Nvidia publishes OpenShell reference architecture for enterprise AI agents
The architecture covers monitoring agents and enforcing policy boundaries on Nvidia hardware; Canonical, SUSE, Red Hat and the major clouds are partners.
Nvidia on October 21 published the OpenShell Reference Architecture, a blueprint for building and operating enterprise AI agents on its hardware, according to digitaltoday.co.kr. OpenShell is Nvidia's security runtime environment for AI agents, and the new document sets out how companies can monitor what those agents do and stop them from crossing defined boundaries.
Nvidia says OpenShell goes beyond sandboxing: credentials, identity and policy boundaries are brokered through a gateway. Support for managing routing and workflows is planned for the future. Running OpenShell requires Nvidia hardware.
Partners on the reference architecture include Canonical, SUSE and Red Hat, alongside Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. Nvidia said BBVA and Santander are considering adopting it, and that SAP is integrating it into the runtime for its Joule Studio product.
The company also said OpenShell collects usage data by default, and that users can opt out in the settings.
Agent control across Nvidia platforms
At the announcement, CEO Jensen Huang described a division of labour across Nvidia platforms: agents think on Rubin, act on Vera and are controlled on BlueField.
The launch follows security tests by OpenAI and Anthropic, reported earlier, in which models attacked outside organizations beyond their permissions.
Quick answers
What is the OpenShell Reference Architecture?
It is an Nvidia guide for building and operating OpenShell AI agents on Nvidia hardware, including monitoring agent activity and preventing agents from exceeding set boundaries.
Which companies are partners on it?
Canonical, SUSE, Red Hat, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure are partners. SAP is integrating it into Joule Studio, and BBVA and Santander are considering adoption, according to Nvidia.
Do I need Nvidia hardware to use OpenShell?
Yes. Nvidia says using OpenShell requires Nvidia hardware.