rule that someone keeps in step. | Usable capacity is computed from the layout, EBox count and sites, and the license units are checked against it on every call. |
| Service quantities that scale with cluster size | Only with care One installation service per 12 EBoxes or part of 12, one Intersight license per server and one monitoring service per cluster are three quantity rules on three SKUs; each is simple, together they are easy to leave out of step with the bill of materials. | All three quantities are checked against the cluster in the same pass. |
| Leaf switch ports for the whole design | Only with workarounds Two ports for each EBox and each CNode-X against the ports of the switches quoted, less the uplinks: a sum over two product groups compared with a third, which a product rule rarely expresses. | Ports needed and ports offered are computed and compared. |
| A chain of software dependencies | Only with care InsightEngine needs DataEngine, DataBase and a CNode-X; AgentEngine needs DataEngine; DataSpace needs a second site. Each is a rule, and a rep who drops one feature leaves the others quoted. | Each dependency is checked against the features and hardware quoted. |
| One term across SKUs | Only with care The capacity subscription and the monitoring service must carry the same 36 to 60 month term. A term field on each line lets them drift apart. | The terms are compared and a mismatch is a finding. |
| Throughput that depends on cluster size | Only with workarounds Read and write figures per EBox, with a lower write figure below 12 EBoxes that cannot be changed after installation: a table keyed on the count, compared with what the customer needs. | Required throughput is compared with the figure computed for the EBox count; clusters of 8 to 11 EBoxes go to a person. |
| Options that exist on one form only | Only with workarounds The 64-core processor, Nexus switches, Intersight, DCN-AI and Cisco Solution Support belong to the Cisco bundle; the drive layouts differ by vendor. Each is a hand-kept compatibility table. | Every item is checked against the form quoted, with its reason. |
| Data reduction by workload | Only with workarounds AI and HPC data reduce about 2 to 1, media 1.5 to 1 and general files 3 to 1; the capacity a customer needs depends on which. Few quote setups carry that factor. | The data to store is compared with the capacity at the typical reduction of the workload. |
| Every problem returned in one answer | Only with workarounds Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next. | All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in. |
Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.
| 1 | The cluster needs 58 leaf switch ports (2 for each EBox and CNode-X) and the quoted Nexus switches offer 56 after reserving 4 uplink ports on each. |
| 2 | The drive layout does not fit the form; the Cisco UCS C225 M8 EBox comes with 8 x 15 TB, 8 x 30 TB or 7 x 60 TB drives, and the Supermicro EBox with 9 x 30 TB drives. |
| 3 | The 64-core processor is an option of the Cisco UCS C225 M8 EBox; the Supermicro EBox has one 48-core processor. |
| 4 | The cluster has 7 EBoxes; a VAST cluster needs at least 8 EBoxes, and 12 are recommended. |
| 5 | A cluster of 8 EBoxes has reduced write bandwidth, about 15 percent less for 8 to 10 EBoxes and about 6 percent less for 11, fixed at installation; 12 EBoxes or more are recommended, so a person should confirm. |
| 6 | The quote has 1 VAST-PS installation service for 13 EBoxes per cluster; one is needed for each 12 EBoxes or part of 12. |
| 7 | The Cisco bundle has 1 Nexus leaf switch per cluster; at least 2 are needed (N9,332D-GX2B or N9,364D-GX2A). |
