Summary Bullets:

• Apple will use the recently acquired Xnor.ai’s technology to enhance the AI and data processing capabilities of a range of products, including its cameras and HomeKit smart home system.

• To succeed against rivals such as Google, Apple will need to develop AI device capabilities that deliver additional functionality and value for its customers.

Apple’s recent US$200 million acquisition of Seattle-based Xnor.ai makes it the latest in a growing number of companies that are targeting the opportunities associated with AI and edge computing. Apple’s acquisition of Xnor.ai will potentially help it challenge the hyperscale cloud providers, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, all of which are focused on harnessing the benefits of AI and edge computing, and which compete against Apple in several product and service segments – including streaming media, virtual assistants, smart speakers, and tablets. Continue reading “Apple Will Use Xnor.ai’s AI Chip Technology to Strengthen its Competitive Edge vis-à-vis Amazon, Microsoft, and Google” →

Summary Bullets:

• New partnership initiatives involving AT&T, Microsoft, Verizon, and Amazon Web Services highlight the extent to which 5G and edge computing innovations are starting to take shape.
• Initiatives aim to combine cloud resources with 5G network infrastructure in physical locations close to where low-latency and high-performance apps will be developed and consumed.

Two important announcements from the past couple of weeks illustrate how quickly 5G and edge computing may be starting to become a reality.

First, AT&T and Microsoft announced an initiative that will see Microsoft make its Azure-branded cloud services available within so-called ‘edge locations’ on AT&T’s newly deployed 5G network. This will ensure that Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure can be used to support the development and delivery of new digital services at locations that are geographically closer to consumer and business devices, including Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints. Traditionally that infrastructure had to be accessed from one of Microsoft’s regionally distributed cloud data centers. However, making Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure available at the edge of 5G networks means that data generated by IoT sensors can be processed at higher speeds and new services like autonomous cars, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)-enabled immersive experiences, and cloud-based gaming can be offered with higher levels of performance. Continue reading “5G Networks Bring Cloud Computing to the Edge, Enabling New Service Development and Delivery” →

Summary Bullets:

• NVIDIA recently unveiled a broad swath of initiatives that will help establish it as a leading player in the emerging market for edge computing technologies.

• New partnerships with Ericsson and Red Hat are specifically designed to help 5G network operators exploit the potential of NVIDIA’s graphics processing units (GPUs) at the edge.

Edge computing is fast becoming one of IT’s hottest new growth areas and is widely seen as one of the technologies that will usher in a new era of digital services for businesses and consumers. Many IT companies are targeting emerging opportunities to deliver edge computing, including NVIDIA, a specialist provider of GPUs for the gaming industry.

At the recent Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Los Angeles, NVIDIA unveiled a broad swath of initiatives that will help to establish it as a leading player in this increasingly important market. Continue reading “NVIDIA is Poised to Dominate the Edge with its GPU Strengths and Partnership Strategy” →

Summary Bullets:

• In addition to consolidating domestic market primacy, Alibaba Cloud is intent on establishing leadership in other Asia-Pacific cloud and IT markets, including Indonesia.
• Accompanying Alibaba Cloud’s geographical expansion is a commitment to delivering higher-value solutions that leverage AI and big data, to help customers with their digital transformation objectives.

Alibaba’s cloud and IT business, Alibaba Cloud, kicked off its annual conference in Hangzhou, China with a commitment to working with customers to drive innovation, while also extending the success of its China strategy to other geographical markets. This year’s Apsara Conference, which brought together around 6,000 clients, partners, and developers, was a milestone event for Alibaba Cloud, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this month and whose rapid expansion has propelled it into the ranks of the world’s top five cloud service providers. Continue reading “Apsara Conference 2019: Alibaba Cloud Deepens Engagement with Big Data and AI and Extends International Footprint” →

Summary Bullets:

• Flexible solutions for consuming on-premises IT, including pay-per-use business models, vendor-managed private clouds, and flexible financing, continue to attract new customers and providers.
• Although they will complement, rather than replace, traditional approaches, portfolio expansion, new channel incentives, and efforts to target new markets will all fuel future growth.

Recent months have seen growing interest and investment in more flexible consumption solutions for on-premises IT, including pay-per-use offerings, vendor-managed private clouds, and flexible financing for on-premises IT investments. IT vendors ranging from HPE, Dell EMC, and Lenovo to IBM, Cisco, and NetApp are all looking to tap into what they see as growing enterprise demand for more flexible ways of consuming on-premises IT. Public cloud providers, including AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Alibaba, are also honing in on this emerging need for more adaptable IT delivery and contracting models with managed (or easy-to-manage) on-premises versions of their platforms. Continue reading “Flexible Consumption Options for On-Premises IT Are Gaining in Popularity but Won’t Replace Traditional Approaches” →

Summary Bullets:

• Synthetic DNA is seen as a solution to the challenge of how to store rising volumes of digital data generated by smartphones, tablets, and Internet-connected sensors.
• Innovations by U.S.-based startup Catalog promise to speed up and reduce the cost of encoding digital data for DNA storage, potentially benefitting commercial adoption.

U.S.-based startup Catalog recently revealed that it had successfully stored all 16 gigabytes of Wikipedia’s English-language text on tiny DNA strands within a laboratory vial, in the latest demonstration of the power and potential of synthetic DNA as a medium for storing digital data. The accomplishment marks a new record for the amount of digital information to be stored on DNA. Catalog used prefabricated synthetic DNA strands to store the Wikipedia data, along with a DNA writing machine, which currently writes data at a rate of 4 megabits per second, but which Catalog wants to make at least a thousand times faster. Continue reading “Catalog Pushes Synthetic DNA Data Storage to New Heights, Promising to Aid Commercial Adoption” →