In the AI arms race, Intel’s latest 5th generation Xeon processors have emerged as a powerful and efficient alternative to GPUs for certain AI workloads, according to Ben Young’s AI Field Day article. With a 36% performance boost in specialized AI tasks enabled by Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX), these CPUs accelerate deep learning particularly for AI inference, offering a cost-effective option for applications with lighter and less frequent processing needs. Intel’s dedication is clear as they bolster their CPUs’ AI capabilities and facilitate developers with tools like the OpenVINO toolkit, positioning Xeon CPUs as a feasible choice for an array of AI workloads, balancing the scale with GPUs based on the specific requirements of the task. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Ben Young, sponsored by Intel.
Building a Future-Proof AI Foundation With VMware Private AI
VMware’s presentation on Private AI at AI Field Day emphasized their forward-looking approach in creating a scalable and secure foundation for enterprises investing in artificial intelligence. Their platform addresses the challenges of AI deployment and management, optimizing compute resources and providing robust data processing capabilities. With VMware’s Private AI, businesses are empowered to harness the full potential of AI applications while ensuring compliance and protecting sensitive data. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Sulagna Saha!
Guaranteed Performance Outcomes With Nile Access Service
At Networking Field Day, Suresh Katukam, Co-founder and CPO of Nile, introduced the Nile Access Service architecture, aiming to alleviate complexities in modern networks by providing guaranteed performance outcomes. Nile’s approach simplifies network operations with streamlined solution architecture, integrating wired security, wireless coverage, and management into a service-consumable model. The company emphasizes eliminating the pain points of product-centric innovation by unifying disparate technologies under a service that promises broad automation, AI-driven observability, and zero-trust security by design. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Sulagna Saha!
Solidigm and Why Storage Is Critical to the Success of AI
At AI Field Day, experts from Solidigm and Supermicro illuminated the critical role of high-performance storage in ensuring the success of Generative AI, which demands instant, uninterrupted access to massive datasets. Efficient storage solutions are paramount to prevent downtime, which can lead to significant loss in both productivity and financial terms. Their discussion underlined the importance of structuring and cataloging data for future use, emphasizing that optimized storage systems with high IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) are essential for Generative AI’s accelerating growth and the reliable generation of actionable insights. Read more in this article by Jeff Powers for Gestalt IT, sponsored by Solidigm.
Hammerspace Global Data Environment – a Shared Space for All the Data
Hammerspace’s presentation at AI Field Day showcased its Global Data Environment, which streamlines data orchestration for AI model training by providing global real-time visibility and access to distributed datasets. The company’s innovative approach decouples file system metadata from the underlying storage, enabling a universal access layer across geographies and cloud platforms. By facilitating a shared metadata control plane, Hammerspace ensures seamless user experience and efficient data management for complex enterprise AI workflows. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Sulagna Saha.
Improving Network Operations With a Doppelganger From Forward Networks
Forward Networks introduced innovative ways to improve network operations using a digital twin of any network at Networking Field Day, simplifying complex environments for diverse operational teams. Their solution, Forward Enterprise, captures detailed configuration and state data, enabling queries through a SQL-like language without requiring deep knowledge of specific vendor syntax. Additionally, their AI-powered features, AI Assist and Summary Assist, transform natural language into precise queries and summaries, respectively, facilitating even quicker access to critical network information, thus enhancing efficiency across the board. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Bruno Wollmann, sponsored by Forward Networks.
Taking Security Seriously at Security Field Day 11
Mark your calendars for Wednesday and Thursday, April 10 and 11, and join Tech Field Day for Security Field Day, featuring industry leaders Aryaka, Index Engines, Zerto, and Palo Alto Networks. The event kicks off with Aryaka’s presentation on their SASE-as-a-Service, followed by Zerto discussing ransomware prevention, and Palo Alto Networks on Data Security Posture Management. On Thursday we have Index Engines unveiling their newest CyberSense capabilities. Tune in for the live event on LinkedIn and check out the Tech Field Day YouTube channel for on-demand replays.
