AI Magazine - December 2023 by ai-magazine

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December 2023 | aimagazine.com

APPLICATIONS PREDICTING THE FUTURE OF COMPLIANCE AI/ML TRANSFORMING HOW BUSINESSES OPERATE

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SPACE RACE This is the standfirst for the main story which is this long

Exploring the role of OpenAI’s Sam Altman in the AI revolution

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The AI Team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

KATY ALLAN

CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER

SCOTT BIRCH

HEAD OF MULTIMEDIA

NEIL PERRY

CHIEF DESIGN OFFICER

MATT JOHNSON

SENIOR DESIGNERS

REBEKAH BIRLESON SAM HUBBARD FEATURE DESIGNERS

JULIA WAINWRIGHT VICTORIA CASEY EMMA WALLER ADVERT DESIGNERS

HEAD OF DESIGN

DANILO CARDOSO CALLUM HOOD ADRIAN SERBAN

LEAD DESIGNER

VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGER

ANDY WOOLLACOTT REBEKAH BIRLESON

KIERAN WAITE

DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCERS

ERNEST DE NEVE THOMAS EASTERFORD DREW HARDMAN SALLY MOUSTAFA PRODUCTION DIRECTORS

MARKETING MANAGER

DAISY SLATER

PROJECT DIRECTORS

TOM VENTURO

MEDIA SALES DIRECTOR

GEORGIA ALLEN DANIELA KIANICKOVÁ

JAMES WHITE

PRODUCTION MANAGERS

JASON WESTGATE

JANE ARNETA MARIA GONZALEZ YEVHENIIA SUBBOTINA KENDRA LAU

MEDIA SALES

MANAGING DIRECTOR

LEWIS VAUGHAN CEO

GLEN WHITE

FOREWORD

Transforming patient outcomes through IoT in healthcare In today’s increasingly digital world, IoT devices are revolutionising healthcare monitoring, resulting in the empowerment of both patients and providers

“IoT continues to reward the healthcare industry by providing better patient outcomes for all”

The Internet of Things (IoT) is on the cusp of completely revolutionising the way healthcare professionals work, and, should it achieve its maximum potential, will inherently change every aspect of our lives. This disruptive transformation is particularly apparent in the healthcare industry, which has long relied on pen and paper as the primary method for documenting patient data. However, all over the world, it seems healthcare technology is undergoing some significant changes. The gradual integration of IoT in healthcare brings with it a multitude of benefits, not only just to patients, but to their families, healthcare experts, and medical institutions too. From remote monitoring and increased patient engagement to the overall improvement of data accuracy, IoT continues to reward the healthcare industry by providing better patient outcomes for all.

KATY ALLAN

katy.allan@bizclikmedia.com AI MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY

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CONTENTS UP FRONT

10 THE AI INTERVIEW

Arun Ramchandran, President & Global Head of consulting & generative AI practice at Hexaware Technologies

16 LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN AI Sam Altman, CEO at OpenAI

20 PEOPLE MOVES

Newly appointed AI leaders driving digital transformation

22 THE MONTH THAT WAS

Daily coverage of global AI developments

26 6

December 2023

DECEMBER 2023

CONTENTS

26 TOP 10 AI startups

38 FUJITSU

Leading digital transformation in fintech

58 TECHNOLOGY The rise of no-code AI platforms

66 TELUS

From traditional telco to world-leading tech org

86 AI/ML

RPA: The technology transforming the way businesses operate

86 aimagazine.com

In Association with:

THE TOP 100

LEADERS OUT NOW

Championing leaders from global organisations, celebrate those who elevate the industry day in, day out.

Read now

DECEMBER 2023 CONTENTS

94 MICROSOFT

Microsoft driving AI transformation in the public sector

110 IOT

How is IOT revolutionising patient healthcare?

120 GFT GROUP

GFT’s data platform modernisation accelerates the AI journey

120

110 136 APPLICATIONS

136

Predicting the future of compliance with analytics

144 ETIX EVERYWHERE Edge data centres in Europe – and now Asia

160 IRON MOUNTAIN

144

The twin infrastructure impacts of generative AI and how to deal with them

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THE AI INTERVIEW

Arun Ramchandra Hexaware Technol Amber Jackson speaks with Arun Ramchandran, President & Global Head at Hexaware Technologies about how the company is driving generative AI development

ARUN RAMCHANDRAN TITLE: PRESIDENT & GLOBAL HEAD OF CONSULTING & GENERATIVE AI PRACTICE COMPANY: HEXAWARE TECHNOLOGIES LOCATION: MUMBAI Arun “Rak” Ramchandran is a leader in global AI and digital transformation and is now leading Hexaware’s efforts in generative AI and consulting. He advises the company on how to best leverage AI to ensure that it is delivering value to its clients in the best possible way.

December 2023

exaware has continually emphasised the importance of integrating generative AI into its core operations. With this in mind, AI Magazine spoke with the President & Global Head of Consulting & Generative AI Practice at Hexaware Technologies, Arun “Rak” Ramchandran. Ramchandran is the head of Hexaware’s recently-launched AI consulting unit and is tasked with driving generative AI development within the company. Here, he speaks on the potential of AI and how Hexaware will provide advanced generative AI solutions to its clients and help businesses continue to adapt and innovative.

an, logies

Q. TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER PATH AND PRIOR EXPERIENCE TO HEXAWARE – WHAT GOT YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?

» Prior to Hexaware, I was with Capgemini

for six years and with Infosys for 11 years, both leading IT services multinationals. In these roles I was responsible for leading business units, large sales and client facing organisations, and winning/leading transformational deals in global roles. I have a Bachelor of Technology degree from IIT Bombay, one of India’s premier engineering schools, and have a Master of Business Administration qualification from IIM Calcutta. These qualifications have given me a solid foundation across technology and business, and a problem-solving mindset, that

I am able to apply in different situations, to learn and contribute. I found it really interesting to see how technology has evolved over the last several decades as well as its relationship and dynamic interplay with Trust. I find it even more fascinating to see how the role of AI and now Generative AI is getting us to reimagine Trust in technology. It has intrigued me for a long time, and is something I have written, spoken, and published white papers and books about too. I have lived in the heart of Silicon Valley for close to 25 years now. This has allowed me to keep in touch with the various innovation waves, the local ecosystem of start-ups and disruptors, and a greater appreciation of the ebbs and flows of transformation impacting all of us as humans! aimagazine.com

THE AI INTERVIEW

“ It’s important that

businesses carefully plan their adoption of AI technologies”

Q. TELL US ABOUT HEXAWARE’S NEW GENERATIVE AI CONSULTING AND PRACTICE UNIT? WHAT IS YOUR ROLE WITHIN THIS?

» Hexaware’s Generative AI Consulting

and Practice Unit has been formed to help deliver robust, advanced generative AI solutions that offer quantifiable business advantages. The unit draws on our expertise in helping businesses unlock value using emerging technologies, covering every step of the way from consulting and uncovering use cases to strategies for adoption. Working in partnership with our customers, the unit will enable them to adapt, innovate, and thrive in this exciting new era. As part of this unit, I lead the gen AI initiatives for Hexaware. I’m very excited and honoured to be leading the unit, with a mandate to not only help our customers push forward but also ensure generative AI is deeply embedded into Hexaware’s core operations.

Q. WHY IS GENERATIVE AI IMPORTANT TO HEXAWARE?

» Generative AI is truly a transformational technology, and its impact will be felt across all parts of our lives in the years to come. The economic impact is likely to be substantial and it has generated hopes, hypes and also fears! This technology is important to Hexaware because it is also important to our customers. The potential is vast: as McKinsey says, the initial use cases that have emerged could generate US$4.4tn for the global economy each year – that’s bigger than the GDP of the UK! This is just the beginning. Already we have seen use cases emerge across manufacturing and consumer products, 12

December 2023

with successful proof of concept work showing exciting possibilities covering ore areas from product development to supply chain optimisation. In the years to come we will see other industries making headway, from banks improving customer service and knowledge management to life sciences organisations taking clinical trials to the next level. It is going to disrupt service providers like Hexaware through its impact on underlying economics and service offerings, whether it is coding, testing, customer operations, or service desk. We need to understand and leverage it, to reduce expenses, improve developer productivity, increase revenue, and also disrupt our clients and industries. Our proven track record of enabling businesses to digitally transform means we’re perfectly placed to help realise the promise of generative AI. Being an early

adopter carries numerous risks, from unanticipated costs to use cases failing to deliver what they promised. We have an important role to play in the coming years, leveraging our expertise to help our customers overcome these barriers and reap the rewards from generative AI.

Q. HOW IS HEXAWARE LEVERAGING GENERATIVE AI IN ORDER TO ENSURE VALUE GROWTH FOR ITS CUSTOMERS?

» Our proprietary frameworks and

methodologies provide structure and guidance that enables customers to make informed, intelligent decisions about how to implement and unlock value from generative AI. Firstly, we use DecodeAI to demystify and deconstruct generative AI opportunities and use cases. This provides companies with a navigational compass to help navigate aimagazine.com

a constantly evolving landscape. Meanwhile EncodeAI supports our customers through an engagement and execution framework that helps to deliver and deploy the right solutions. Using these frameworks, our expertise and consulting services, we’ve already helped customers unlock a number of benefits – ranging from tenfold increases in efficiency, to reducing knowledge ecosystem management costs by 80%. This is just the beginning, and we are excited to support a growing number of businesses scale and unlock the value. 14

December 2023

“ I’m very excited and honoured to be leading the unit, with a mandate to not only help our customers push forward but also ensure generative AI is deeply embedded into Hexaware’s core operations”

THE AI INTERVIEW

bigger risks like compromising confidential information and breaching GDPR rules. Our consultancy and frameworks help customers mitigate risk, playing an increasingly important role in helping them sidestep everything from data hallucinations to data poisoning. Looking forward there is quite rightly a growing concern around ethics and generative AI. The problem for many businesses is that regulations can differ from region to region. Our global expertise is proving invaluable for customers, as we guide them through everything from the EU’s more prescriptive approach to the US’ focus on self-regulation and California’s more stringent standards. Our customers can move forward, confident they fully understand the implications of the rules in each country they operate in.

Q. WHAT FUTURE PLANS DO HEXAWARE HAVE TO DEVELOP AI FURTHER?

» We already have a strong framework to

Q. AI TENDS TO COME WITH SOME RISKS OR SHORTCOMINGS. WHAT IS HEXAWARE DOING TO MITIGATE THIS AND ENSURE RESPONSIBLE AI PRACTICE?

» It’s important that businesses carefully

plan their adoption of AI technologies. Obviously, there’s a huge amount of hype around AI, and generative AI in particular. As a result, it can be tempting to adopt and integrate generative AI as fast as possible – but it’s crucial to consider the risks. There are a range of potential problems, from damaging customer experience to

build from and will continue pushing forward through our partnerships with industry giants including Microsoft, Google, and NVIDIA. We’re excited about the progress that will be made by combining these partnerships with our own internal AI expertise. We will continue to develop innovative solutions to keep our customers ahead of the curve and unlock even more value from generative AI. We also plan to invest in building custom models for our customers and in key industry segments. Away from these partnerships, we are also collaborating with leading research institutes and academics on the future of safe and responsible AI. Our deep understanding of the risks and opportunities around generative AI will position our customers for success, as momentum builds over the next few years. aimagazine.com

LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN AI

SAM ALTMAN

PIONEERING THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION LANDSCAPE 16

December 2023

Successful entrepreneur Sam Altman has emerged as a pivotal figure in the AI revolution, transforming the digital landscape for a better future

s if the end of the year wasn’t chaotic enough, the world of AI has recently experienced a rollercoaster of emotions surrounding Sam Altman’s ousting from OpenAI in November. The ordeal started when the board overseeing OpenAI said it had removed Altman as CEO, concluding that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, which hindered its ability to exercise responsibilities. However, the end-of-year drama, which saw both Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman reportedly join Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team, reverted within a matter of days, and Altman was back at OpenAI, making him the company’s fourth CEO in five days. A natural talent for technology In a relatively short period, Sam Altman emerged as one of the most prominent and talked about figures in the artificial intelligence revolution. Born in 1985 in Chicago, Altman displayed a remarkable early aptitude for technology. At the age of eight, as reported by The New Yorker, he had already delved into programming and disassembling computers. In the early 2000s, Altman enrolled at Stanford University, but in 2005, he made the decision to leave his formal education behind. This move marked the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey when he co-founded Loopt; an application designed to enable users to share their location with others. Compatible with iPhones, BlackBerrys, Androids and Windows

Phones, Loopt gained recognition as one of the early players in the location-based services industry with more than five million registered users, however, seven years after its founding, it was acquired for US$43.4m by Green Dot Corporation. In 2011, Altman took on a part-time partnership role at startup accelerator firm, Y Combinator, and just three years later, he was appointed as president by its co-founder, Paul Graham. After a series of successful years, Altman assumed the position of president for the YC Group, which included not only Y Combinator but also other associated organisations. As president, Altman’s aim was to expand the Y Combinator fund to accommodate 1,000 new companies per year and has been instrumental in the success of many notable companies, including Dropbox, Airbnb, and Reddit.

SAM ALTMAN TITLE: CEO COMPANY: OPENAI LOCATION: SAN FRANCISCO Sam Altman is a prominent entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO of artificial intelligence company, OpenAI. Altman is known for his insightful writings and public speaking on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to the future of AI, with his work inspiring many other entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts.

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LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN AI

The founding of OpenAI In addition to his roles in these organisations, Altman has been an advocate for artificial intelligence and has worked on a range of AI-related projects. He is recognised as one of the most influential and prominent figures in the technology and startup ecosystem, with his accomplishments and contributions earning him a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in venture capital, in 2015. Also in 2015, alongside Elon Musk, Ilya Sutskever, Greg Brockman, John Schulman, and Wojciech Zaremba, Alman established OpenAI. Initially created as a non-profit organisation, OpenAI's mission was, “to advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity 18

December 2023

as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return.” The goal was to develop ethical AI and establish leadership in the field before people with malicious intent could create anything harmful. In an interview with ABC News, Altman said: “A thing that I do worry about is we’re not going to be the only creator of this technology. There will be other people who don’t put some of the safety limits that we put on it. Society, I think, has a limited amount of time to figure out how to react to that, how to regulate that, how to handle it.” A major success in the AI space In early 2018, Elon Musk made an attempt to take control of OpenAI, expressing concerns that the organisation was lagging behind

“ AI IS THE TECHNOLOGY THAT THE WORLD, THE PEOPLE, HAVE ALWAYS WANTED”

Google, but by February, Musk decided to step back, leaving Altman in charge of OpenAI. In the early stages of his leadership, during the spring of 2019, one of the first steps taken by Altman was to create a forprofit subsidiary. The development of AI was proving expensive and Altman found himself in need of funding. By the summer, he successfully secured US$1 billion in investment from Microsoft. In the same year and in addition to OpenAI, Altman also founded Worldcoin, a project centred around iris biometric cryptocurrency, successfully securing US$115m in funding for the initiative's advancement. In 2020, OpenAI unveiled the large language model GPT-3, followed by the introduction of DALL-E in 2021, a deep-

learning model capable of creating digital images based on text descriptions – and the creator behind the front cover of December’s AI Magazine. By 2022, OpenAI introduced its latest AI conversational chatbot, ChatGPT. Within a span of two months, the software had brought in a staggering 100 million users, making it the greatest product launch in tech history. In 2023, Microsoft announced its new multi-year US$10 billion investment in OpenAI Global LLC. In an interview with Time, Altman comments: “It’s [AI] going to transform the way people interact with the world. In a deep sense, AI is the technology that the world, that people have always wanted.” After his sudden removal from OpenAI in November and reported move to Microsoft, high-profile tech figures, such as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, came to his defence and within a few days more than 740 of OpenAI’s 770 employees had signed a letter to the startup's board asking for Altman’s return. In a separate statement on X (formally Twitter), Altman said he was happy to return as CEO. “i love openai, and everything i’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together.” aimagazine.com

PEOPLE MOVES

NEWLY APPOINTED AI LEADERS DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Amber Jackson highlights the latest executive appointments and departures that are set to drive innovation and business success within the AI sector

“ I’m honoured to take on this responsibility, ensuring that Dell remains at the forefront of AI and generative AI innovation” JEFF BOUDREAU CHIEF AI OFFICER, DELL TECHNOLOGIES

December 2023

JEFF BOUDREAU JOB FROM: P RESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER, INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS GROUP AT DELL TECHNOLOGIES JOB TO: C HIEF AI OFFICER AT DELL TECHNOLOGIES

Having worked at Dell Technologies for upwards of 25 years, Jeff Boudreau was named the company’s first-ever Chief AI Officer in October 2023. He has assumed the role as the company has positioned itself to establish the groundwork for generative AI initiatives. Boudreau has undergone many different roles during his time at Dell, from engineering to operations, services to business management. With his expertise covering strategy development and execution, cross-functional team leadership, and pioneering R&D, he is committed to delivering AI innovations that assist in amplifying value for both team members at Dell, and its customers.