| 8 | The quote includes Nexus switches, Intersight licenses or DCN-AI, which belong to the Cisco bundle, and the form is not the Cisco bundle. |
| 9 | The quote has 11 Intersight licenses for 12 UCS servers per cluster; one Intersight license is needed for each UCS server. |
| 10 | The quote has AI services (CNode-X, InsightEngine or AgentEngine) and no DCN-AI line; the networking design for AI intent needs DCN-AI. |
| 11 | The software subscription term is 35 months; the subscriptions run from 36 to 60 months. |
| 12 | The VAST-PS-COPILOT term is 36 months and the capacity subscription term is 48 months; all related SKUs in a quote use the same term. |
| 13 | The quote has 0 VAST-PS-COPILOT services per cluster; exactly one is needed for each cluster. |
| 14 | The quote has 21 capacity subscription units of 100 TB per cluster, but the cluster has 2,184 TB usable; the capacity subscription covers the usable capacity. |
| 15 | The quote has 191 CPU core licenses per cluster; the EBox processors need 192 beyond the cores included. |
| 16 | The quote has 255 accelerated CPU core licenses per cluster; the CNode-X servers need 256. |
| 17 | InsightEngine is quoted without DataEngine; InsightEngine uses DataEngine to start embedding as data arrives. |
| 18 | InsightEngine is quoted without DataBase; it stores vector embeddings and graph relationships in DataBase. |
| 19 | InsightEngine is quoted with no CNode-X; accelerated services need at least one CNode-X GPU compute node in the cluster. |
| 20 | AgentEngine is quoted without DataEngine; the agent pipelines run on DataEngine. |
| 21 | DataSpace is quoted for a design with 1 site; DataSpace joins two or more clusters into one global namespace. |
| 22 | The quote has 2 CNode-X GPU servers per cluster and neither InsightEngine nor AgentEngine to use them, so a person should confirm. |
| 23 | InsightEngine or AgentEngine is quoted with Standard support; AI services are normally quoted with Premium support, so a person should confirm. |
| 24 | The quote selects no data protocol; DataStore serves NFS, SMB or S3. |
| 25 | GPUDirect access is quoted without NFS; GPUDirect runs over NFS with RDMA. |
| 26 | The quote has no support plan; it is quoted with Cisco Solution Support or VAST support. |
| 27 | Cisco Solution Support covers the Cisco bundle only; the form is not the Cisco bundle. |
| 28 | The software-only quote runs on hardware that VAST has not qualified; the software needs qualified hardware. |
| 29 | The 6,553 TB of data to store per cluster is more than the 2,184 TB usable can hold at the typical data reduction of this workload. |
| 30 | The 6,552 TB of data to store per cluster uses more than 90 percent of what the 2,184 TB usable holds at the typical data reduction of this workload, so a person should confirm the sizing. |
| 31 | The required read throughput of 252 GB/s per cluster is above the 252 GB/s that 12 EBoxes give at 21 GB/s each. |
| 32 | The required sustained write throughput of 31.2 GB/s per cluster is above the 31.2 GB/s that 12 EBoxes give. |
| 33 | A discount of $424,530 on a list price of $4,245,200 is more than 10 percent and needs a manager to approve it. |
| 34 | A discount of $849,050 on a list price of $4,245,200 is more than the 20 percent limit. |
| 35 | The net price is $93,802,200, above $50,000,000, so a person should confirm. |
| 36 | The quote has 0 sites; at least one cluster is needed. |
| 37 | The quote states a total of $4,244,200, but the hardware, software, services, support and discount give $4,245,200. |
| 38 | The quote states 2,284 TB usable in total, but the clusters give 2,184 TB. |
The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.