Using AI to Enhance Forward Networks NQE
In this article, Tom Hollingsworth highlights Forward Networks’ new AI Assist feature for their Network Query Engine (NQE), emphasizing a user-friendly approach to complex network queries. This feature allows professionals to input plain language requests which are then translated into precise NQE syntax by AI, ensuring transparency and fostering a deeper understanding of the underlying system. Forward Networks’ approach to integrating AI not only streamlines the process of extracting network insights but also acts as a learning tool, bridging the gap between user intent and technical query execution. Read more in this Networking Field Day article sponsored by Forward Networks.
Forward Networks – Building Complete Confidence in AI Systems
At Networking Field Day, Forward Networks unveiled AI Assistant, a natural language interface enhancing its platform with generative AI, signifying a leap in network technology usability and trust. Distinguished from ordinary AI tools, AI Assistant harnesses the power of Forward Networks’ digital twin technology, ensuring validations and accurate, trusted responses in complex IT environments. The integration of AI Assistant simplifies data access through natural language queries, accelerating tasks for IT professionals and paving the way towards autonomous, self-healing networks. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Sulagna Saha.
Keeping GPUs Fed Around the Clock, With Solidigm
As discussed at AI Field Day, Solidigm’s storage system addresses the diverse and intense demands of AI workloads, ensuring GPUs remain constantly fed with data. Recognizing the variety in I/O patterns and the substantial data processing required for machine learning, Solidigm’s SSDs offer superior performance for sequential and random read/write activities, consuming less power and space in datacenters. Additionally, their Cloud Storage Acceleration Layer (CSAL) software enhances the durability and efficiency of SSDs by optimizing write patterns, making it an open-source boon for those seeking to streamline AI-based operations. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Sulagna Saha.
No-Code Machine Learning With Qlik AutoML
At AI Field Day, Qlik launched AutoML, a revolutionary no-code machine learning capability within Qlik Cloud, empowering enterprises to harness predictive analytics without the barriers of cost or lack of expertise. This innovative feature allows organizations to effortlessly integrate algorithmic prediction into their workflows, enabling data-driven decision-making across various departments from sales to finance. AutoML stands out as a tool that simplifies machine learning, offering a straightforward approach where users can develop models and analyze future trends with just a few clicks, transforming complex data science into actionable insights. Read more in this article by Sulagna Saha from Gestalt IT.
AI Assistance Without Leveraging Infrastructure Data, With Forward Networks
AI has become a critical yet contentious component in networking, as vendors seek balance between leveraging its benefits and protecting the sensitive data it runs on. Forward Networks has innovatively addressed this challenge with its AI Assist and Summary Assist features, enabling network engineers to streamline their use of the Network Query Engine (NQE) without exposing critical infrastructure data. These tools epitomize strategic AI implementation, delivering powerful assistance within a data-secure framework to optimize network management while safeguarding company-specific information. Learn more in this article by Aaron Conaway, sponsored by Forward Networks.
Everyday Networking With Aviz Networks’ New Smart Assistant, Network Copilot
Aviz Networks unveiled its Network Copilot Smart Assistant at Networking Field Day, a groundbreaking solution designed to redefine AI-enhanced networking by going beyond just data analytics to deep, seamless integration with existing network infrastructure. This Smart Assistant stands out with its ability to ingest and process vast network data across any environment, leveraging pre-trained open-source language models for robust, personalized network optimization. Aviz Networks’ Network Copilot is poised to transform everyday network operations, offering capabilities like compliance analysis, capacity planning, and advanced troubleshooting through an intelligent, vendor-neutral platform that simplifies and accelerates network management. Learn more in this article from Gestalt IT.