CHRIS MESEROLE JOB FROM: D IRECTOR, AI & EMERGING TECH INITIATIVE AT THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION JOB TO: E XECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FRONTIER MODEL FORUM

It was announced that Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI have introduced Chris Meserole as the first Executive Director of the Frontier Model Forum to help advance research into AI safety.

DEEPIKA ADUSUMILLI

CHANO FERNANDEZ

JOB FROM: F IRST VP AT KING

JOB FROM: A DVISOR TO CEO AT WORKDAY

JOB TO: C HIEF DATA AND AI OFFICER AT BT

With nearly two decades of experience across the US and UK, Deepika Adusumilli has built and scaled consumer digital products in large-scale industries. Prior to joining BT, Adusumilli was First VicePresident at game developer King, known for CandyCrush. Other previous roles include leading projects at Nokia and Telefónica.

MARK DALEY JOB FROM: C DO AT WESTERN UNIVERSITY JOB TO: C HIEF AI OFFICER AT WESTERN UNIVERSITY

Mark Daley was appointed Western University’s first-ever Chief AI Officer, as the university became the first in Canada to house such a role. Daley’s experience includes tenure as VicePresident of Research at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, a world-renowned institute supporting AI research and Canada’s AI strategy.

RANDY GUARD JOB FROM: C HIEF MARKETING & PRODUCT OFFICER AT SPREEDLY JOB TO: C MO AT APPIAN CORPORATION

Appian recently announced the ppointment of Randy Guardas the company’s Chief Marketing Officer.

JOB TO: C O-CHIEF EXECUTIVE AT EIGHTFOLD AI Eightfold AI has announced the appointment of Chano Fernandez as its Co-Chief Executive, effective January 2024. After nine years at Workday helping to grow the company’s international presence, Fernandez will now aim to transform Eightfold AI’s HR capabilities with the company’s AI-powered talent management platform.

JEFF BOUDREAU CHIEF AI OFFICER AT DELL TECHNOLOGIES

THE MONTH THAT WAS

THE MONTH THAT WAS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM NOVEMBER

The success of the first-ever AI safety summit, Elon Musk’s new chatbot ‘Grok’, Amazon to train a new AI LLM and the BT/NHS partnership on new AI tools

ELON MUSK UNVEILS ‘GROK’ CHATBOT IN EFFORTS TO RIVAL CHATGPT

THE UK’S AI SAFETY SUMMIT BRINGS POSITIVE OUTCOMES UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hails the country’s first-ever AI safety summit as a triumph. The event resulted in an international declaration addressing technology risks and a multinational pact for advanced AI model assessment. Leading figures from across industries gathered at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes for the two-day discussion. READ NOW

Elon Musk’s xAI debuts Grok, an AI chatbot, leveraging real-time data from his social media platform, X. Despite its wit and rebellious design, concerns remain about potential bias and misinformation. The chatbot is currently undergoing testing by a limited group of users in the US following its announcement on X. READ NOW

GOOGLE LAUNCHES A LAWSUIT OVER FAKE BARD AI MALWARE Google sues anonymous scammers for distributing malware disguised as the company's Bard AI. The lawsuit alleges misuse of Google's trademarks with names like “Google AI” and “AIGoogleBard” to deceive users into downloading a fake version of Bard. Concerns arise about AI trust as cybercriminals exploit heightened interest in AI. READ NOW

AMAZON TEAM TO TRAIN NEW AI LARGE LANGUAGE MODEL, ‘OLYMPUS’

BT PARTNERS WITH NHS TO PILOT NEW AI PATIENT TOOLS

Amazon is spending millions of dollars to train a new large language model (LLM) called Olympus, which could compete with the best models from OpenAI and Google. AI's rapid evolution presents immense opportunities for global economic growth and investment, and businesses that embrace AI will gain a competitive edge.

BT and the NHS are collaborating to develop AI-powered patient tools that aim to streamline communication, simplify referrals and reduce staff workload. This partnership illustrates the significance of global AI collaboration in the healthcare sector.

READ NOW

MICROSOFT AND INWORLD AI PARTNER TO HARNESS GENERATIVE AI Microsoft and Inworld AI are working together to create' cuttingedge AI tools for Xbox game development, enhancing character creation and storytelling. This partnership demonstrates AI's growing impact beyond business transformation, revolutionising the gaming industry. READ NOW

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The Portfolio

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STARTUPS AI explores some of the leading AI startups making their mark and takes a look at the impact they are having on today’s business landscape WRITTEN BY: KATY ALLAN

I stands at the forefront of innovation and advancement. As an increasing number of AI startups enter the scene, the future of our digital world is undergoing a major transformation. Thanks to the significant breakthroughs in machine learning, companies are able to increase efficiency, improve decision-making, enhance customer experience, reduce costs, and assist with new product and service development. 26

December 2023

TOP 10

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TOP 10

09 INFLECTION AI

ADEPT AI Founded in 2022 by Ashish Vaswani, David Luan, and Niki Parmar, Adept AI is a machine learning research and product lab dedicated to developing general artificial intelligence. The company is currently in the process of pioneering an innovative new approach to support individuals in accomplishing tasks, training a neural network to utilise the vast array of software tools and APIs globally, leveraging the vast amount of existing capabilities that have already been created.

December 2023

Established in 2022 by entrepreneurs Reid Hoffman, Mustafa Suleyman, and Karén Simonyan, Inflection AI is a technology company based in Palo Alto, California. The company focuses on the development of hardware and applications for machine learning and generative artificial intelligence. The company’s latest innovation, Personal AI, known as Pi, represents a new class of AI and is designed to serve as a helpful companion, providing engaging conversations, friendly guidance, and concise information in a natural, flowing manner.

TOP 10

07 SCALE AI

CLARIFAI Clarifai is an independent artificial intelligence company specialising in computer vision, natural language processing, and audio recognition. Pioneering one of the earliest deep learning platforms, Clarifai was established in 2013. The platform facilitates the complete AI process, including data exploration, data labelling, model training, evaluation, and inference for various data types such as images, video, text, and audio. Clarifai enables users to integrate AI technology into their products through API, Mobile SDK, and on-premise solutions.

Established in 2016, the Scale Generative AI Platform harnesses enterprise data to customise powerful base generative models, securely unlocking the value of AI. The Scale Data Engine encompasses a comprehensive suite of tools and functionalities for the collection, curation, and annotation of highquality data. Scale empowers the development of the world’s most sophisticated Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative models through state-of-the-art Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF), data generation, model evaluation, safety measures, and alignment techniques.

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THE TOP 100 COMPANIES IN SUSTAINABILITY READ NOW

TOP 10

05 DATAROBOT

06 LANDING AI

Established in 2012, DataRobot is a leader in value-driven AI. The company believes AI has the potential to enhance every aspect of business and human interactions, ultimately improving areas of life, work, leisure, and safety. DataRobot is designed for the way ecosystems are built and how teams actually work, by leveraging top-tier tools with its open, predictive, and generative AI lifecycle platform, seamlessly integrating with existing data platforms, AI services, MLOps processes, DevOps tools, business applications and gen AI apps.

Landing AI offers its customers deployment-ready AI solutions and comprehensive transformation programs for enterprises across the world. Established by Dr Andrew Ng, Co-Founder of Coursera, Former Chief Scientist of Baidu and Founding Lead of Google Brain, the company is uniquely positioned to assist businesses in smoothly transitioning their AI projects from the proofof-concept stage to full-scale production. The company’s leading product, LandingLens, is an enterprise MLOps platform providing a complete workflow to create, perform, and operationalise AI-powered visual inspection solutions.

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TOP 10

04 DATABRICKS Databricks was founded in 2013, and specialises in AI and data solutions, standing as the world’s first and only cloud-based platform known as the “lakehouse.” Databricks seamlessly combines the strengths of data warehouses and data lakes, providing a unified and open platform for data and AI applications. Utilising its AI-powered technology, Databricks caters to over 5,000 global organisations, including well-known names such as ABN AMRO, Condé Nast, H&M Group, Regeneron, and Shell.

December 2023

DATAIKU Dataiku was established in 2013 with the core belief that in order to thrive in the ever-changing global landscape, businesses, regardless of industry or scale, must enable their workforce to consistently drive innovation. Since then, Dataiku has set the standard for making data accessible to all and promoting collaboration across entire organisations. The company has been integral to the AI progression of numerous companies and teams, giving it substantial insight into the key to success: ‘Everyday AI.’

TOP 10

ANTHROPIC

Anthropic was established in 2021 by former members of OpenAI, most notably Daniela and Darioi; who was the former Vice President of Research. The siblings, along with several others, parted ways with OpenAI due to directional differences, reportedly concerning the collaboration with Microsoft in 2019. In March 2023, Anthropic introduced the AI chatbot, Claude, promoting it as “easy to converse with” and “less prone to generating harmful responses.” Initially, Claude was limited to use within Slack and for business purposes, however, in July, Anthropic expanded the availability of Claude 2 to users in the USA and UK. Claude 2, described as “a friendly, enthusiastic colleague or personal assistant who can be instructed in natural language to help you with many tasks”, offers improved performance, delivers longer responses, and is accessible through an API, while a new public beta website, claude.ai, simplifies and facilitates conversations with Claude. aimagazine.com

In Association with:

THE TOP 100

LEADERS OUT NOW Championing leaders from global organisations, celebrate those who elevate the industry day in, day out.

Read now

01 TOP 10

Introducing DALL·E 3 WATCH NOW

December 2023

TOP 10

OPENAI Founded in 2015 as a non-profit research lab for artificial intelligence, OpenAI was co-founded by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and others. OpenAI has since evolved and now consists of the profit-driven entity OpenAI LP and its parent organisation, the non-profit OpenAI Inc. The company is dedicated to conducting long-term research with the aim of developing safe artificial general intelligence (AGI). In 2021, OpenAI introduced the first iteration of its DALL-E, a deep learning model capable of generating digital images based on written descriptions known as ‘prompts.’ DALL-E can also blend concepts, attributes, and styles to create unique images. Then, in November 2022, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT, its conversational AI program designed for answering questions, translating text, and generating improvised written content. Within its initial five days of launching, ChatGPT garnered over a million sign-ups and projected revenues of US$200m for 2023, with expectations of reaching US$1 billion in 2024. aimagazine.com

LEADING DIGIT TRANSFORMAT IN FINTECH WRITTEN BY: LOUIS THOMPSETT PRODUCED BY: JACK MITCHELL

December 2023

FUJITSU

TAL TION

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FUJITSU

Fujitsu’s Krista Griggs discusses how the IT tech giant is driving digital innovation in the banking, financial services and insurance sectors

rista Griggs is the Head of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance Sector for Fujitsu UK. As her title implies, Griggs’ role comes with big responsibilities; she is charged with leading revenue, profit and the growth of the sector. Managing executive customer relationships, Griggs sets the vision and strategy for her department, leading a team of industry specialists and account executives and orchestrating from the wider organisation to bring the best of Fujitsu to its customers. An influential leader in the makeup of Fujitsu’s UK division, it’s no wonder Griggs made FinTech Magazine’s Top 100 Women of 2022. “Phenomenally proud and honoured to be featured,” Griggs takes inspiration from the women represented working to disrupt “what is still a male-dominated industry.” As a pioneering woman in the predominantly male fintech industry, how did Krista carve out her own path to leadership? Krista Griggs: The making of Admitting she never had a clear ambition to take up a particular role, the position she finds herself at now ‘is well beyond’ a point in her career she imagined after graduating as a software developer in her native Netherlands. 40

December 2023

“ Fujitsu has the expertise in all those deep pockets to help with the complex integration of fintech systems at banks and other financial organisations” KRISTA GRIGGS

HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE, FUJITSU UK

Krista Griggs of Fujitsu UK

FUJITSU

“By constantly striving for more and being entrepreneurial, we will achieve further growth and success in the future”

Not that she back into financial didn’t have an idea services because it of what she wanted, is a hugely dynamic it’s more that roles domain, where rapid in the technology change is the norm.” space have grown Fujitsu was more and evolved so of an infrastructuremuch over the years managed services – the professional company when capabilities she has Griggs joined, with a now exceed what mission to become a her formative career digital transformation could ever teach her. company – KRISTA GRIGGS “I started out in something Griggs HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL financial services; I implemented the SERVICES & INSURANCE, studied banking and strategy for in the FUJITSU UK finance,” says Griggs. “So it’s finance division. not a surprise I’ve come back to that.” It was the success of this strategy that saw Griggs has returned to her roots after Griggs become head of the sector just two previously working in identity management, years after joining Fujitsu. “I’m really proud which saw her take up roles in government of what I’ve achieved there,” adds Griggs. and defence sectors. “When I joined Fujitsu we were not But working in a vast array of industries progressing in the finance sector. We are now and sectors has only served to sharpen her growing rapidly and doing really well. We’ve skills today. “Working across different sectors got a great team now that is connecting with has given me a real understanding of what our customers and building partnerships – impacts those business domains, what helping clients to navigate industry change challenges there are and how technology and deliver better outcomes for them.” can help to make that better,” Griggs says. It is this success that has seen Griggs fall “From software developer to enterprise back in love with the industry she started out architect, I’ve always been leading on how in. “I love being able to have a real ambitious you design that change. How does digital vision for the future – to try and break the transformation actually work and what’s the boundaries of what can be done. That is impact it can have on user journeys across where the industry is really exciting and the ecosystem?” Fujitsu is firmly behind that,” she reflects. These skills enabled Griggs to make an “Change is always challenging, though. immediate impact when she joined Fujitsu It has been quite a big culture shift for Fujitsu UK five years ago, becoming Chief Architect and our customers, particularly larger banks. for its Financial Services sector. There can be real inertia and complications in Frustrated with the constraints working terms of getting things done when it comes in defence entailed, Griggs explains: “I came to fintech innovation. 42

December 2023

KRISTA GRIGGS TITLE: HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE COMPANY: FUJITSU UK

“So keeping pace with the rate of innovation can be a challenge. In many ways, my job isn’t necessarily delivering that change, but rather moving blockers out of the way.” Fujitsu: A tech giant ready to run Constantly striving to overcome these challenges, Griggs has helped awaken the sleeping giant of Fujitsu’s Financial Services division and get it to run. But, just as Griggs touches on, Fujitsu is far more than financial technology alone. Today, Fujitsu’s reach extends to five core technology areas: computing, network, AI, data & security and converging technologies.

