---
name: inference-storage
title: Creating storage locations for Red Hat AI Inference
description: Complete the following steps to create one or more Object Storage buckets to store Red Hat AI Inference resources in.
last-updated: 2026-07-24
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/inference?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Creating storage locations for Red Hat AI Inference
{: #storage}

Complete the following steps to create one or more Object Storage buckets to store Red Hat AI Inference resources in.
{: shortdesc}

Red Hat AI Inference model alignment, synthetic data generation, and taxonomy management features are deprecated and will be removed on 25 September 2026. To continue model customization and alignment workflows, migrate to Red Hat® OpenShift® AI On OpenShift. [Learn more about Red Hat® OpenShift® AI](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/openshift?topic=openshift-ai-addon-about&format=markdown){: external}.
{: deprecated}

Object Storage buckets are only required if you want to fine-tune or align models with your own data. If you use the inference feature with pre-trained models, you do not need to create a bucket.
{: important}

[Learn more about Object Storage](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-object-storage?topic=cloud-object-storage-about-cloud-object-storage&format=markdown).

## Creating an Object Storage instance in the console for Red Hat AI Inference
{: #storage-ui}
{: ui}


1. Navigate to the [Object Storage in the console](https://cloud.ibm.com/objectstorage/overview).
1. Click **Create an instance**.
1. Choose a plan.
1. Give your instance a name, select a resource group, and enter any tags that you want to use.
1. Click **Create**.


## Creating an Object Storage instance and bucket by using the CLI for Red Hat AI Inference
{: #storage-cli}
{: cli}

To log in:
1. Log in to your IBM Cloud account from the CLI.

    ```sh
    ibmcloud login -a https://cloud.ibm.com --sso -r us-east
    ```
    {: pre}

1. If you plan to allow Red Hat AI Inference to create IBM Cloud® Object Storage Instance resources for you, target a resource group.
    ```sh
    ibmcloud target -g RESOURCE_GROUP
    ```
    {: pre}

    Example:
    ```sh
    ibmcloud target -g Default
    ```
    {: pre}


To create Object Storage resources:
1. Run the following command to create an instance.
    ```sh
    ibmcloud resource service-instance-create <instance-name> cloud-object-storage <plan> global
    ```
    {: pre}

1. [Create a new bucket](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-object-storage?topic=cloud-object-storage-ic-cos-cli&format=markdown#create-a-new-bucket) and make a note of the bucket name for later.
    ```sh
    ibmcloud cos bucket-create --bucket BUCKET-NAME [--class CLASS-NAME] [--ibm-service-instance-id INSTANCE-ID] [--region REGION] [--output FORMAT]
    ```
    {: pre}


## What's next?
{: #whats-next-storage}

After creating your project, review the following links for next steps.


- [Assign users in your account access to your project and Object Storage](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/inference?topic=inference-project&format=markdown).
- [Learn how taxonomies are structured](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/inference?topic=inference-taxonomy-overview&format=markdown).
- [Prepare your taxonomy and upload it to Object Storage](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/inference?topic=inference-taxonomy-prep&format=markdown).