Nature Fresh Farms – Optimizing Indoor Farming Practices With AI and Intel
At AI Field Day, Nature Fresh Farms, a leader in greenhouse farming in North America, revealed how the strategic use of Intel AI solutions revolutionized their farming practices towards precision agriculture. Keith Bradley highlighted the transition from traditional to high-tech farming, with on-premises Intel-based infrastructure enabling real-time data analytics for improved yield, resource efficiency, and operational control. Emphasizing sustainability and the growing importance of AI in agriculture, Bradley shared how Nature Fresh Farms harnesses predictive AI models on the farm, leveraging technology to optimize every aspect from irrigation to packaging and contributing to a marked increase in yield per square meter annually. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Sulagna Saha.
Quantum Myriad – a Transactionally-Consistent Scale-Out All-Flash File Storage
Quantum has taken a bold step towards solving the scalability dilemma faced by enterprise storage solutions with the introduction of Myriad, a cloud-native all-flash storage platform uniquely designed for transactionally consistent operations. Myriad’s open architecture, built with industry-standard components, promises unprecedented flexibility and scalability across environments, both on-premises and in the cloud, catering to the demanding requirements of modern workloads. Setting a new standard in high-performance storage solutions, Quantum Myriad is poised to address the needs of businesses grappling with exponential data growth, ensuring predictability and innovation at the core of its scale-out storage offering. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by David Klee, sponsored by Quantum.
Deploying AI Cost-Effectively at Scale With Kamiwaza
At AI Field Day, Kamiwaza introduced their open-source stack, designed to enable GenAI to scale elastically, addressing the common hurdles of infrastructure cost and operational scale faced by enterprises. With a vision to empower businesses to achieve a trillion inferences a day and ignite the 5th industrial revolution, Kamiwaza’s stack facilitates AI deployment across various environments, from cloud to edge, guaranteeing security and manageability of dispersed data. The stack’s compatibility with Intel CPUs ensures that enterprises can harness efficient AI inferencing power with minimal energy consumption, making sophisticated AI accessible and sustainable for organizations of all sizes. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Sulagna Saha.
Reintroducing the Tech Field Day Podcast
The Tech Field Day Podcast returns! The name may change but the content and format are still the same. Read on to learn more about the history of the podcast and focus going forward with our new episodes.
Quantum Myriad: A Future-Proof Storage for High-Performance Workloads
Quantum advances its storage portfolio with Myriad, the latest software-defined solution that streamlines unified file and object storage capabilities tailored to today’s intensive workloads like AI and HPC. Myriad’s innovative architecture, built on a cloud-native foundation, promises high throughput and low latency, driven by NVMe technology to meet the rigorous demands of data-rich environments. This strategic move not only bridges the gap between Quantum’s StorNext and ActiveScale products but also redefines the company’s trajectory by catering to the burgeoning needs of capacity, performance, and scalability inherent to modern data workflows. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Max Mortillaro, sponsored by Quantum.
Google Cloud, the Preferred Platform for Building Competitive AI Models
At AI Field Day, Google Cloud’s Brandon Royal showcased the giant’s comprehensive strategy for meeting today’s burgeoning AI demands, leveraging one of the industry’s most extensive digital infrastructures. Emphasizing the significance of AI infrastructure in conjunction with generative AI (GenAI), Google Cloud highlighted their commitment to innovation, asserting their platform as the superhighway for AI-forward companies. With Google Cloud providing robust compute power off its own infrastructure, businesses can harness AI’s opportunities without the traditionally high entry barriers of infrastructure costs and expertise. Read more in this article by Sulagna Saha for Gestalt IT.
Intel Xeon CPUs on VMware vSphere – A Powerful and Cost-Effective Twosome for AI/ML Workloads
With AI ingrained in our daily routines, Forward Networks delivered a strategic approach at Networking Field Day, demonstrating how even complex networking data can be made manageable through AI integration. Their platform uses a data-first principle, enabling AI to interact effectively with a digital twin of network infrastructure, simplifying tasks for network engineers. The innovative AI Assistant within Forward Networks’ ecosystem assists in constructing queries for the Network Query Engine, fostering trust through verifiable, human-readable outputs, and providing a gateway for more intuitive network management. Read more in this article by Sulagna Saha on Gestalt IT.
