The AI Focus in the Coming Year
John Roese, Dell’s global CTO, shared with VentureBeat that AI will remain a central theme in the upcoming year. According to his prediction, artificial intelligence will continue to captivate the tech industry, with a progression from experimental concepts to tangible execution at a pace much faster than conventional tech innovations. AI’s rapid and aggressive adoption suggests a shift to practical applications within enterprises.
Practical AI Applications Emerge
Rosese is optimistic about stepping into what he calls “the second year of the AI era,” where the initial wave of AI systems will start becoming operational in the business sphere. This deployment of AI in real-world settings marks a significant move from theoretical frameworks to actionable usage within enterprises. The integration of AI into business practices is poised to accelerate at an unprecedented rate.
Strategizing AI Implementation
2024 will see enterprises embedding AI into production, necessitating a strategic approach from the top down, as mentioned by Roese. The prioritization of AI applications is critical, with companies needing to identify core aspects of their business that could benefit most from AI. Roese encourages organizations to be selective, cautioning that early initiatives may overshadow potential transformative projects. Dell itself has a multitude of AI-related ideas but understands that only a select few can be realistically pursued.
Towards AI Inferencing and Operational Cost Assessments
The advancement toward inferencing in AI is inevitable, Roese reflects, with businesses needing to consider how to optimally design and place their infrastructure in a decentralizing technological landscape. Security concerns will also come to the forefront as AI systems, especially during the inferencing stage, become targets for cyber attacks. Discussions about AI costs will pivot from training expenditures to operational expenses, with ongoing maintenance and fine-tuning being essential for utilization.
Evolution of AI Supply Chains
The supply chain for generative AI is expected to thrive in the coming year. Roese anticipates a surge in the availability of AI tools and models, with a burgeoning ecosystem to support AI integration. There will be a push for improvement and diversification in building tools and AI frameworks, catering to both open-source and proprietary needs. This will afford developers increased flexibility in working with accelerated compute and integrated frameworks, enhancing AI capabilities.
Zero Trust Shifts from Concept to Reality
Despite advancements in cybersecurity, breaches are still on the rise. Roese argues that the adoption of a zero-trust architecture offers a more robust defense, moving from a buzzword to an actionable framework. Zero trust’s implementation is complex, yet AI offers a unique opportunity for it to be embedded from scratch in new infrastructures. Dell’s Project Fort Zero, developed with zero trust principles, exemplifies this novel approach.
Rise of the ‘Common Edge’
Roese underscores the necessity for businesses to process data at its point of origin, minimizing latency and maximizing relevance. This notion feeds into the emergence of what Dell describes as “modern edge” platforms, supporting versatile multi-cloud environments. Dell’s NativeEdge represents a unified edge platform aiming to simplify the complicated landscape, promoting efficient management of diverse workloads.
Quantum Computing Fuels AI’s Potential
Looking beyond immediate trends, Roese predicts that quantum computing will be instrumental in powering future AI systems. Large-scale AI confronts a parallel processing challenge that quantum computing is particularly well-suited to address. Despite being some years away from viable quantum systems, Roese posits that once these systems mature, they will revolutionize AI and have an impact surpassing the likes of ChatGPT.