Author: Chris Drake

As Principal Analyst for Data Center Technology at GlobalData, Chris covers the market for data center infrastructure solutions, including the IT vendors that provide them, with a primary focus on compute, storage, and converged platforms. His coverage extends to the software and hardware products that support public, private, and hybrid cloud architectures, as well as the underlying virtualization and orchestration technologies that enable process automation and workload management. He also covers the emerging market for infrastructure solutions that target data processing requirements in remote and so-called 'edge' locations.

VMware Sovereign Cloud to Address Data Privacy, Market Monopoly, and ESG Concerns

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
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Summary Bullets:

  • VMware’s Sovereign Cloud Initiative aims to help customers engage with trusted national and local cloud providers, which meet geo-specific requirements relating to data sovereignty and jurisdictional control.
  • The initiative will appeal to those with concerns about potential data privacy abuses, service provider monopolies, and the challenges associated with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments.

At its recent annual conference, IT infrastructure vendor VMware reaffirmed its commitment to a multi-cloud future – one where the majority of enterprises will store, run, and manage their digital data, services, and applications across multiple locations, including traditional data centers and one or more public cloud data centers. Continue reading “VMware Sovereign Cloud to Address Data Privacy, Market Monopoly, and ESG Concerns” →

In Focus Edge Innovators with Disruptive Potential: EdgeConneX, MobiledgeX, and Mutable

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
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Summary Bullets:

  • EdgeConneX, MobiledgeX, and Mutable are three edge computing startups whose innovative business models have potential to shape the future evolution of edge computing.
  • Central to these companies’ strategies is a focus on providing custom-built solutions and empowering app developers with new infrastructure tools and capabilities at the edge.

Among those companies that will shape the future evolution of edge computing, not all are current tech sector heavyweights.  A new ‘In Focus’ report from GlobalData (“In Focus: Edge Computing”) explores three startups that are targeting emerging edge computing opportunities with innovative business models that have disruptive market potential: EdgeConneX, MobiledgeX, and Mutable. Continue reading “In Focus Edge Innovators with Disruptive Potential: EdgeConneX, MobiledgeX, and Mutable” →

VMworld 2021: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Issues Take Center Stage

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • VMworld 2021 will give greater prominence to ESG issues than any previous VMworld.
  • The challenge for VMware will be to demonstrate real transformation and momentum in its progress towards specific and measurable ESG targets.

At next week’s VMworld 2021, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues look set to receive greater prominence than in any previous year.  Before 2020, VMworld events had only a scattering of professional development; ESG; and diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) sessions but no dedicated track for those topics.  In 2020, VMware introduced the professional development track; and this year, the company plans to expand this track to include DEI and ESG sessions and rename the track to ‘Inspire Change.’ Continue reading “VMworld 2021: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Issues Take Center Stage” →

The Final Frontier: Fueling Space Exploration with Edge, Cloud, and Open Source

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
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Summary Bullets:

  • Recent experiments conducted on the ISS showcase the potential for edge computing, cloud, and open source software to advance space research and exploration.
  • The experiments have involved technology from IBM, Red Hat, HPE, and Microsoft, illustrating the benefits of a collaborative approach by ‘big tech’ to space exploration.

Since its launch into space earlier this year, the Spaceborne Computer-2 (SC-2) on the International Space Station (ISS) has been enabling several important experiments, including crop cultivation projects and efforts to monitor astronaut health.  These experiments showcase the potential for edge computing, cloud computing, and open source software to advance space research and play a key role in missions to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond.  The experiments have involved technology from IBM, Red Hat, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and Microsoft, also illustrating the benefits of a collaborative approach by ‘big tech’ to space exploration. Continue reading “The Final Frontier: Fueling Space Exploration with Edge, Cloud, and Open Source” →

Cloud Giants Will Drive Supercomputing Demand

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable

Summary Bullets:

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• Major cloud service providers, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, are intent on capturing a larger share of the lucrative market for supercomputing.

• Competition between IT infrastructure vendors and cloud service providers will make supercomputing more accessible, while also helping to drive use case development.

Supercomputers have traditionally been major fixed infrastructure investments that are designed for specific tasks, and which comprise hardware provided by IT infrastructure providers such as Lenovo, Dell Technologies, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). However, increasingly the world’s largest cloud service providers, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, are intent on capturing a larger share of this lucrative market.

Continue reading “Cloud Giants Will Drive Supercomputing Demand” →

New Battle Lines Emerge in Push for Higher-Performance Computing Solutions

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable

  • Chris Drake
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    The combined growth of IoT, big data, and AI will drive demand for higher-performance computing solutions over the next five years.

