Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA, XETRA:NVD) and Akamai Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:AKAM, XETRA:AK3) announced that they are expanding their collaboration to embed security directly into the infrastructure layer of artificial intelligence systems, aiming to protect what the companies describe as emerging “AI factories” as workloads move from centralized data centers to edge environments.
The initiative centers on integrating Akamai Guardicore Segmentation with Nvidia’s Vera BlueField-4 STX architecture, supported by the Nvidia DOCA software platform.
The companies say the goal is to move beyond traditional perimeter or host-based security models by enforcing Zero Trust principles directly within the data path of accelerated computing systems.
Under the partnership, Akamai’s segmentation platform will provide continuous visibility into how AI workloads, agents, and applications interact across hybrid environments, including cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes clusters, data centers, and edge deployments. Policies are defined using workload identity and runtime behavior, rather than static network rules, allowing for more granular control over AI system communications.
Nvidia said its BlueField-4 STX platform will enforce those policies in hardware using DOCA software, enabling security functions such as segmentation, telemetry, and anomaly detection to run inside the infrastructure fabric. The companies said this approach is intended to avoid adding overhead to GPUs, CPUs, or storage systems that power AI workloads.
“Data is the foundation of agentic AI factories, powering the intelligence behind autonomous decision-making and making robust protection more critical than ever for enterprises,” said Kevin Deierling, Senior Vice President of Networking at Nvidia.
“The Akamai Guardicore enterprise security platform and NVIDIA Vera BlueField-4 STX brings a Zero Trust layer directly into the infrastructure fabric, helping protect enterprise data by intelligently controlling how AI workloads communicate at scale.”
Ofer Wolf, Akamai senior vice president of enterprise, said that AI factories are being built at a pace that often outstrips traditional security deployment.
He said embedding workload-aware segmentation into Nvidia’s platform allows organizations to enforce security policies without slowing high-performance computing environments.
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation integrated with Nvidia BlueField and DOCA is expected to be available in the second half of 2026, with broader integration on Nvidia Vera BlueField-4 STX across storage and infrastructure partner platforms expected in the first half of 2027.
Shares of Akamai jumped 5% on the new to about $162, while Nvidia shares were little changed at $225.