Krista Griggs is Head of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance at Fujitsu UK. With over 20 years’ of experience in designing and implementing digital transformations across various business domains, Krista is changing the way Fujitsu helps its customers transform their business. She’s built a strong team of consultants who bring deep business and technical expertise. With their support, Krista is constantly looking for innovative ways to help Fujitsu’s customers succeed and grow. In recognition of her ongoing commitment to financial services and technology, she was a finalist for Role Model of the Year in the Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2022, Top 100 Women in FinTech 2022 and Transformation Leader of the Year in the Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2021.

Griggs expands: “Our computing division focuses on quantum and high-performance computing. Today, we have one of the fastest supercomputers in the world with the most intricate networks, so we do a lot of work around 6G and look at what that could bring to society. AI is a big part of that too, as is data & security which is a fundamental necessity both in financial services and in our public sector space. Converging technologies is where all of this comes together to deliver new capabilities.” These core pillars of technological innovation run alongside the company’s 46

December 2023

ambition to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. Admitting this is a lofty goal, Griggs explains that “fundamentally, this goal comes down to the fact that we (Fujitsu) embed sustainability into everything we do.” Fujitsu: Building an entrepreneurial culture The company is in the midst of a transition from an infrastructure-managed services company to a digital transformation company. This transition hasn’t just required a change of strategy, but a change in culture too.

FUJITSU

“Keeping pace with the rate of innovation can be a challenge… my job isn’t necessarily delivering that change, but rather moving blockers out of the way” KRISTA GRIGGS

HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE, FUJITSU UK

Today, the company is working towards building an entrepreneurial culture to fuel its shift to a digital transformation proposition. Griggs says: “That’s very much a change we are continuing to go through, focusing on the verticals we serve rather than just on our technology capabilities. “As an infrastructure-managed service company, culture was built around risk and was focused on the public sector. Now we are pivoting to achieve strategic growth in the private sector, which means we need to be much more entrepreneurial. We have to understand the business imperatives that

our customers are dealing with. Now it’s very much about co-creation, working with our customers in lockstep to create some of those innovative solutions.” This culture shift is perhaps most pertinent in Grigg’s division – innovation in financial services. This is because “financial services is often the early adopter of new technologies and disruptive innovations. The pace of change is really difficult to navigate for financial services providers,” notes Griggs. “We have to be at the forefront of entrepreneurialism and we are making aimagazine.com

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progress, helping customers solve some of the biggest challenges they face. Overcoming those challenges is paying off for our customers and it’s paying off for our business.” Fujitsu: Leveraging data, AI & machine learning the right way Building an entrepreneurial culture is also vital in driving the development of new financial products for the financial services sector. Innovation is ripe – and the ability

to implement cloud systems and leverage data pools through AI & machine learning is at the forefront of growth plans for many financial players. Griggs says: “Ever since the pandemic, we’ve seen rapid acceleration in the adoption of digital services across industries, particularly financial services and insurance. “There’s cloud services, third-party SaaS services and open data sources, which in financial services are really big drivers for change. Open finance too has come to the aimagazine.com

FUJITSU

WATCH NOW

“ At Fujitsu, we embed sustainability into everything we do” KRISTA GRIGGS

HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE, FUJITSU UK

December 2023

fore and all these new technologies are exacerbated by a diverse set of infrastructure in use. “People connect from home, the office, they are on mobile devices – they can be on the other side of the world – and you still have to maintain those services and manage things correctly.” Of course, with new technologies comes an increase in the rate of innovation, something Griggs feels complicates service continuity management. She adds: “Customers expect a personalised, safe and

convenient service. The last thing a company wants is to be in the newspapers about a data leak which can damage its reputation. Furthermore, transparency is demanded by the regulators especially around sustainability commitments but also around data privacy. “From the comprehensive datasets you’ve collated, it’s essential to distill actionable insights. So, what’s the next step you need to take? What do your customers need? What do your colleagues need? What do the regulators need?

It is important to leverage abundant ecosystems to gain insights into making better and faster decisions to deliver desired outcomes.” One area Griggs feels financial services providers and banks must take caution is in their application of Generative AI, to meet all the above requirements. While its potential is evident, “a lot of banks have clamped down on it because it’s really difficult to maintain trust in the data if you don’t know where or how it’s being used.” aimagazine.com

FUJITSU

For Griggs, banks need to put the right controls in place before taking steps toward AI adoption or risk losing client trust. This is even truer for data because if data quality coming into the fabric of operations is poor, utilising this data with AI & machine learning is bound to be ineffective. “The key is to embed the right data fabric,” says Griggs. “Make sure that the data is curated in the right way so that you can trust it. “It is so important to any bank or financial institution so that they can generate those insights to make decisions quickly, allowing business leaders to have confidence in the insights when they prioritise where they spend their resources.” Fujitsu: Mitigating fraud, promoting decarbonisation While open data, or third-party data sharing, is reaping many benefits for banks and associated partners in an ecosystem – it has also led to a rise in data breaches and consequently, fraud. This is something Griggs calls “a real concern for the industry and for governments.” She adds: “Cyber criminals have access to new technology as well, and we are seeing an increase in fraud and cybercrime in the industry.” “The key is to make sure that we keep up with that pace of change, that we embrace that technology in a responsible way so that we can counteract those malicious actors. “Social reach is important here. Having reach through open data allows banks and financial services to see what’s happening with vulnerable customers. It has multiple other benefits, including 54

December 2023

helping organisations like banks enable the decarbonisation of finance too. “That’s where we’re seeing partnerships in other industries deliver value to shift financial services from the role of the financier alone, to deliver better outcomes and boost sustainability, like we do with Landmark.” Fujitsu: Partnerships taking fintech to the next generation The partnerships Fujitsu strikes also help it boost the offerings it provides to its clients. Just as the industry at large is doing, Fujitsu is embracing the impact and benefits of fintechs by integrating these platforms and services into its broader ecosystem.

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FUJITSU: LEVERAGING TECH TO IMPROVE WORKPLACE WELLBEING

Griggs says: “We don’t just need collaboration with fintechs, but we also need big tech and other tech vendors. For example, we work with cyber companies like Thales and CrowdStrike to support data management companies. “To manage data and workloads efficiently and effectively, we work with Delphix, Suse and Nuix. Even for AI ethics, we work with a company called 2021.AI, which looks at AI governance and how you make sure that you embed that in the way that you work. “We also work with workplace technology partners like Riverbed, which understands how the services we provide our colleagues can be used to best effect. With Riverbed, we can identify where things aren’t working

The returns on implementing technology to maximum effect don’t just extend to operations and boosting customer experiences, they can have a significant impact on employee wellbeing. This is all the more important in financial services, with research conducted by Solidatus revealing that 71% of global data leaders in financial services are on the brink of quitting. It doesn’t need to be this way, though and Fujitsu’s workforce is starting to see the benefits of using tech to improve workplace wellbeing. As put by Griggs: “We are seeing some of these AI-driven technologies taking a lot of the mundane, repeatable tasks out of workers’ intrays. “These technologies provide the right information at the right time and at Fujitsu, help our team to deliver the right personalised service to our customers. This in turn helps our customers to provide a better service to their consumers. “Of course, privacy should be taken seriously here and it’s important to find the right balance between consumer data and respecting privacy laws.”

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FUJITSU: SUSTAINABILITY FRONT OF MIND Amid Fujitsu’s cultural shift, sustainability has become a key pillar in Fujitsu’s financial services sector when looking at providing the best new fintech innovations to its clients. “We are now seeing a new pillar when weighing our business growth and that is around sustainability and the continued drive to net zero. “Managing our carbon footprint is one thing, but our ESG strategies and considerations are much broader than that. Today, our entire product portfolio is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.” “So we ensure the technology that we’re providing to our customers is contributing to delivering a better society and is achieving some of those Sustainable Development Goals. “We hold our partners to quite high standards around that as well, and it’s very much part of our onboarding process. If we are representing certain ethics and standards, we must demand the same from them, and this has helped us to develop a great ecosystem.”

December 2023

and correct them even before they go wrong sometimes. “Whilst banks have real technology capability in these areas, as a technology company with multiple partners, Fujitsu has the expertise in all those deep pockets to help with the complex integration of fintech systems at banks and other financial organisations.” The future of Fujitsu Armed with a history of innovation and technological insight, a true consultative perspective and strategic partners, Fujitsu is truly primed to complete its shift from an

FUJITSU

infrastructure-managed services company to a digital transformation company. This shift is already in full swing, and it’s reshaping the company with unstoppable momentum. Griggs concludes: “I’m very much behind and passionate about the changes that we are making. We need to continue what we are doing to move faster at bringing in the right people and technology to grow the partnerships we have with our customers. “That represents our path to growth and certainty for me, I’m very happy to grow as my sector grows.

“We must continue to ask ourselves the pertinent questions: How can we be even more data-driven? How can we integrate our systems more? How can we use intelligent solutions in the way that we bring products and services to our market? How can we align the full global force of our business to help our customers achieve their outcomes? “By constantly striving for more and being entrepreneurial, we will achieve further growth and success in the future. That is our path forward.”

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THE RISE OF NO - CODE AI PL ATFORMS We explore how no-code AI platforms are democratising AI, empowering individuals with minimal tech skills, and transforming business operations WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

ith increased use of AI, paired with a shortage of workers with tech skills, no-code AI platforms have emerged as a transformative opportunity for businesses. Democratising access to advanced AI capabilities, these user-friendly platforms allow individuals with minimal or no coding skills to create AI applications through intuitive interfaces. By eliminating the complexities traditionally associated with AI development, no-code platforms are levelling the playing field, enabling 58

December 2023

a broader range of people to harness the power of AI for various applications. “Since the no-code AI platform enables organisations to employ AI to automate operations, they can accomplish more with less effort,” says a report by ReportLinker, which suggests the global no-code AI platform market size could reach US$17.5bn by 2030. No-code AI platforms have been a crucial tool for enabling people to communicate with and construct AI platforms for their job. Hence, more businesses now use no-code

TECHNOLOGY

AI platforms, which is boosting the expansion of the market.” The rise of no-code AI tools “No-code save developers time by eliminating the need to write lines and lines of code, they also minimise the chance of encountering bugs, as the templates have already been tested.” An interesting thing about this new explosion of AI this year is just how accessible it is to non-technical users, adds Conor Egan, Vice President of

Product and Engineering at Contentstack. “Until now, we had this preconceived notion that AI was this scary, complex thing that only highly-skilled developers could access and benefit from. Now, we have one of the most expensive, computationally intensive systems ever created, ChatGPT, available to everyone and accessible just by chatting with it. “Simply put, low-code/no-code AI tools means it requires little to no technical code to create or deploy an AI application. Not only does it simplify processes by reducing aimagazine.com

TECHNOLOGY

“ No-code/low-code AI tools are essentially any tools that allow automation of coding efforts through plug-and-play or drag-and-drop UI”

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JODY BAILEY

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, STACK OVERFLOW

technical headaches for developers, business analysts and domain experts, but it makes it more accessible to non-technical users too.” Democratising access to AI: Levelling the playing field The democratisation of AI is one of the most compelling benefits of no-code platforms. “The hope of a low-code/no-code solution for AI is simply the hope that you can level the playing field and allow someone to create AI applications without the necessary training, skills or experience of writing technical code,” says Bailey.

JODY BAILEY TITLE: CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER COMPANY: STACK OVERFLOW LOCATION: UNITED STATES

Stack Overflow CTO Bailey builds high performance software development teams that deliver amazing products by leveraging strategic thinking, agile processes and continuous delivery to outpace the competition.

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Pulijala agrees, stating that no-code tools have “democratised access to AI,” enabling individuals and organisations with limited software expertise to develop AI-powered solutions. “Business analysts, for example, can fully participate in the development of the AI project, without relying on the technical expertise of the software team,” she adds. Egan observes that these platforms have made AI “accessible to non-technical users,” thereby lowering both technological and financial barriers. “The real cost of using 62

December 2023

hese systems is also often quite low, making neither technology nor cost a barrier,” he notes. The Generative AI revolution Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have significantly influenced the no-code AI landscape. “We believe Generative AI will democratise coding and grow the developer community by several folds,” says Bailey. “If there are 20-25m developers now, this could lead to a 10x growth of this important group.”

TECHNOLOGY

Pulijala points out that generative AI has “dramatically improved the process of setting up applications,” particularly in the development of chatbots. “Generative AI cuts down this process time with pre-trained LLMs, meaning that developers no longer need to train the bot on how customers can ask questions,” she elaborates. Egan finds generative AI especially powerful when combined with automation. “When you build generative AI into those workflows and have it interpret, summarise, categorise or deploy everyday tasks, you’re enabling individuals with minimal coding experience to harness the capabilities of advanced AI models and, ultimately, become more efficient and unlock more possibilities,” he explains.

“ In recent years, these tools have become popular because of their ability to accelerate development and offer greater choice to users” AMITHA PULIJALA

VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT, VONAGE

AMITHA PULIJALA TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT COMPANY: VONAGE LOCATION: UNITED STATES

VP of Product at Vonage, the enterprise arm of Ericsson, Pulijala has over 15 years of experience in the software industry, and has a proven track record of innovating and delivering high-growth, highCX, SaaS/PaaS products for developers, enterprises and service providers.

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TECHNOLOGY

CONOR EGAN TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT COMPANY: CONTENTSTACK LOCATION: UNITED STATES

Contentstack VP Product Egan is an a technical and product leader with a passion for working with great teams to build great things.

Scalability and the future When it comes to scalability, Bailey believes that both small businesses and large enterprises can benefit from no-code AI solutions. “Large enterprises are interested in leveraging GenAI in combination with high trust data/knowledge sources to drive efficiency, productivity and unlocking capacity for product innovation,” he notes. Pulijala suggests that more complex use cases may benefit from custom development. “Developers should assess the specific needs of the problem they are solving and carefully assess the needs and constraints of the use case when choosing no code/low code solutions,” she advises. As Egan concludes, it’s important to remember that no-code AI is not a quick fix: it still requires time and training. “Just because you don’t have to code doesn’t mean it’s simple and some tools will still require a learning curve for someone that’s not technical. 64

December 2023

“ Now, we have one of the most expensive, computationally intensive systems ever created, ChatGPT, available to everyone and accessible just by chatting with it” CONOR EGAN

VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT, CONTENTSTACK

Not only that, no-code/low-code is not a replacement for coding and will not replace developers. The main benefit that NC/LC, AI, and composable tools bring is efficiency and speed. “The biggest challenge faced by enterprises today is meeting customer demands. With the rise of AI and automated tools, teams can collaborate more easily, be more productive and adapt to the changing industry landscape.”e/low-code (NCLC) AI tools are essentially any tools that allow automation of coding efforts through plug-and-play or drag-and-drop UI,” explains Jody Bailey, Stack Overflow’s Chief Technology Officer. These platforms are designed to be user-friendly, enabling individuals with little to no coding skills to solve specific business issues. Amitha Pulijala, Vice President of Product at Vonage, adds another layer to this definition. “NCLC tools are used for designing and developing an application using intuitive ‘drag and drop’ tools that eliminate the need for advanced code development,” she states. According to Pulijala, these tools are not just time-savers. “In recent years, these tools have become popular because of their ability to accelerate development and offer greater choice to users. Not only do NCLC tools.

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From traditional te to world-leading te WRITTEN BY: MAYA DERRICK PRODUCED BY: MICHAEL BANYARD

December 2023

TELUS

elco ech org

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TELUS

TELUS leadership deep dives into how its global team is helping create the revolutionary technology company of the future

December 2023

he modern telecommunications landscape has undergone remarkable transformations over the decades, thanks in part to significant strides in technology. Telcos, which began as providers of traditional home phone service, have transitioned into multifaceted digital communication leaders, connecting millions of people across the world and propelling the industry toward an unknown, but exciting and revolutionary future.