  • As IT infrastructure vendors and cloud service providers respond, this will contribute to an increasingly vibrant and competitive market.

Despite the disruption to IT projects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, IT infrastructure vendors and cloud service providers alike remain upbeat about future enterprise demand for new, more powerful computer processing capabilities. These include servers for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, high-performance computing (HPC) servers, and supercomputing. Continue reading “New Battle Lines Emerge in Push for Higher-Performance Computing Solutions” →

Oracle Drives Competition in the Growing Market for Arm-Based Cloud Compute

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable

Summary Bullets:

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  • Oracle’s new Arm-based compute service offers several advantages over x86 alternatives, which will help Oracle extend its reach to new markets.
  • Longer term, however, Oracle should expect to face increased competition from key rivals as they add Arm-based cloud services to their portfolios.

The launch of Arm-based instances on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) will help Oracle extend its reach to new market segments, including the Arm app developer community.  Longer term, however, Arm-based servers are likely to play a much greater role as a destination for cloud workloads, coexisting in cloud data centers with x86 alternatives.  Oracle should expect to face increased competition from key rivals, including Microsoft Azure, Alibaba, and Google Cloud, as they add Arm-based cloud services to their existing portfolios. Continue reading “Oracle Drives Competition in the Growing Market for Arm-Based Cloud Compute” →

Arm’s Growing Clout in Data Center Technology Threatens Intel and Potentially NVIDIA’s Planned Takeover

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader

Summary Bullets:

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• New processor chip design platforms from Arm will strengthen and deepen Arm’s importance within the data center technology industry.

• These developments increase the competitive and other pressures currently facing Intel, and could also jeopardize NVIDIA’s proposed acquisition of Arm.

Arm’s latest chip design platforms will strengthen and deepen the UK’s firm’s importance within the data center technology industry. This will increase the competitive and other pressures currently facing Intel, which are chipping away at Intel’s dominance in the data center processor space. It could also jeopardize NVIDIA’s proposed $40 billion (£29 billion) acquisition of Arm, which is currently under investigation by the UK government.

Continue reading “Arm’s Growing Clout in Data Center Technology Threatens Intel and Potentially NVIDIA’s Planned Takeover” →

IBM and eProvenance Deploy Blockchain to Address Wine Industry Supply Chain Challenges

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • IBM and eProvenance recently announced the availability of VinAssure, a blockchain-based solution for the wine industry that helps users address traditional supply chain challenges.
  • Although VinAssure is off to a good start with its first member, a growing membership will help to reinforce the new solution’s strength and utility.

IBM and eProvenance, a Franco-American company that specializes in monitoring wine shipment conditions, recently unveiled plans to create a new wine industry ecosystem by harnessing the power of blockchain.  Central to this initiative will be VinAssure, a new, IBM blockchain-powered platform that is designed to provide users with a more insightful and secure way of tracking wines as they move through the distribution and transportation process from vineyard to consumer.  For example, using existing identifiers, such as a QR code on the bottle, consumers will be able to learn about a wine’s provenance and flavor profiles, or whether it meets certification standards for organic, biodynamic, or sustainability practices.  Similarly, retailers will be able access information about a wine’s production environment or the conditions in which the wine was transported. Continue reading “IBM and eProvenance Deploy Blockchain to Address Wine Industry Supply Chain Challenges” →

Microsoft Announces Azure Percept to Bring Azure AI Services to the Network Edge

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
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Summary Bullets:

  • With Azure Percept, Microsoft aims to help enterprises deploy and use Azure AI services on devices located at the network edge to support new use cases.
  • Despite a swath of capabilities to support use-case development, Microsoft still needs to demonstrate demand for the sort of use cases Azure Percept is designed to enable.

One of the new solutions announced by Microsoft at its recent annual developer conference, Ignite, was Azure Percept, a hardware- and software-based platform to help enterprises deploy and use Azure AI services on devices located at the network edge.  Azure Percept includes a development kit, Azure Percept DK, which allows users to develop AI proofs of concept for use cases leveraging vision and/or sound.  These could include applications that detect production anomalies in manufacturing scenarios or those that apply shelf or customer analytics to retail environments.  The kit features hardware-enabled AI modules for running models at the edge.  However, they can also be connected to the Azure cloud, supporting enterprises’ ability to take advantage of hybrid cloud scenarios. Continue reading “Microsoft Announces Azure Percept to Bring Azure AI Services to the Network Edge” →