Akamai Becomes the First Cloud Provider to Offer VPUs

Cloud computing platform Akamai has introduced Akamai Cloud Accelerated Compute Instances, a new category of cloud-based compute powered by NETINT video processing units (VPUs). 

This launch makes Akamai the first cloud provider to offer VPUs in the cloud, bringing specialised hardware for media transcoding to cloud environments.

NETINT’s VPUs are designed to enhance efficiency in high-quality video streaming while reducing costs and energy consumption. 

Akamai’s accelerated instances run on Quadra T1U VPUs, which support resolutions up to 8Kp60 in formats like AV1, HEVC, and H.264. With the ability to encode 32 live streams at 1080p30 broadcast quality, the hardware offers scalable solutions for media companies delivering video-on-demand and live streaming services.

“By bringing traditionally hardware-confined power to the cloud, we’re removing barriers that have held businesses back. Companies can now cut costs, scale seamlessly, and deliver better streaming experiences—solving a major industry challenge that’s been overlooked for too long,” said Jon Alexander, VP of product management at Akamai. 

“Being the first cloud provider to offer VPUs gives Akamai a new competitive edge to expand our long-existing relationships with our media partners.”

Previously, NETINT’s VPU hardware was only available for on-premises deployment or colocation facilities. With Akamai’s new cloud-based offering, media companies can now access this high-performance technology without the need for extensive infrastructure investment. 

VPUs allow companies to offload compute-intensive video processing tasks from CPUs, offering up to 20 times greater throughput compared to CPU-only solutions. This shift frees up computing resources for other essential tasks like real-time speech-to-text captioning, de-interlacing, and dynamic packaging.

“VPUs are the ultimate cheat code for video streaming profitability,” said Randal Horne, chief revenue officer at NETINT. “The expenses to deliver massive volumes of video content using traditional software encoders are crippling. NETINT is proud to be the VPU engine inside Akamai’s Accelerated Compute Instances, bringing up to twenty times the throughput at a tenth of the cost compared to traditional industry platforms.”

Akamai aims to position itself as the go-to cloud provider for media, targeting market segments often overlooked by hyperscalers. Its media services, trusted by all top 10 video streaming platforms, cover key areas like contribution, transport, transcoding, packaging, digital rights management, ad insertion, and content security. 

The company’s cloud platform, designed with openness in mind, allows customers to customise workflows and integrate third-party solutions while benefiting from low egress costs and NVIDIA GPU-powered transcoding.