For some, the drive to connect people is inspired as much by a commitment to social purpose as it is by technology. That’s certainly true for Canada-based global communications technology company, TELUS. “Connecting people is at the heart of everything we do and our goal is to drive phenomenal human outcomes and bridge digital divides to improve lives and help make the world a better place,” says Hesham Fahmy, TELUS’ Chief Information Officer. “Our

journey started many years ago, providing fast and reliable telecommunications services but, as we’ve evolved, we’ve added many other layers of transformative service offerings to our portfolio that can drive even more value for our customers and advance our social purpose.” TELUS’ mission is to use the power of technology and network connectivity to deliver the best solutions to people at home, in the workplace and on the move. TELUS’ actions are guided by its purpose; that is, aimagazine.com

TELUS

“ Connecting people is at the heart of everything we do” HESHAM FAHMY

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, TELUS

using its technology and compassion to drive meaningful social change – from transforming healthcare and making the food supply more 70

December 2023

sustainable to reducing its environmental footprint and connecting Canadians in need. The company’s purpose is a blueprint for how TELUS engages and interacts with its customers and communities. TELUS’ longstanding commitment to putting customers first fuels its business, making the brand a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. Powered by purpose Over the years, TELUS has established itself as a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company and it remains laser-focused on continuing its journey of evolution and growth as a global technology powerhouse, enabling its over 18 million customers,

HESHAM FAHMY TITLE: CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER COMPANY: TELUS INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY LOCATION: ONTARIO, CANADA As Chief Information Officer (CIO) at TELUS, Fahmy leads the team responsible for spearheading TELUS’ transformation to a fully-digital, softwarecentric and cloud-enabled organization. The CIO team manages corporate systems and team member tools, bringing humanised, digital-first experience to life for customers, and championing technology to improve capabilities, efficiency and scalability across all current and future lines of business. An agent of transformation and an innovator with seven granted patents, Fahmy has extensive consumer, digital and cloud technology development skills and operational leadership. He approaches his product and service development strategies with an entrepreneurial spirit building highavailability cloud and enterprise systems factoring security, privacy, scalability, data warehousing and analytics, all of which centres around constantly improving the customer experience. In 2023, Fahmy was presented the CIO of the Year award by IT World Canada. With a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from McMaster University and a Master of Software Engineering from the University of Toronto, he has innovated software products and solutions for 25 years, including 19 years of senior leadership roles, with a track record of launching disruptive products and platforms in retail, IoT, fintech and development tooling.

Before joining TELUS, Fahmy was the Vice President of Technology and General Manager, Marketplace at Loblaw Digital, where he led the technical delivery and operations of Loblaw’s omni-channel digital experiences and the transition of all of Loblaws’ digital platforms to Google Cloud. He also led entrepreneurship and consumer product development at ecobee and is the mastermind behind ecobee’s thermostat line, currently one of the best-selling smart thermostats in North America. Fahmy is a motivational leader with a passion for building highly productive teams and growing professional careers. His own passion for social capitalism aligns with TELUS’ leadership in leveraging its world-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable meaningful outcomes for its customers, communities and team members.

TELUS

“A team with diverse skill sets and the shared values of embracing change and innovating responsibly is what will drive real transformation” HESHAM FAHMY

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, TELUS

TELUS: From traditional telco to world-leading tech org WATCH NOW

December 2023

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as well as its team members, to be part of a better-connected world. “We’re building a strong technology base as a launch pad for customer experiences that are driving peace of mind, comfort and positive human outcomes. This is the impetus of our journey from a traditional telco to a technology and platform company,” explains Fahmy. “We have to champion engineering excellence and build our platforms on strong technology foundations because that’s what gives us the ability to launch in different directions and pivot based on where we see customer needs and demands.” Fostering the right culture to drive TELUS’ evolution Undoubtedly, a massive evolution is on the horizon for TELUS. The company highly values its workforce, taking pride in nurturing and retaining top talent. Fahmy emphasises the importance of preparing TELUS’ team members to embrace significant change as it continues its digital transformation, all the while ensuring they consistently deliver high-quality service. “Often when people talk about their transformation journey, they think primarily about technology. What’s even more fundamental is having the right culture and mindset. A team with diverse skill sets and the shared values of embracing change and innovating responsibly is what will drive real transformation,” he says. Fahmy’s primary goal is to unite his teams, fostering a deep understanding and collaborative spirit throughout their shared journey. It’s crucial that every team member understands the significance of their contributions and the pivotal role they can play.

“As much as we all feel proud of great customer outcomes, we must also consider what’s in it for our people. Modernisation will certainly make our team’s job easier and more efficient. It’s equally critical to equip team members with the latest cloud technology skills so they aren’t only successful today but also thrive in the future ways of working.” Steve Banick, TELUS Vice President of Strategy & Transformation, who has 25 years of IT and technology experience, says TELUS makes it a priority to empower the personal and professional development of its people. “This is not the first time TELUS has navigated significant change as technology evolves, specifically with the AI revolution right now. We recognise that we are far better off if we tap into the talent, knowledge and loyalty of our team members and bring them along our journey,” he emphasises. “Last year, we launched our Digital Talent programme, a multi-pronged initiative focused on attracting, retaining and building talent within TELUS to support us through not only this transformation but whatever comes next.” Through this programme, TELUS has introduced career passports, which Banick says codify what talent, knowledge, skills and experience team members need to unlock for the next steps in their career journey. “This approach not only empowers team members to grow their careers, but also enables the organisation to pinpoint strategic investments in formal and informal learning, as well as cutting-edge tools and technologies to support them on their journey. Furthermore, we’ve built robust support systems such as mentorship programs, uniting team members to synergise technical expertise with a deep aimagazine.com

Innovation-driven, technology-enabled. Your forward-thinking payments partner. Global Payments is a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions. It operates both a merchant solutions and issuer solutions business to clients across the payments ecosystem — from small and medium-sized merchants to large national and multinational enterprises and ﬁnancial institutions.

Learn more

Innovation that delivers.

Chris Baron, senior vice president, Canada, shares how Global Payments’ four strategic pillars – tech-enabled/ software driven, e-commerce/ omnichannel, faster-growth markets and B2B – inform its approach to innovation. According to Baron, these pillars have helped Global Payments to recognize opportunities, including the need for tailored solutions within speciﬁc industries. “Global Payments was a ﬁrst mover in owned software technologies, implementing its technology-enabled, software-driven strategy when other providers were still focused on hardware,” he explains. “This strategy paid off, enabling Global Payments to move aggressively into cloud software.” Baron notes, “As companies digitize more of their operations, they want to engage technology companies like ours who can help them run and grow their business with comprehensive platforms. Payment processing is now just one of many ways

we help businesses. Our commerce enablement tools such as omnichannel solutions, payroll and more, also help answer their need for business efficiency and continuity.” Geographically, the company’s recent acquisition of EVO Payments expands its presence into faster-growth, attractive markets including Poland, Germany, Greece and Chile. This latest acquisition means Global Payments now serves 4.6 million merchant accounts and 1,500 ﬁnancial institutions worldwide. Global Payments is also helping businesses of all sizes effectively compete in a digitizing, worldwide economy through innovative technologies. To do so, it has been investing in technology to maintain its leadership in the industry, spending close to US$2 billion annually. The company continues to see the four pillars of their strategy as the biggest growth opportunity from today through the next three to ﬁve years.

TELUS

“ The most important thing is ensuring that we have a team that’s fully motivated, engaged and confidently believes that it can contribute to our future” STEVEN BANICK

VICE PRESIDENT, CIO STRATEGY & TRANSFORMATION, TELUS

December 2023

understanding of our business – a remarkably potent and powerful combination.” One successful way of opening up new career paths for TELUS employees is through the revolutionary Digital Skills Fast Track program which empowers frontline agents with no prior coding experience, to step into digital careers as junior software developers through an intensive 12-week bootcamp. “It’s hard not to get excited,” Banick champions. Even though the programme is future-focused, TELUS is already seeing results. Digital Skills Fast Track is not only creating opportunities to add new skills and knowledge to the team, but more importantly, unlocking a whole new career trajectory for people that wasn’t available to them before.

STEVE BANICK TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT – CIO STRATEGY & TRANSFORMATION COMPANY: TELUS INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY LOCATION: VANCOUVER, CANADA Banick is responsible for mobilising and leading the transformation of our TELUS’ team into a fully digital and cloud native organisation. Banick is responsible for advancing the company’s cloud journey and partnerships, accelerating TELUS’ digital transformation and leading the internal technology that enables TELUS team members with new ways of working to be the most productive and highly engaged workforce globally. A proud TELUS team member for 25 years, Banick is passionate about developing individuals, teams and organisations to be successful and sustainable for the future. An active mentor and career coach, he is known as a committed developer of potential and talent. In addition to certifications and background in technology, leadership and project management, Banick also holds an MBA from Royal Roads.

Outside of TELUS, Banick serves as a Director for Junior Achievement of British Columbia (JABC), a non-profit organisation proud to deliver a wide selection of educational programmes focusing on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. JABC’s purpose is to inspire, prepare and empower B.C. youth for lifelong success.

TELUS

Exploring AI in the workplace When evaluating the team’s evolution, TELUS knows they need to examine not just current technical skills, but also anticipate future technology shifts. They emphasise nurturing a culture of continuous learning, urging both individuals and the organisation to continually improve, ensuring they are well-prepared to embrace emerging technologies. A prime example is generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Although this technology has existed in some form for many years, its use has exploded in the last 12 months. “It’s not just about launching new tech like AI. We have to introduce it and allow team members to experiment, find out

December 2023

what works for their productivity and support that cultural transformation,” says Banick. “Technology is hard, but not the hardest part. The most important thing is ensuring that we have a team that’s fully motivated, engaged and confidently believes that it can contribute to our future.” TELUS is not only investing in individual contributors and technology experts, but also its leaders, preparing them to lead the technology company of the future. Banick explains: “The role of leadership continues to change. In today’s world, we need leaders that are at the forefron of how they use data and insights to unlock the potential and the capability of their teams.”

“ To truly unlock the tremendous potential GenAI has to offer, we must use it responsibly” HESHAM FAHMY

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, TELUS

With that in mind, TELUS established Leadership Launchpad, a six-month programme to support new, as well as seasoned leaders, in building their leadership muscle, learning the latest management skills and trends and gaining the confidence needed to guide their teams to success. Pushing the boundaries of innovation As a people-centric employer, TELUS

nurtures a culture that empowers its teams to boldly innovate. “Culture begins with an individual’s attitude and we really focus on that cultural fit when hiring new talent,” says Hasan Jafri, TELUS Vice President, Platform Engineering & Common Services. “Are they focused on the customer? Are they looking to solve complex problems? That’s the go-getter attitude we look for when recruiting for technology roles.” Jafri’s team is responsible for looking at the end-to-end life cycle of a TELUS project, from the beginning to when the system is live and running. Thanks to its people and their willingness to streamline operations working cross-functionally across teams, some of these processes have become drastically aimagazine.com

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HASAN JAFRI TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT, PLATFORM ENGINEERING & COMMON SERVICE COMPANY: TELUS INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY LOCATION: ONTARIO, CANADA Jafri is a visionary IT executive known for solving complex problems, building strategic partnerships and driving transformational change that deliver results. He is known for building organisations and programmes with structure, direction, accountability and decisive leadership. As a strategic advisor and executive, Hasan has worked extensively with a variety of Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries. Recently, Jafri was VP of Enterprise Platform Engineering & Architecture where he implemented the global platform and digital architecture, established DevOps & SRE process and delivered API, cloud platform, customer authentication/notification and data products delivering global efficiency and cost savings more than CA$100 million. Previously, he was VP of Technology at TD where he built and led a billiondollar transformation program that digitised business processes and reduced significant costs. Earlier, Jafri was VP & Chief Architect at BMO Financial Group. As the Chief Architect, he led the building of the enterprise SOA infrastructure designed to re-platform core banking systems and re-design the entire integration layer. He was also a member of the Leadership Council of the bank leading transformation initiatives.

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Leading a technology organisation has dramatically changed over the past decade. Today’s Senior Technology executives must understand and appreciate the critical relationship between technology and the business strategy and continuously focus on integrating customer insights into the plan to implement practical solutions. Hasan has utilised these levers to deliver major transformations in the financial services, insurance, healthcare & retail industries globally. Jafri is a dedicated family man, a proud father of two boys and two girls, an avid reader and sportsman.

more efficient – slashed from a six-month, 47-step process to a fully-automated one. “We have seen a 60% improvement in some of our processes,” Jafri says. “We’ve automated all kinds of different things and we’re seeing fantastic results. In fact, we recently won International Data Corporation (IDC) Canada’s CIO award for building standardised software templates and starter kits for our developers, taking their productivity and efficiency to an alltime high. It’s great to get such external recognition for our team’s technology innovation and the remarkable results they’re generating.” Part of this growth also comes from the diverse network of partners, spanning from major corporations and hyperscale enterprises to small businesses and specialised organisations. Nurturing collaborative, cohesive and innovative relationships with these partners is part of TELUS’ approach to innovating boldly. Prioritising a mutual understanding of each other’s distinct needs and requirements while jointly pursuing shared goals and objectives is key.

“ The social mandate associated with TELUS is something that can touch your heart. We’re transforming TELUS into a software driven organisation, eliminating toil and increasing the happiness of our hard working teams” HASAN JAFRI

VICE PRESIDENT, PLATFORM ENGINEERING & COMMON SERVICES, TELUS aimagazine.com

TELUS: KEY FACTS TELUS is steadily progressing towards its ambitious target of migrating 80% of its applications, workloads and systems to the public cloud by 2025. As of now, more than 60% of targeted applications have already successfully moved to the cloud. The recent modernisation of these cloud-based applications has yielded significant enhancements in system reliability, manifesting as a 50% reduction in mean time to recovery (MTTR) and a complete absence of outages or severe performance degradation incidents. TELUS was awarded the title of Canada’s fastest major internet service provider (ISP) for the fourth consecutive year in 2023 by PCMag. Since 2000, TELUS has made significant philanthropic contributions, totalling CA$1.6 billion (US$11.7 billion) and providing 2.2 million days of service. In 2023, TELUS was named as the first North American company to receive the “Running on Open Digital Architecture (ODA)” status from the industry association, TM Forum.

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Collaborating with partners who share TELUS’ cooperative spirit and values, which align with TELUS’ objectives – and vice versa – continues to accelerate its digital transformation. “Partners are critical to our success – and it’s not us just learning from them, but them learning from us,” Jafri shares, championing collaboration.

TELUS

charging points across Canada powered by TELUS’ world-leading network. “We’ve also partnered with ForgeRock to build EverSafe IDs for over 30,000 Public Mobile customers on their SaaS platform,” he adds. “These secure identities are helping safeguard customer privacy and personal information with added layers of security and we’ve already seen millions of transactions. “Another one of our partners is Global Payments, who are helping us deliver a new payments-as-a-product capability 50% faster than the previous version. What usually takes a year was completed in three months, so it’s been a great partnership with great outcomes.”