The agent's request. Please quote 3 sites, each a Cisco UCS bundle of 24 C225 M8 EBoxes (8 x 30 TB drives, 64-core processors) and 4 C845A M8 CNode-X servers, with 2 N9K-C9364D-GX2A leaf switches, 20 Intersight licenses and 1 VAST-PS installation service. The software is the VAST Data Platform with DataStore, DataSpace, DataEngine, InsightEngine and AgentEngine on a 48-month term, with 40 capacity subscription units of 100 TB, 768 CPU core licenses and 384 accelerated core licenses per site, and 1 VAST-PS-COPILOT service per site on a 36-month term. The workload is AI with 7,000 TB of data, 400 GB/s of read and 55 GB/s of sustained write per site, over NFS, SMB, S3 and GPUDirect. Support is VAST Premium support. The discount is $2,400,000. The quote states 13,104 TB usable in total and a total of $36,252,960. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote 3 sites, each a Cisco UCS bundle of 24 C225 M8 EBoxes (8 x 30 TB drives, 64-core processors) and 4 C845A M8 CNode-X servers, with 2 N9K-C9364D-GX2A leaf switches, 28 Intersight licenses, DCN-AI and 2 VAST-PS installation services. The software is the VAST Data Platform with DataStore, DataBase, DataSpace, DataEngine, InsightEngine and AgentEngine on a 48-month term, with 44 capacity subscription units of 100 TB, 768 CPU core licenses and 512 accelerated core licenses per site, and 1 VAST-PS-COPILOT service per site on a 48-month term. The workload is AI with 7,000 TB of data, 400 GB/s of read and 55 GB/s of sustained write per site, over NFS, SMB, S3 and GPUDirect. Support is VAST Premium support. The discount is $2,400,000. The quote states 13,104 TB usable in total and a total of $41,476,320. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The agent's request. Please quote 2 sites, each a Supermicro EBox cluster of 18 EBoxes (7 x 60 TB drives, 64-core processors), with 2 N9K-C9364D-GX2A leaf switches, 18 Intersight licenses and 1 VAST-PS installation service. The software is the VAST Data Platform with DataStore and DataSpace on a 60-month term, with 58 capacity subscription units of 100 TB, 576 CPU core licenses per site, and 1 VAST-PS-COPILOT service per site on a 60-month term. The workload is media with 5,100 TB of data, 300 GB/s of read and 40 GB/s of sustained write per site, over NFS, SMB and S3. Support is Cisco Solution Support. The discount is $600,000. The quote states 11,520 TB usable in total and a total of $25,180,000. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote 2 sites, each a Supermicro EBox cluster of 18 EBoxes (9 x 30 TB drives, 48-core processors), with 2 VAST-PS installation services. The software is the VAST Data Platform with DataStore and DataSpace on a 60-month term, with 37 capacity subscription units of 100 TB, 288 CPU core licenses per site, and 1 VAST-PS-COPILOT service per site on a 60-month term. The workload is media with 5,100 TB of data, 300 GB/s of read and 40 GB/s of sustained write per site, over NFS, SMB and S3. Support is VAST Standard support. The discount is $600,000. The quote states 7,380 TB usable in total and a total of $14,872,800. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Needs approval.
The agent's request. Please quote 2 sites, each a Supermicro EBox cluster of 20 EBoxes (9 x 30 TB drives, 48-core processors), with 2 VAST-PS installation services. The software is the VAST Data Platform with DataStore and DataSpace on a 60-month term, with 41 capacity subscription units of 100 TB, 320 CPU core licenses per site, and 1 VAST-PS-COPILOT service per site on a 60-month term. The workload is media with 5,100 TB of data, 300 GB/s of read and 40 GB/s of sustained write per site, over NFS, SMB and S3. Support is VAST Standard support. The discount is $600,000. The quote states 8,200 TB usable in total and a total of $16,491,200. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The agent's request. Please quote the VAST software subscription for 1 site, running on 16 EBox-class nodes of customer hardware (8 x 30 TB drives, 48-core processors), with 2 VAST-PS installation services. The software is the VAST Data Platform with DataStore, DataBase, DataEngine and InsightEngine on a 30-month term, with 30 capacity subscription units of 100 TB, 256 CPU core licenses per site, and 1 VAST-PS-COPILOT service per site on a 30-month term. The workload is AI with 4,500 TB of data, 250 GB/s of read and 30 GB/s of sustained write per site, over S3 and GPUDirect. The discount is $100,000. The quote states 2,912 TB usable in total and a total of $1,773,200. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote the VAST software subscription for 1 site, running on 16 EBox-class nodes of customer hardware (8 x 30 TB drives, 48-core processors) and 2 GPU servers, with 2 VAST-PS installation services. The software is the VAST Data Platform with DataStore, DataBase, DataEngine and InsightEngine on a 36-month term, with 30 capacity subscription units of 100 TB, 256 CPU core licenses and 256 accelerated core licenses per site, and 1 VAST-PS-COPILOT service per site on a 36-month term. The workload is AI with 4,500 TB of data, 250 GB/s of read and 30 GB/s of sustained write per site, over NFS, S3 and GPUDirect. Support is VAST Premium support. The discount is $100,000. The quote states 2,912 TB usable in total and a total of $4,607,840. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.