These partnerships include a 10-year strategic alliance with Google Cloud to help modernise TELUS’ core technologies and co-innovate on new service offerings. TELUS also works closely with other hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and recently partnered with JOLT, an Australian electric vehicle company, to jointly install up to 5,000 electric vehicle

AI will lead TELUS’ future transformation With all this said, the key transformer for the company will still likely be AI as the digital age continues to progress at a rapid pace. “Generative AI is as impactful to society as the invention of the internet and as transformational as the discovery of fire,” says Fahmy. “We’re only at the beginning of where this technology is going to go and we have the opportunity to help shape where it goes and tailor it to our needs.” “The low-barrier entry and accessibility of GenAI makes it available to nearly everyone with connectivity,” he shares. “Gen AI is like having your own 24/7 personal assistant to help you with various aspects of your life. “GenAI can be truly transformational in what it can do – a game-changer for productivity, connectivity and accessibility. At TELUS, we have set up our own TELUS GenAI Bot available to every team member to help them be more efficient, innovative and experiment with their work.” aimagazine.com

TELUS

“We’ve built this world-leading AI platform using large language models (LLMs) to incorporate image generation, document intelligence and multiple interfaces – equipping our team members with a safe and secure way to experiment with AI at work,” adds Jafri. “With nearly 7,000 unique users already, our goal is to get our team fully AI-enabled and adopt these cutting edge technologies in our products and services.” Fahmy stresses that TELUS is committed to using GenAI responsibly, while also making it fully accessible and harnessing its power. “We’re ahead of the curve and wellversed in how GenAI can enhance both customer experiences and our own. However, to truly unlock the tremendous potential GenAI has to offer, we must use it responsibly, ensuring we mitigate the challenges it can present and use in a way that’s friendly for all.” Embracing the potential of GenAI’s transformative capabilities, TELUS is fully committed to leading the charge towards responsible use, all in pursuit of a brighter, more inclusive future. Fahmy, expressing his dedication, emphasises, “Our role as pioneers in the GenAI realm is one we hold with great responsibility. We are only at the beginning of this incredible journey and we eagerly anticipate the exciting innovations and opportunities that lie ahead.”

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RPA: THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMING THE WAY BUSINESSES OPERATE Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a rapidly growing technology, transforming the way businesses operate by automating repetitive and manual tasks WRITTEN BY: KATY ALLAN

AI/ML

ll over the world, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is quickly becoming a revolutionary technology, helping organisations to improve upon and transform their business operations. The reason why is because RPA helps to make the boring less boring, by automating the repetitive, manual tasks and streamlining processes, which results in employees not only having more free time to focus on other tasks but also greatly increases their job satisfaction. For many years, document processing was a manual task, handled by staff members who would read data from invoices, orders, remittances, and various other documents and enter it into computer systems. This approach was once feasible when paperwork was limited, but as businesses have scaled and data volumes have significantly increased, manual document processing is no longer practical. In today’s data-driven and fast-paced world, what would have been considered a “helping hand” a few years back is now a necessity, with businesses requiring automated solutions to process the sheer amount of documents and data efficiently and accurately. Nowadays, there are a number of tools that can automate the entire process, from scanning and extracting data to routing and archiving documents, which allows staff members to focus on more strategic tasks, while also improving the accuracy and time taken in document processing. Steve Morgan, Global Banking Industry Lead at Pegasystems, highlights: “The primary appeal for businesses using RPA boils down to its service and cost efficiencies. It not only accelerates customer service and enhances its accuracy but also eliminates the need for employees to perform repetitive and mundane tasks, such as data entry across aimagazine.com

Get reliable network coverage and security protection, fast. A modern network must be able to respond easily, quickly and flexibly to the growing needs of today’s digital business. Must provide visibility & control of applications, users and devices on and off the network and Intelligently direct traffic across the WAN. Be scalable and automate the process to provide new innovative services. Support IoT devices and utilize state-of-the-art technologies such as real-time analytics, ML and AI. And all these must be provided with maximum security and minimum cost. This is the power that brings the integration of two cloud managed platforms, Cisco Meraki and Cisco Umbrella. This integration is binding together the best of breed in cloud-managed networking and Security.

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AI/ML

multiple systems. As a result, it provides a dual benefit of efficiency to customers and relief to employees.” Modern businesses and RPA implementation Manual data processing is a slow and tedious task, and given the impracticalities surrounding staff members being expected to work at a constant rate throughout the day without any kind of fluctuation, increases the risk of human error as well as delays in the turnaround time. Financial institutions in particular are prioritising digitisation because of the way in which it can help to drastically improve business efficiency and accuracy. RPA is a rapidly growing market, one which is predicted to be valued at US$18.69bn by 2030, according to research by ReportLinker. Because of the many benefits that RPA can bring to businesses, a report by McKinsey found that 60% of jobs could save around 30% of their time by utilising business process automation. Automation software company UiPath, explains that RPA lets software robots take away the boring and repetitive tasks from key business processes. Mundane work becomes fast, error-free and automated.

STEVE MORGAN TITLE: GLOBAL BANKING INDUSTRY LEAD COMPANY: PEGASYSTEMS LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Morgan is an experienced team leader, managing operations and delivering complex business transformations. His management responsibilities have covered strategy development, business startup, sales/ business development, account management, technology, and operational teams. Morgan has worked in 10 different countries, and with a number of large US, European and Asia Pacific banks.

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Frances Sneddon, Chief Technology Officer at Simul8, expresses: “RPA is about minimising the burden of mundane, clerical work for employees. For example, a bank could utilise RPA robots to manage a credit card application process. Robots could collate documents from applicants, extract the form data, undertake background and credit checks, and make the final decision of whether the applicant is eligible. If approved, they can issue the card and close the case on the system. Thus, freeing up staff to spend more face-to-face time with customers.” Another major benefit of RPA is that it can integrate with different software systems, combining APIs and user interface (UI) interactions together, and automating the tasks that would otherwise have to be done manually. In relation to the finance industry,

FRANCES SNEDDON TITLE: CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER COMPANY: SIMUL8 LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Mathematics enthusiast, Frances Sneddon has a passion for technology and data. Over the past two decades, she has assisted organisations worldwide in leveraging simulation to improve business results. Her leadership skills and dedication have played a pivotal role in transforming SIMUL8 Corp from a startup to where it is today.

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“ RPA IS ABOUT MINIMISING THE BURDEN OF MUNDANE, CLERICAL WORK FOR EMPLOYEES” FRANCES SNEDDON

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, SIMUL8

Morgan explains how RPA can be used in a variety of areas including data entry to order, customer service activity completion, accounting and finance, HR, and IT support. Financial teams rely heavily on accurate and reliable data and record keeping, which is why RPA tools are ideal for helping industry professionals achieve this by automating repetitive tasks such as bookkeeping, data management, financial calculations, payment validation, and much more. Morgan goes on to say that it can also be applied to some of the more labour-intensive areas of financial services such as lending, payment processing, customer service, and operational support for sales and customers.

Automation doesn’t automatically solve challenges RPA is a powerful tool that is in high demand, but as with a lot of these new technologies, there is a shortage of skilled workers who can implement and maintain it. This can make it difficult to find and hire the right people for new projects, with experienced professionals often commanding higher salaries, which may not be affordable for all companies. “Some of the main challenges are that for RPA or automation to work really well, it needs to be integrated into the entire process flow, including front and back-end systems and data flows,” says Morgan. “This means RPA by itself can reach limits and it cannot go aimagazine.com

“ Mix and match the size of the quote. Keep the style consistent within the same article Keep the style consistent within article” NAME SURNAME JOB TITLE, COMPANY NAME

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AI/ML

“ RPA PROVIDES A DUAL BENEFIT OF EFFICIENCY TO CUSTOMERS AND RELIEF TO EMPLOYEES” STEVE MORGAN

GLOBAL BANKING INDUSTRY LEAD, PEGASYSTEMS

beyond typically point-to-point automated implementations. This is where an intelligent workflow automation solution comes to the fore that integrates the benefits of automation alongside the ability to manage workflow routing, integration and incorporate machine learning to constantly improve and update.”

Other issues which may occur because of RPA include a lack of flexibility, as RPA bots are typically programmed to perform tasks in a specific way. If the process changes, the bot will need to be manually updated, which is time-consuming and costly. Security risks also pose a potential problem, as RPA bots have access to a great deal of sensitive data and systems, so it is crucial to implement the most robust security measures to safeguard this information. However, as RPA is still a relatively new technology, there are some security risks associated with it. Sneddon believes that to maximise the benefits of RPA, robots need to be deployed in the right place at the right time. However, as with most businesses, there is a long, complex process, meaning they struggle to find the sweet spot for RPA implementation. The widespread and future adoption of RPA The advancements in RPA are reshaping the way in which businesses operate, as well as enhancing the capabilities of the technology itself. The integration of AI and machine learning (ML) means that RPA is no longer only about automating tasks, but rather it is being used to improve decision-making, drive innovation, customer service, and error reduction. In other words, RPA is moving beyond process automation to become a strategic part of organisational operations. Sneddon concludes: “The use of RPA will become more widespread in the next 12-24 months. We’re already seeing an increase in the number of companies turning to simulation software to help make the business case for RPA and ensure maximum return on investment. Simulation is a powerful tool as it enables you to model processes and mimic the introduction of robots in a digital, risk-free environment.” aimagazine.com

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MICROSOFT

Microsoft driving AI transformation in the public sector WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW PRODUCED BY: TOM LIVERMORE

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Microsoft Government CTO, Greg Wilson, on the company’s expansive role in AI adoption, ethical governance, and cybersecurity within the public sector

hen one thinks of ‘Technology Leaders,’ Microsoft is likely the first company that comes to mind. A globally recognised brand offering a wide portfolio of products and services across industries, central to Microsoft’s message is its mission of empowering every person and every organisation and on the planet to achieve more. “For me, we’re so much more than a large technology company,” describes Greg Wilson, Government CTO at Microsoft’s Worldwide Public Sector team. “There’s a responsibility on us as a strategic partner to nations, and as a partner to governments. We’re thought leaders in terms of Cloud technology. Although we also have a responsibility for helping governments understand how things like AI should be governed, or how to help reduce the digital divide, or how to support sustainability commitments and how to work with our big partner ecosystem.” Microsoft is truly leading the AI revolution, from its Copilot products to Azure OpenAI Service and Cloud adoption, which helps improve productivity, insights and driving automation. The use cases in the public sector, as well as other areas, are endless. “There’s one word that’s driving this change and that’s AI,” Wilson describes. 96

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“ For me, we’re so much more than a large technology company. There’s a responsibility on us as a strategic partner to nations, and as a partner to governments” GREG WILSON

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MICROSOFT

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“The other word that’s completely underpinning that, of course, is data. The AI revolution of Microsoft, particularly over the last few months, has built up on all the work that’s been done over the last 10 years and how we’re going forward. Today, we’ve restructured our Government Industry focus to be more about empowering governments with technology to help solve society’s biggest challenges with AI in the Cloud. “I think it’s beholden to us as we bring all this new tech to the market space to

GREG WILSON TITLE: CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER COMPANY: MICROSOFT INDUSTRY: SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Greg Wilson is Microsoft Worldwide Public Sector’s Chief Technology Officer for Government. His role is to help global Public Sector Government clients and partners to work with Microsoft technologies to achieve more by empowering growth, innovation, and digital transformation. He oversees support around the globe to Government Public Finance, Public Safety and Justice, Government Operations & Infrastructure and Public Health and Social Services Partners and Customers. Prior to his current role he was Microsoft UK’s National Technology Officer and focused predominantly on the National Security sector cloud, data and AI solutions.

help governments understand it, help our partners understand it, and really demystify it for governing bodies so they understand the tech, they understand the issues, they understand the risks and they understand accountability.” The key drivers for tech adoption in the public sector With the world now in an era of AI transformation, Wilson’s message for organisations is to not get left behind. “We can talk about generative AI and all

the great things that these tools enable, but all the magic starts with the hyperscale cloud.” As a result, a lot of discussions around AI transformation are centred around moving governments to the cloud. “The Cloud is where the magic is unlocked and for governments wanting to better understand their data and access emerging technologies like AI and quantum, migrating to the cloud is a key first step,” Wilson says. “Here they will unlock the power of solutions like Microsoft Fabric that will reshape how everyone accesses, manages, and acts on aimagazine.com

Accelerating AI’s Potential for Critical Infrastructure Discover how Bentley Systems leverages data-centricity, digital twins, and AI to improve business outcomes across the civil infrastructure lifecycle

Learn More

Bentley Systems turns AI into an infrastructure assistant Julien Moutte, CTO of Bentley Systems, discusses the benefits of combining data with AI and ML to address capacity concerns among infrastructure The imperative to upgrade infrastructure is underscored by advancements in construction, renewable energy, and the strategic role of technology. Julien Moutte, CTO of Bentley Systems, underscores the importance of providing engineers with “infrastructure intelligence” amid growing demands. He distinguishes between IT data, which is administrative, and engineering and operational data, which are vital for developing digital twins with inputs like 3D models, drone imagery, and IoT sensors. Moutte stresses the importance of data in today’s engineering: “It’s more important than ever to make this infrastructure intelligence available to engineers so that they can do their best work. Because in our

sector infrastructure is under a lot of pressure right now due to backlogs, talent shortages, and sustainability requirements.” Digital twins enable simulations and problem anticipation in a virtual space, with AI and machine learning being key to predicting real-world outcomes. AI can aid tasks such as CAD analysis and production and in the creation of digital twins. Bentley Systems addresses data interoperability challenges and the trustworthiness of AI amid evolving discussions on generative AI. The company has committed to ensuring its AI solutions respect intellectual property and data privacy rights. Moutte views AI as a powerful assistant rather than a

replacement in infrastructure design. Bentley Systems promotes AI as a collaborator with designers and engineers, grounded in physical laws and engineering limits: “We believe this is an approach that is going to help our users understand how the data is being used, have control, but also make the best use of past data.” “Our tools already understand the rules of the physical world, the constraints of engineering, and we want to make sure that AI is working as an assistant to the designer and engineers and of our tools so that they can enforce those engineering rules and make sure we create safe designs.”

IN AI, ETHICS,

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Greg Wilson, Microsoft Government CTO, on Microsoft’s Role in AI, Ethics, and Cybersecurity WATCH NOW

data and insights by connecting every data source and analytics service together—on a single, AI-powered platform. Or our Copilot products that use AI tools to help users to unleash a whole new way of working. Copilot works alongside you to unleash your creativity and help you perform tasks faster. It’s amazing and Copilot will help you organise ideas, understand context, and bring collaboration to a whole new next level. “People expect their governments to change,” Wilson asserts. “They expect 102

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the services that are getting to go online and therefore they’re expecting their country to adopt a more competitive approach in the digital market. We can see the clear benefits this brings to society through efficiencies, reducing costs, improving customer satisfaction, and even driving innovation going forward.” Driving this innovation, Microsoft is accelerating how customers can improve employer productivity and leverage transformation AI by going to the cloud. “This is the massive impact that will

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empower governments, with our technology, to help solve society’s biggest challenges. It’ll deliver innovation in programmes and experiences. It will better empower the government workforce and we will see a transformation of the business space in terms of especially government operations and services.” The need for ethical AI As AI technologies become increasingly integrated into public life, ethical considerations are paramount.

“The challenge obviously always in the public sector is that procurement cycles are longer,” Wilson describes. “There’s no hesitancy; they want to get after AI. It’s beholden on us to help them understand its utility, how to contract for it, and how to ensure that the benefits are reaped responsibly.” In line with these responsibilities, Microsoft has developed ethical principles around AI since 2018. “In short, we must ensure our view that AI is always under the control of humans: that’s a first order of aimagazine.com

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priority for governments and ourselves alike. That connects directly with the essential concept in a democratic society, that one of our founding principles is that no person is above the law, no government is above the law, no company is above the law and therefore no product or technology should be above the law. “Therefore, the people who design and operate AI systems cannot be accountable unless some of these decisions are subject to the rule of law,” Wilson adds. “We’re doing a lot of work with governments that help them understand their AI policies, advance the regulatory debate and explore how a government can ensure what regulations and policies they should take forward.” The importance of cybersecurity With over 10,500+ security and threat intelligence experts worldwide, Microsoft provides governments with valuable insights on cybersecurity. The company synthesises 64 trillion signals daily, uses sophisticated data analytics, and has AI algorithms to protect against cyber threats. “Our technologies around the world connect billions of customers,” Wilson describes. “This gives us a rather unique advantage of being able to aggregate security data, and to understand the scope and scale of digital threats around the globe.” With such diverse threats coming in from many sources, it would be difficult for customers to anticipate when they may be attacked and how to defend themselves. To combat this threat, Microsoft uses sophisticated data analytics and AI algorithms to understand and protect against threats and cyber-criminal activity. “We synthesised 65 trillion signals a day, blocked more 4,000 identity attacks 104

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“ There’s one word that’s driving this change and that’s AI – it’s all about AI, AI, AI. The other word that’s completely underpinning that of course, is data, data, data” GREG WILSON

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MICROSOFT

Use more image captions as often as possible

per second and tracked 300+ threat actors last year alone and we removed up to 100,000 domains, which were being used by cyber criminals and, in some cases, nation state actors. “It’s important for us to help people and governments understand, particularly policy makers, how we help them with their security cyber policies and resilience,” Wilson comments. “Cybersecurity is of national importance not just to economies but is a priority for the governments around the world, to make sure that their capabilities and their data is safe.”

Partnership with Bentley Systems Partnerships are key to Microsoft’s success. Wilson cites partnerships like that with Bentley Systems, which enable the development of new digital twin and smart city solutions. “We have our own products, but our products are there to help our really extensive partner ecosystem,” he says. “In my area, smart cities and critical infrastructure, Microsoft doesn’t build bridges or railways, but our technology helps those firms that do.” “With a strategic partnership like the one of Microsoft and Bentley Systems – a leader aimagazine.com

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“ This is the massive impact that will empower governments with our technology to help solve society’s biggest challenges” GREG WILSON

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MICROSOFT

in engineering software for professionals to design, build, operate and maintain critical infrastructure, such as roads and rail networks, or public works and utilities – it enables us to develop new smart city solutions and that builds a lot on some of the exciting work we’re doing in Digital Twins.” These Digital Twins can help in a number of ways: reducing costs, helping with urban planning, and driving public engagement in projects such as high-speed rails or dams. “It is just amazing how that work can be done with Digital Twins. I like watching Formula One racing, but actually the most valuable racing car is the Digital Twin racing car, because that’s the place where the teams can test numerous different scenarios and take them forward without destroying physical assets. “For me, these opportunities – particularly as we go more to the industrial metaverse and how we see the industrial metaverse in Digital Twin and the sensors of IoT sensors all coming together – will be somewhere where our expertise and the expertise of our partners such as Bentley will come together, making a real and huge difference to business and mission outcomes.” 106

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Look to the future Looking towards the future, Wilson predicts that the pace of technological change will only accelerate. “Change has never been as fast nor will it ever be as slow again as it is today, that is widely recognised,” he reflects. “The pace of AI change that we are seeing is absolutely tremendous. This is not a hype or a trend, this is making a real impact and changing the way that AI goes forward and evolves.” In addition to the rise in AI, Wilson highlights other next-gen technologies from 6G networks to robotics and the metaverse. “When you think about some of the networking technologies that are changing, we’re getting to the early stages of 6G. How can we take that technology further to the edge, to the frontline worker, particularly in public safety and justice, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. “And I think with the pervasiveness of computing, we’ll see a drive for more and more low-code, no-code applications, people doing their own things to advance public services.” Despite some scepticism in recent months, Wilson also believes the metaverse will come to the fore. “The infrastructure is there, the technology’s there, the AI is there, and industrial metaverse and smart cities will be a big driver. Then you throw on top, quantum computing – in particular, what we’re doing in the research area at the moment and how that will become more prevalent in driving decisions from data.” Ultimately, Wilson explains that, for public sector organisations, it is beholden on them to understand all these technologies as they move forward. “We’re working aimagazine.com

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with some of the Government research organisations around the globe and international think tanks, as well as with academia helping them drive forward technological innovation and helping them understand: “What government services can be improved? What does this mean for how they use digital technology smarter for their environmental position and services? And then really, where can we use quantum to drive things forward?”

“No person is above the law, no government is above the law, no company is above the law and therefore no product or technology should be above the law” GREG WILSON

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MICROSOFT

“Underpinning everything, whether it’s now or in the future, are those points of security and trust and what that means when you adopt new technologies,” Wilson concludes. “The horse got replaced by the car, how do we translate that analogy as we go forward with AI? I think it’s beholden on us all to think these things through for the public sector responsibly as change is continually and needs embracing and considered strategically not reactively.”

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HOW IS IOT REVOLUTIONISIN PATIENT HEALTHCARE? IoT devices in healthcare are providing new monitoring opportunities for healthcare professionals and enabling self-monitoring for patients WRITTEN BY: KATY ALLAN

oT devices present healthcare professionals of today with a number of new opportunities to monitor patients, whilst simultaneously enabling patients to monitor themselves. However, the diverse range of wearable IoT devices brings a multitude of advantages and challenges that impact both healthcare providers and their patients. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), often associated with connected devices in healthcare, is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the IoT industry, and by 2026 is expected to reach a market value of US$176bn. 110

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Before IoT, the interaction between patients and doctors was limited to in-person visits, and tele and text communications. Healthcare professionals were unable to make recommendations accordingly as there was no means for doctors or hospitals to monitor so many patients’ health continuously. In order to effectively monitor, control, and protect the security of IoT devices, it is crucial that healthcare professionals have a thorough understanding of how these devices are used. Although there are many examples of IoT in the industry, one of the

most popular examples is remote patient monitoring, where IoMT devices have the capability to monitor various aspects of a patient’s health from their own home. How is IoT changing and transforming the healthcare industry? IoT is without a doubt revolutionising the healthcare industry. With IoTenabled devices making processes such as remote monitoring possible, it has allowed healthcare professionals to deliver outstanding care to their patients. IoT applications have not only brought

advantages to patients, but also to their families, other healthcare professionals, and medical institutions. Dhaval Shah, Executive Vice President at CitiusTech, states: “IoMT has paved the way for advancements and accelerated consumerism using data from connected medical devices, wearables, and biosensors. Current IoMT devices are also leveraging AI/ML to analyse the data and empower patients to make informed decisions. “This connected ecosystem of IoMT has helped caregivers in driving interventions, providing personalised treatment, enabling aimagazine.com

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Enabling educators. Empowering students. Explore how we accelerate student discovery, learning and innovation with our Digital Education 3D Experience. EXPLORE THE 3D EXPERIENCE

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JINENDER JAIN TITLE: SENIOR VP & SALES HEAD UK & IRELAND COMPANY: TECH MAHINDRA LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Jain is a Head of Business Development, as well as an expert in Digital Transformation and Solutions, with an impressive track record of securing substantial multinational accounts, conceptualising services, and delivering substantial revenue growth with high margins.

real-time remote monitoring of patients and transition of care outside the hospital. It has been instrumental in increasing patient care and lowering the overall cost of care.” With the potential to transform the healthcare industry, IoT will not only improve patient care but reduce costs and increase efficiency. Tech Mahindra’s Jinender Jain, Senior VP & Sales Head of UK & Ireland, explains:

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“Increased efficiency is one of the most notable and important benefits IoT brings to the healthcare industry. For example, IoTenabled medical devices can automatically transmit data to electronic health records (EHRs), eliminating the need for manual data entry. “IoT also helps Life Sciences companies in detecting errors to improve regulatory compliance, and R&D effectiveness besides reducing operating costs. IoT and connected devices have the ability to improve clinical trials through increased patient retention and shorter trial spans.” Dr Pamela Walker, Healthcare Investment, Growth and Value Creation Expert at Gate One, explains: “IoT is revolutionising healthcare from both a patient experience and operational efficiencies standpoint. IoT and advances in AI are turbocharging a shift in how healthcare is delivered from aimagazine.com

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SPENCER STARKEY TITLE: VP OF EMEA COMPANY: SONICWALL LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Starkey is a seasoned Executive Leader with extensive experience in Software, Hardware, and Cloud Services, excelling in people and performance management, strategic planning, and operations in the UK, EMEA, APAC, North America.

in-clinic to at home, with novel digital, hybrid options for everything from diagnosis to ongoing treatment management.” Overcoming the challenges associated with IoT/IoMT As with any new technological advancement, there will of course be challenges to overcome, especially in today’s digital world where the healthcare sector continues to be a prime target for bad actors and cybercriminals. The increase in healthcare devices has resulted in the expansion of potential attacks and amplified the number of vulnerable entry points for malicious actors. It has become more challenging for IT teams to gain a comprehensive look at what is happening across the network, meaning cyber attacks have the potential to have a bigger impact. 114

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Spencer Starkey, VP of EMEA at SonicWall says: “With the increased use of IoT devices comes a new set of cybersecurity risks, putting many staff and patients in danger. Cybercriminals are actively targeting the most critical aspects of our society. The ramifications of an attack on the healthcare sector can be disastrous and it’s important to place the utmost amount of time, money and effort in securing them.” Jain explains: “To overcome this hurdle, healthcare institutions and providers can take a series of steps so that patient information is secure. Firstly, and arguably most importantly, they must implement strong security measures. Secondly, they should educate stakeholders about the benefits of IoT and work to build trust in the technology.”

DR PAMELA WALKER TITLE: HEALTHCARE INVESTMENT, GROWTH AND VALUE CREATION EXPERT COMPANY: GATE ONE LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Walker has a PhD from the Medical Sciences division at the University of Oxford, an Executive MBA from the University of Oxford, and was awarded the Forté Foundation scholarship for women. Her career has focused on strategy consulting and investment within the MedTech and Life Sciences sectors.

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Top Uses of Internet of Things (IoT) in Healthcare | IoMT Examples WATCH NOW

DHAVAL SHAH TITLE: EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT COMPANY: CITIUSTECH LOCATION: UNITED STATES

Shah has over 25 years of leadership experience, working with a number of clinents, establishing strategic partnerships to help re-imagine their healthcare business. He is responsible for Sales Planning, Forecasting, Key Account Management, and Revenue Generation, as well as managing the P&L across the healthcare portfolio.

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“ THE FUTURE SEEMS TO HOLD TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL FOR CONNECTED CARE THROUGH IOT DEVICES” DHAVAL SHAH

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CITIUSTECH

However, the benefits of IoT in healthcare undeniably outweigh the potential challenges. Remote monitoring, enhanced data accuracy, increased patient engagement, and improved costefficiency are all significant benefits, and would not be possible without IoT. The future seems bright with IoT’s potential The future of IoT in healthcare is incredibly promising. With the potential to revolutionise the way that healthcare is delivered, the industry will become more personalised, proactive, and efficient.

“We are already seeing the emergence of innovative IoT-powered healthcare solutions, and we expect this trend to continue to accelerate in the years to come,” explains Jain. “This transformative technology is changing the landscape of healthcare, enhancing patient engagement, improving outcomes, and reducing errors.” Shah highlights: “With the current scale of the IoT-driven medical device ecosystem, the future seems to hold tremendous potential for connected care through IoT devices. As the technology landscape continues to advance with capabilities like gen AI, there are opportunities to enhance aimagazine.com

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“ INCREASED EFFICIENCY IS ONE OF THE MOST NOTABLE AND IMPORTANT BENEFITS IOT BRINGS TO THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY” SPENCER STARKEY VP OF EMEA, SONICWALL

patient and physician engagement by using real-time data from IoT devices to provide patient-centric recommendations.” When we look to the future, IoT will continue to successfully streamline procedures and enhance the patient journey, enabling patients to enjoy increased convenience, greater involvement in their healthcare, and reduced need for physical medical appointments. For the healthcare providers, access to more precise data, improved diagnostic capabilities, and enhanced time management, will evidently result in better patient care. Walker concludes: “The devolution of healthcare from in clinic to at home – from doctor to patient – across all channels, will bring wide-reaching benefits, including faster access to more effective care, improved wellness and support, resulting in better patient outcomes. “There will of course be risks to mitigate as we transform to the future. Patients are not doctors or nurses, and digital savviness should not be confused with medical expertise. Finding the balance of patient decisionmaking at home vs via medical professionals in the clinic will undoubtedly be a delicate mission, but one that is critical to establishing a brave new equilibrium of healthcare.” aimagazine.com

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GFT’S DATA PLATFORM MODERNISATION ACCELERATES THE AI JOURNEY WRITTEN BY: HELEN ADAMS PRODUCED BY: LEWIS VAUGHAN

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David Tuppen, GFT’s Head of Data and AI, discusses strategic technology alliances, Gen AI and helping customers to accelerate their AI journey

FT is an international technology service provider with strong expertise within banking, financial services and insurance. It has over 10,000 employees globally, across the UK, Poland, Spain, Canada, Germany, the USA, Vietnam, Brazil and many other countries. “I would say our differentiator is that we pride ourselves as being precision engineers across a multitude of domains; including platform modernisation, cloud computing and neobanking services, with a strong focus on AI and Data,” explains David Tuppen, GFT’s Chief Data Officer. David Tuppen and GFT’s data team are developing the GFT AI.DA marketplace, which can support and accelerate GFT’s clients’ journeys utilising AI. “GFT is maturing the AI landscape in the industry, helping many organisations that are focusing on their investments into AI,” he shares. Specifically, GFT is doing something a little different – GFT has been placing a lot of emphasis on its AI.DA marketplace, which allows clients to see AI use cases, plus AI and data journeys, through to a modern data platform blueprint of architecture design. “We firmly believe that there is a connection between AI and the data that goes with it,” says Tuppen. “From integration, storage and management of data processing and analytics; building specific end-to-end pipelines is as important as generating the AI itself.” aimagazine.com

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“ If you examine the data, the industry is moving towards a democratised domain-led architecture” DAVID TUPPEN

HEAD OF DATA AND AI, GFT

For Tuppen, data platforms are evolving – they have changed over time and will continue to evolve. “There are various architectural patterns which are needed and these vary according to each business and client domain,” he says. “There’s not one single solution for a modern data platform. So, from the big trend on data mesh and democratised type architectures, to traditional centralised data stores, there needs to be a specific pattern for each business unit and each client.” This is what GFT provides, a data strategy that fully aligns with an organisation’s AI goals and aspirations. “Data strategy is fully dependent on the business strategy in order to demonstrate true value for the business,” he emphasises. A solution needs to start with business value first; after that comes data lifecycle, data management and governance, data and technical architecture, data science and AI visualisation, then finally, data literacy and change management. “Each one of these steps is needed to a certain degree, for controlled and secure insights.” Tuppen sees the data pipeline prior to AI projects as being very important. 124

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“You need to move from front to back,” he says. “As I mentioned, you start with the business and then move backwards to the IT backend. You need to look at how to change the impact and what change the impact of adding intelligent automation has on your business. How will the users view and access those insights from the AI? How is the data stored and processed? How is the data integrated into the platform?” Tuppen sees that if a customer removes any of those considerations, they might land

DAVID TUPPEN TITLE: HEAD OF DATA AND AI COMPANY: GFT LOCATION: LONDON

themselves in a data integrity issue, which could cause processing issues and an increase in time and cost. Ensuring that data is clean, relevant and suitable for AI Along the pipeline of a modern data platform, there should be defined data models, or at a minimum, one that has governed data assets (or data products), regardless of the data quality (DQ) tooling or process used.

David Tuppen is the Head of Data, Analytics and AI at GFT. He has been working in the data space for over 20 years, from technical development through to business development. His area of expertise is enterprise data strategy, with a focus on hybrid data architecture patterns and applications. His career experience includes working at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Athene Holding in Bermuda, and Milliman Actuarial Consultancy in London.

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GFT GROUP

Smart DQ, also known as Intelligent DQ or Rule-Based DQ, without management and governance can compromise the underlying input data. “One will always have various levels of data quality and a lot of people will focus on rule-based or Smart DQ but forget about the governance and management that’s needed,” Tuppen explains. On top of that, it’s necessary to control the data being used by the AI models. “Focusing on the integrity of the input data will mean that your insights from the applied AI will be much more trustworthy.” 128

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As with architecture, Tuppen says that there is no single answer for how to store your data. “If you want a playground or a sandbox environment, where you can run generalised analytics against raw data; that’s where you’d have, for instance, a data lake which may not have been modelled.” Tuppen advises that if a business wants to slice, dice and drill down reporting capabilities, then they may typically need a relational database.

GFT is present in more than 15 markets

GFT has over 35 years’ experience of delivering deep technical IT engineering and consulting services

“If you want an event-based architecture, then potentially you’d use something like NoSQL – it really depends on the business case and the client as to which architecture is best to use.” There are a range of challenges and solutions involved in the data integration process – and Tuppen has seen them all. “Data integration, which is getting the original source data into the new platform, can follow a multitude of paths,” he said. “This is the Extract, Transform and Load (ETL) process. It really does depend on the

architecture and whether transformation is required. Does the customer need streaming capabilities, or can they run a batch without considering that option?” Tuppen encourages businesses to carefully manage their data as it will be likely to explode over time. This includes duplication and replication of data over and over within the entire environment of the business. “Again, this increases both cost and time,” he says. “Maybe having all that data is necessary and maybe you are aimagazine.com

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able to store all that data. But if you expect a lot from the data over time, building a decomposable architecture with, for instance, a layer that has schema bound API’s, will give a certain degree of surety on the data as it moves down your pipeline.” GFT addresses data governance and compliance issues, especially in industries with strict regulatory requirements. “If you consider each layer of a modern data platform, you will inherently need to adhere to regulatory compliance,” Tuppen explains. “For example, if you look at BCBS239, and consider Principles 1 and 4.” Principle 1: Aggregated data and reporting need to have governance. Principle 4: Accuracy and integrity of data.

“Focusing on the integrity of the input data means that insights created from the applied AI will be much more trustworthy” DAVID TUPPEN HEAD OF DATA AND AI, GFT

“If you have a data governance model in place and data management in place across your pipeline, you will be following Principle 1 and Principle 4, which includes accuracy and integrity of data,” Tuppen advises. When an organisation moves their data into their data models, that will inherently force integrity on that data and ensure the accuracy of it. He continues: “So as soon as you start building that layered approach in your architecture, you will start becoming regulatory compliant inherently, rather than having to build it from scratch.” aimagazine.com

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Data infrastructure scales have had to adapt to handle increasing data volumes. Tuppen saw many companies ‘lift-and-shift’ their data into the cloud a few years ago, which at the time was not unusual. “Many businesses originally lifted and shifted all of their data into the cloud, with the ambition of addressing existing challenges later down the line,” Tuppen says. “The challenge (and benefit) with that, is that the cloud scales very easily, so you don’t have to consider the ever-growing infrastructure behind it.” As such, GFT has seen data explode over time, which means that data processing time and costs have now multiplied. “I frequently talk about the data strategy, but having your data strategy up front – which means designing a targeted solution,

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“ GFT is able to help customers accelerate their overall AI journey” DAVID TUPPEN HEAD OF DATA AND AI, GFT

including archiving and deletion of data, data modelling and sandboxing, is crucial to cover all your bases,” he explains. With this approach, businesses can process their data faster, which will produce input data quicker and allow them to run AI solutions more efficiently. GFT’s strategic technology alliances and a focus on Gen AI GFT has a multitude of technology partnerships, including major cloud providers and many independent software vendors (ISVs).

“We are in fact building accelerators with our ISV partners on the cloud,” says Tuppen. “From building large language models (LLMs) and Gen AI accelerators on GCP, through to streaming capabilities on AWS, we spend a lot of time carefully selecting our partners, based on synergies between their capabilities and our clients’ requirements.” For instance, MongoDB is a leader in the data technology space and GFT has used their technology for a number of clients. “We often utilise the streaming capabilities of Confluent, where we advise on the implementation of the technology for our clients, who are looking for enterprise-grade trusted real-time processing of data.” aimagazine.com

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David Tuppen, GFT’s Head of Data and AI, on Strategic Alliances and Accelerating AI Journeys WATCH NOW

Over the next 12 months, Tuppen anticipates a huge focus on AI and data. “GFT is investing heavily into its AI.DA marketplace, which includes industry specific use case libraries, AI and data journeys, blueprint solutions and accelerators, through to the modern data platform design patterns; all accessible through the AI.DA marketplace,” Tuppen shares. “We are going to enable our customers to accelerate their AI journey even faster.” As for insights into future trends in AI and data platforms, Tuppen sees that Gen AI is the hot topic currently in everyone’s search history. “People want to know – how can we integrate Gen AI with our existing landscape? How can we use LLMs and AI? The reality is that unless you have a trusted data platform in place, this is always going to be a difficult challenge.” AI is fed by data, so users must have a trusted data source in place. 134

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“If you look at data, the industry is moving towards a democratised domainled architecture,” Tuppen suggests, “So, isolating each functional domain into an end-to-end data product is becoming the go-to standard.” Meanwhile, GFT’s data science team is seeing increased uptake of smaller taskoriented language models. “Model ops for governance is a trend that we’re beginning to see,” he says. “We are actually seeing prompt engineering becoming less of a trend, due to optimisation frameworks already being built.” At GFT, the focus continues to be on AI and Data, how to accelerate AI solutions and the benefits these bring, whilst always maintaining an eye on the ever-evolving data and AI requirements of the future.

GFT GROUP

“Data strategy is fully dependent on the business strategy in order to show true value” DAVID TUPPEN HEAD OF DATA AND AI, GFT aimagazine.com

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P R E D I CT I N G THE F U T U R E O F CO M P LI AN C E W IT H A N ALY T I C S Predictive analytics: A powerful tool helping companies in making better business decisions through digital transformation WRITTEN BY: KATY ALLAN n today’s business landscape, we are seeing a greater number of organisations investing time, effort, and money into digital transformation, with the ultimate goal of driving fundamental change. When it comes to digital transformation, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each organisation’s journey will be unique, depending on its specific needs and objectives. For example, one company might use AI or cloud computing to improve its customer experience, whereas another might redesign its supply chain to leverage machine learning. Another company may even use predictive analytics (PA) to predict customer demand in advance and adjust its production accordingly. According to a Gartner study, which was conducted from October 2022 through April 2023 among 200 global corporate strategy leaders, 79% believe that AI and analytics will be critical to their success over the next two years. In the report, strategists have stated 136

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that on average, 50% of strategic planning and execution activities could be partially or fully automated, however only 15% currently are. The benefits of predictive analytics in a business environment Although predictive analytics has been around for decades, it is only now that we truly recognise the major benefits that this technology can bring to businesses. By using algorithms and machine learning to analyse data and predict what is likely to happen, companies are provided with a more complete picture of a situation which in turn helps them to make better decisions. Bret Tushaus, VP of Product Management at Deltek, says: “By understanding likely outcomes, employees can be more empowered to make decisions and to focus more of their time and energy on the human element side of projects, such as value adds that make the business stand out from the competition.”

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Due to its versatility, predictive analytics can be used across a variety of industries, from manufacturing and supply chain to financial services, insurance, marketing, and human resources; each utilising it as a tool to improve business performance. Peter Wood, CTO at Spectrum Search, says: “In today’s competitive business environment, foresight is as valuable as hindsight. As someone deeply involved in AI innovation and technology that optimises internal processes, I can attest that predictive analytics has become a cornerstone in contemporary business strategies. “Businesses aren’t just looking to make sense of their current data; they aim to predict future trends, consumer behaviours, and potential risks. Predictive analytics allows companies to not just react but proactively adjust their strategies.” Types of predictive analytics models According to Investopedia, there are three common techniques that are used in PA: Decision trees, neural networks, and regression. Decision trees, which help in the understanding of a person’s decisions, are the simplest of models, being easy to understand as well as extremely useful when needing to make a decision quickly. They work by placing data into different groups based on specific variables, and as the name suggests, look like trees, with the branches representing the possible choices and leaves representing a specific decision.

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PETER WOOD TITLE: CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER COMPANY: SPECTRUM SEARCH LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Peter is a seasoned entrepreneur with over eight years of experience in the Web3 space. He has founded and launched three successful Web3 companies, one of which secured US$6.5m in funding. His expertise in fundraising, token design and business design make Peter a valuable asset.

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MARTIN BUTLER TITLE: EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT COMPANY: VLERICK BUSINESS SCHOOL LOCATION: BELGIUM

Martin is a Professor of Management in Digital Transformation at the Vlerick Business School, specialising in the relationship between digital capabilities and strategic intent. Beofre joining Vlerick and academia, Martin had a 15-year career in the IT industry, successfully leading numerous project teams.

Regression is the model that is used most often in statistical analysis when determining patterns in large datasets where the inputs and outputs have a linear relationship. It works by finding a formula that best fits the data, which can then be used to predict future outputs based on new inputs. Lastly, neural networks have been developed to imitate the way in which the human brain works. This model can handle complex data relationships using artificial intelligence and pattern recognition. It is useful for tasks such as making predictions, dealing with large datasets, and finding relationships between inputs and outputs when no formula is known. 140

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Predictive analytics in business compliance Today, many companies are investing in PA as part of their compliance strategy. By using data and algorithms to predict future outcomes, it can help companies to identify risks more accurately and efficiently, monitor customer and employee behaviour, and fulfil regulatory responsibilities. Some of the applications of PA for compliance in business include banks implementing it to identify customers who may pose a liability, healthcare professionals detecting at-risk patients, and insurance companies spotting potential fraudulent clients.

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Martin Butler, a Professor of Management Practice at Vlerick Business School, explains: “Compliance is becoming more exhaustive as regulators expect businesses to comply with more complex requirements and provide proof of this compliance. With increased digitisation in internal processes and customer and business partner interaction, the surface area for compliance breaches has increased substantially. “Predictive analytic data models and algorithms enable quicker and more accurate identification and monitoring of the processes and data movements to quickly identify potential non-compliance and create immediate responses.”

Predictive analytics are not a crystal ball for market trends While predictive analytics tools can be extremely beneficial to a company, there are understandably a few drawbacks that business leaders need to be aware of. Although PA can accurately predict some human behaviour, not all can be foretold. Wood explains: “Predictive analytics is not a magic wand. One of the primary challenges is data quality and integrity. Bad data in equals bad insights out. Another issue is the ‘black box’ nature of some predictive models, which can make it difficult to ascertain why a particular prediction has been made. aimagazine.com

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“ Combining predictive power with human experience will drive business value” BRET TUSHAUS TITLE: VP PRODUCT MANAGEMENT COMPANY: DELTEK LOCATION: UNITED STATES

Bret joined Deltek in 2010 as a Product Director, focusing on the company’s Vision ERP platform and the way ERP and other technology solutions can help organisations. Before Deltek, Bret spent 15 years at Eppstein Uhen Architects after receiving a Masters of Architecture Degree from the University of Wisconsin.

“This opacity can be problematic in sectors where explainability is crucial, such as healthcare or criminal justice. Finally, there’s the ethical dimension. As predictive systems get more sophisticated, there’s an increased risk of algorithmic bias which can perpetuate societal inequalities.” As Butler describes, vendors bring technology and some of the skills required, but organisations must provide the business context, skills and insight to gain full value from predictive analytics. They must take ownership of predictive analytics projects and ensure multi-skilled teams with excellent business insight in the application domain steer the initiative. PA models are complex and require specialised skills to build and maintain. These skills are in short supply as well as

BRET TUSHAUS

VP PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, DELTEK

being expensive, which is why many companies cannot afford to invest in them internally, however, a much more costeffective way to access the benefit of PA is off-the-shelf PA tools. Are we able to predict the future of PA technology? PA’s overall goal is to make predictions about future events, before using those projections to improve decision-making. Businesses of all sizes are beginning to adopt PA as part of the business strategy and we are starting to see the early benefits in terms of additional time, resources, and business efficiency. Because of this, investment in PA technology is expected to increase even more in the coming years. Tushaus says: “Integrating predictive analytics across operations and combining predictive power with human experience will drive business value. As a result, this technology will not only help prevent budget and schedule overruns, it will also lead to better line of sight into project success making it more likely for projects to proceed in the first place. This can, in turn, lead to better industry performance. “As we approach 2024, every minute counts and predictive analytics hold the opportunity to give businesses back time and resources – a crucial business investment to maintain pace with competitors.” aimagazine.com

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EDGE DATA CENT EUROPE – AND N WRITTEN BY: KATE BIRCH

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ETIX EVERYWHERE

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Group CEO Louis Blanchot shares how edge data centre pioneer and leader Etix Everywhere is taking its successful formula from France to Southeast Asia

rtificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and augmented reality are just three of the technological advancements that are gaining headlines globally. While consumers get excited about how these may change their lives, and business leaders wonder how to leverage the opportunities they offer, there is one essential element necessary for success – edge data centres. While edge data centres may not enjoy the hype of generative AI, they are a vital piece of the infrastructure required to make these technologies tick, due to low latency, increased security, greater bandwidth, and more sustainable operation. Etix Everywhere is a leader and pioneer in edge data centres in Europe – and is now expanding that successful formula into Asia. Formed in 2012, Etix Everywhere now operates 15 data centres, and has grown quickly in the last three years. The number of data centres has tripled in that time, while turnover has grown eight-fold. Etix Everywhere is committed to providing colocation solutions that are both sovereign and environmentally friendly, all within 200km of its partners’ headquarters. This USP has really helped to drive the business.

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LOUIS BLANCHOT TITLE: GROUP CEO COMPANY: ETIX EVERYWHERE Armed with a civil engineering degree from a top-tier French institution, Louis Blanchot has helmed Etix Everywhere since inception, and played a pivotal role in laying the firm’s foundation. With a track record of successful partnerships over a decade and eight years spent overseeing European operations, Blanchot embodies the essence of leadership. He spearheaded a strategic turnaround during Etix’s acquisition three years ago. In addition to being a shareholder of the Company, Blanchot shoulders responsibility for the company’s vision, strategy, and overall direction.

“We only focus on the edge market, which for us means bringing the service to the customer and not the customer to the service,” says Etix Everywhere Group CEO Louis Blanchot. “Our core mission is really to develop a platform of data centres to really bring the infrastructure close to the data end user.” So, what makes Etix Everywhere different from other edge data centre operators? Blanchot points to the main USP and reason why customers move to Etix is its scalable edge network with its strong IT marketplace. On top of the colocation factor, Etix is able to deliver interconnection to a long list of IT Partners that can bring added services to its customers to support them in their digital transformation. “Edge data centres provide customers with access to a lot of solutions to develop their hybrid cloud infrastructure, but also what we see is that there are more and

Etix Everywhere Group CEO Louis Blanchot

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“ What we like in the Southeast Asia market is that we can use the same recipe that we used in Europe – developed and duplicated quickly” LOUIS BLANCHOT GROUP CEO, ETIX EVERYWHERE

more services that require low latency – for example, autonomous vehicle, IoT, streaming, gaming, all these new trends,” says Blanchot. “There is a growing demand for low latency and also the question of traffic congestion that you can have on connectivity. So, when all the telco companies want to bring a service to their customer, if they had to send data from Lille to Paris to come back to Lille, or basically to send the data to be computed, like in all 150

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those tier one locations, it creates virtual traffic congestion. When the data can be computed straight away, locally, it will save a lot of bandwidth.” Over the past two years, Etix Everywhere has refocused its efforts on its core expertise – offering a multi-site, sovereign, and decarbonised colocation solution. The acquisition of CIV has doubled the company’s capacity in the Hauts-de-France and in 2024, Etix will inaugurate Lille #4 – a new data centre just 500 metres from Etix

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Lille #2, thereby creating a 2.5 MW IT campus with the best connectivity in the region. Blanchot also points to the recent acquisition of Zcolo France, which has broadened the firm’s horizons – enabling the offer of colocation solutions in three new regions and, as a result, strengthening territorial coverage. “This acquisition represents a key milestone in cementing our undisputed leadership in the French regional market and accelerates our development in Europe –

with colocation capacity now reaching 17.3MW,” he says. But the company’s ambitious expansion strategy does not stop here, with a “vision to establish a leading edge data centre platform in Europe and Southeast-Asia, and guarantee our clients highly scalable and connected facilities close to the data end user.” Data sovereignty is also a key consideration and a hot topic of conversation when it comes to security, and Etix is committed to providing customers with colocation solutions within 200km of its partners’ headquarters. With data invariably crossing borders with hyperscalers, protecting data sovereignty is a challenge, and that’s why more businesses are taking greater control of their data and keeping it within domestic borders, or even closer to home via edge data centres. aimagazine.com

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Sovereignty is a cornerstone principle for Etix. Domiciled in France with a majority of its capital held by French stakeholders, Etix operates under the jurisdiction of French law for the provision of all its services. It’s a commitment to sovereignty that not only underscores the company’s dedication to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct and legal compliance, but also ensures accountability and compliance within the French regulatory landscape. “In this way, Etix demonstrates an allegiance to home turf while contributing to the growing French business ecosystem,” says Blanchot. Along with a commitment to sovereignty, what makes Etix particularly appealing is its offering of a modular solution, a feature it has provided since its inception in 2012. Back in 2012, it was innovative, but now many operators are trying to use modular architecture. “It’s funny. It’s what we created,” declares Blanchot. “It was our innovative design when we created Etix, and the design that we have sold to all our customers ever since – because the benefits are obvious. “Firstly, you only invest in what you need, and you align your CAPEX with your sales ramp-up. “The other main benefit is that we know that the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is really related to IT usage. So, when you achieve around 50% usage and exceed that, the PUE is better. That’s why having a modular data centre improves the IT load and helps you achieve a good PUE.” PUE is essential for data centres as they try to become more sustainable, and that is a core focus for Etix Everywhere. As well as aiming for PUE 1.3 for all of their

“ Having the support from a big partner like Schneider Electric is huge. That’s why we only work with such a world-class supplier” LOUIS BLANCHOT GROUP CEO, ETIX EVERYWHERE

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“ Power Usage Effectiveness is essential for data centres as they try to become more sustainable, and that is a core focus for Etix Everywhere” LOUIS BLANCHOT GROUP CEO, ETIX EVERYWHERE

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data centres, the Nantes-headquartered company also strives to use no water for cooling (WUE <0.01 L/kWh), employ low-carbon electricity, recycle residual heat, repurpose existing buildings, and add solar panels. It’s a bold ambition, and one that was cemented when Etix joined the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact in 2021 with the goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. So how will it achieve those goals? “We have three ways, the first being to work on the energy efficiency of the data centre and improve the PUE,” says Blanchot. “Renewing the technical equipment can really improve performance. “Then you need to work on how you ‘feed’ your data centre with green energy, and how

to recycle the energy that you are producing. Ultimately, the idea is to switch from being an energy consumer to an energy producer, to create a virtuous circle.” Evidence of how Etix is looking to expand its footprint in a sustainable manner comes with its first edge data centre in Thailand’s capital Bangkok. Etix has chosen to focus its development on the capitals of emerging countries with what it considers exponential growth potential. These include Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Manila. The Bangkok site is strategically located in an industrial zone that offers a stable and reliable power source, and also has good road access and telecommunications infrastructure.

DECADE OF DATA CENTRES “When we started in 2012, we were talking about kilowatts or megawatts,” says Group CEO Louis Blanchot. “Now it’s not rare to speak in gigawatts. So, the size of the project is totally different now. “This new hyperscale market demands finding a huge plot of land with a lot of possibility to scale and also – a lot of power. “It’s totally different to our edge DC market, really a medium-sized data centre close to the city with a big and deep IT ecosystem and customer portfolio.”

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Escaping Datacenter Obsolescence: Embrace the Future! IT infrastructure, cooling, power backup and management cannot do without a large amount of energy. Fortunately, with today’s technology you can make your datacenter more sustainable - and more cost-efficient!

Learn more ›

How to achieve cost-efficient data centers A more digital world At Schneider Electric, we believe a more electric and digital world is key to addressing the climate and energy crises. Together with our customers, we will build the New Electric World everywhere: in our homes, buildings, industries, infrastructure, grids… and of course also data centers! Smart & Green But what does this mean for our customers? We focus on the huge potential of two major pillars: Digitalization and Electrification. Or in other words: Smart & Green. Ultimately, we build the technology around digitalization and electrification that guides our customers towards efficiency and sustainability. Our collaboration with Etix Everywhere, leader and pioneer in edge data centers, is a prime example of how we work. They are committed to providing colocation solutions that are both sovereign and environmentally friendly, and as a world-class supplier we are in the best position to support them with smart and innovative solutions. Strategy, product and software Because to meet the needs of the new digital world, we must transform how we deploy and manage IT. Schneider Electric is leading digital transformation

through innovation – with data centers that are sustainable, efficient, adaptive, and resilient in the cloud and at the edge. Schneider Electric not only has the products to enable the best sustainability in data centers, but also has all the software to digitize the entire lifecycle and the knowledge to act as a strategic partner for part or all of the sustainability process. The result? data centers that are faster, more accurate, more cost-efficient, and more sustainable. Change the world For us, sustainability is not a buzzword, it is ingrained in our DNA. We have fully integrated sustainability into our strategy over the past 10-15 years, with concrete and ambitious short-term and long-term targets. Only recently we were included on the Fortune 2023 “Change the World” list – a ranking of the top companies in the world making positive social or environmental impact through activities integral to their core business strategy and operations.

Curious to know more?

Click here ›

“ We only focus on the edge market, which for us means bringing the service to the customer and not the customer to the service” LOUIS BLANCHOT GROUP CEO, ETIX EVERYWHERE

The modular infrastructure provides flexibility when it comes to scalability, meaning Etix can meet the future growth needs of operations at the same site. “What we like in the Southeast Asia market is that we can use the same recipe that we used in Europe – developed and duplicated quickly,” says Blanchot. “That’s why we started with Bangkok. The government is really supporting the digital economy, the country is stable, there is a high number of ‘eyeballs’, not to mention a high number of telcos.” Instrumental in this expansion into Asia is trusted partner Schneider Electric – the energy consultancy regularly voted the world’s most sustainable company. Blanchot points to several factors that Etix Everywhere had to tackle, from culture to climate, and how Schneider Electric’s expertise helped them to navigate these challenges. “Having the support from a big partner like Schneider Electric is huge,” says Blanchot. “That’s why we only work with such a world-class supplier. They have been brilliant for us, and have been able 158

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to deliver the same level of quality in a new country. “Working with Schneider, they helped provide a turnkey solution, so we can just push the button and know exactly the price, the timing, and the level of quality. “It’s just a copy and paste of how we worked with Schneider Electric in Europe, and being able to rely on them has been a big comfort and given me the confidence that we can deliver for our customers.” Looking ahead to the opportunities on the near horizon, from artificial

ETIX EVERYWHERE

intelligence to autonomous driving, those are going to require eye-watering amounts of data, which has to be good news for data centre operators? Blanchot agrees, but reckons it is a little bit of a ‘chicken-and-egg’ situation – the technology cannot really take off until the capacity is there to enable it. “We discuss this a lot with our customers, and urge them to think about the world tomorrow,” he says. “I can tell you that all the main telcos understood it well and see these trends coming.

“When we started Etix in 2012 and began investing in edge, I think it was a little early, but now the market is ready. There are more and more investors trying to develop huge platforms to invest in edge, because this is the future.” If this is indeed the future, you can bet that Etix Everywhere will be there, leading from the front when it comes to edge data centres.

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THE TWIN INFR IMPACTS OF G

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PRODUCED BY: IRON MO

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IRON MOUNTAIN DATA CENTERS

RASTRUCTURE GENERATIVE AI

EAL WITH THEM

OUNTAIN DATA CENTERS

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Sustainability leader Iron Mountain Data Centers is investing heavily in next generation carbon reduction measures which will be vital to sustain the exponential growth of generative AI

2023

will be looked back on as the year generative AI burst into the public consciousness and businesses frantically adapted their models to accommodate it. The ability of Large Language Models (LLMs) to bridge the linguistic gap between humans and machines has caught the popular imagination and raised awareness of the potential to automate and improve many aspects of our lives. In this initial flurry of speculation it can be difficult to find reliable forecasting models on which to base sound business decisions. However, in data centre infrastructure the impacts are more predictable than most, and Iron Mountain Data Centers (IMDC) believes they will drive an industry-wide design revolution fuelled by sustainability. Smart data centre users undertaking AI investment should be aware of this and start planning for it now. 162

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Power surge It is clear to Iron Mountain Data Centers that by far the greatest challenge in supporting generative AI is the huge surge in power loads. Generative AI models use graphics processing unit (GPU) chips which require 10 to 15 times the energy of a traditional CPU. Many models have billions of parameters and require fast and efficient data pipelines in their training phase, which can take months to complete. ChatGPT 3.5, for instance, has 175 billion parameters and was trained on more than 500 billion words of text. To train a ChatGPT 3.5 model requires 300 to 500MW of power. Currently, a typical data centre requires 30 to 50MW 164

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of power. One of IMDC’s larger campuses, in Northern Virginia, has capacity for 10 data centres on it. The whole of the power load for this campus would be required to train ChatGPT 3.5. While LLMs are definitely at the most power-hungry end of the generative AI boom, every generative model IMDC has worked with has processor and power needs which grow exponentially, either doubling or tripling each year. Forecasting the power requirements of generative AI over time is hard to do with any accuracy, but most analysts agree that it will ramp up current requirements hugely. If one estimates current data centre compound growth at a relatively modest

IRON MOUNTAIN DATA CENTERS

AI’S APPETITE IN ACTION IMDC provides the infrastructure for many High-Power Compute (HPC) configurations running generative AI, and has developed specialist facilities that meet their needs. High-density power, modular architecture, high-bandwidth training – input – and inference – output – connectivity and advanced cooling are all critical factors for customers. Healthcare One of IMDC’s healthcare customers has developed a supercomputer for AI-driven imaging apps. While the total consumption is not massive and training cycles are much shorter than for LLMs, the data growth curve of this supercomputer since it was first built in 2018 has been steep. It began with just 10,00050,000 images and achieved 85% accuracy. Now it uses up to half a billion images with accuracy of 95% and runs 50,000 deep learning training experiments per month. Despite the compactness and efficiency of the GPUs, a few racks in the data centre have become a full module of 60 racks with

26 petabytes of processing power storing close to two billion datasets. In less than two years a petaflop of processing power will be needed. Research The Computational Research Accelerator department at Arizona State University was running out of network ports, space and power for ‘Agave’, its supercomputer, so they built a new supercomputer called ‘Sol’ in 2022 in one of IMDC’s Phoenix data centres. Sol is a Dellbuilt system spanning 178 nodes. It uses AMD Epyc 7713 CPUs, consisting of around 18,000 cores, with the bulk of the nodes carrying 512GB of memory and five large-memory nodes equipped with 2TB. It has 56 GPU nodes with quadruple Nvidia A100, 80GB, GPUs each and four nodes with triple Nvidia A30, 24GB, GPUs. The system is networked with Nvidia’s 200GB/s HDR InfiniBand and supported by four Petabytes of Dell BeeGFS scratch storage. The R&D potential of Sol is extremely exciting, and a steep physical growth curve is anticipated.

IRON MOUNTAIN DATA CENTERS

15%, global capacity will double in five years and quadruple in 10. With generative AI in the mix, CAGR could rise as high as 25%, tripling capacity in five years and increasing it up to tenfold in a decade. That is more than double the current growth rate. Enterprises, AI startups and Cloud Service Providers are already racing to secure data centre capacity for their workloads, with the hyperscale clouds leading the pack. This is happening fast. Analyst TD Cowen reported “a tsunami of AI demand” with 2.1GW of data centre leases signed in the US, a fifth of current total supply, in Q2 of 2023. A mountain of e-waste The second AI-generated challenge is at the

back end; a stream of used equipment. AI is driving faster server innovation, particularly in chip design, and the latest AI chips such as the Nvidia H100 have had so many billions advanced against their manufacture and are in such short supply that they are even being used as debt collateral and made available for rent. While this refresh rate will be key to improving efficiency it will also – in tandem with the rise in capacity – increase the scale of e-waste. E-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world. By 2030, annual e-waste production is on track to reach a staggering 75 million metric tonnes. Global e-waste is thought to hold roughly US$60 billion-worth of raw materials such as gold,

What if Data Security, Serviceability, Safety and Satisfaction Could all be Achieved by Design? Explore how Mission Critical facility types are becoming defining elements of architectural design.

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“ To address the twin challenges of capacity growth and e-waste the industry will have to be at the top of its game”

palladium, silver and copper. However, just 17% of global e-waste is documented to be collected and properly recycled each year. Looming climate targets Combine these factors with the broader issues society now faces. These challenges will need to be addressed as the climate crisis deepens and zero emission targets loom. There will be unprecedented pressure on power grids to provide new electrical power for industries that are weaning themselves off fossil fuels. Iron Mountain Data Centers is a firm believer that generative AI in particular will be under intense environmental, and therefore aimagazine.com

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“ AI may be a key to solving the problem, not just for our own industry but for other sectors” popular, scrutiny. To address the twin challenges of capacity growth and e-waste the industry will have to be at the top of its game. Addressing the challenge: Carbon elimination and circularity How should the industry react? As ever, by solving the problems one by one. Low-to-no-carbon power sources will be the key to addressing power challenges. The power demands of generative AI will accelerate this focus and drive new innovations in microgrids and backup power sources such as battery, hydrogen and nuclear. Renewables will also be key. Most hyperscalers and a growing number of colocation providers have been growing the green grid and eliminating carbon to the point that today, hyperscalers are the biggest buyers of renewables in the world. On the colocation side, the Iron Mountain Group is now one of the top 20 renewable buyers in the world. 168

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Data centre owners will now need to follow the leaders and we are already making headway. Following Google’s lead, two years ago IMDC committed to provide not just 100% renewables but 24/7 carbonfree energy – you can see how IMDC and its partners have gone about this in a recent documentary ‘Transforming our Future’. This is a major step up from ‘attributing’ power used to renewables credits, and we believe that this approach will in time replace the current year-by-year Virtual Power Purchase Agreement model. When it comes to circularity, new chips and superfast GPUs will drive the

AI revolution, but what will happen to the old ones? For both efficient performance and impact reduction, Iron Mountain Data Centers says AI providers will need to check that IT asset lifecycle optimisation and recycling, remarketing and secure disposal are available. The industry has been fairly slow to integrate this, but this will accelerate, and IMDC is changing the shape of its business to be in a position to address this issue. The IMDC Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) division, which now covers 32 countries, sanitises more than three million drives a year and has generated in excess

of US$1bn for clients via remarketing and recycling. Most recently, Iron Mountain invested a further US$200 million in acquiring Regency Technologies, which will add even more robust remarketing and recycling capabilities to support circularity for the world’s largest digital businesses. Iron Mountain sees huge potential for this segment to service AI customers over the coming years. The AI opportunity for the industry In the same way that generative AI will revolutionise the industries that run its applications, it is set to revolutionise aimagazine.com

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IRON MOUNTAIN DATA CENTERS

STATS: • To train a ChatGPT 3.5 model requires 300-500MW of power • With generative AI in the mix, data centre CAGR could rise as high as 25%, tripling capacity in five years and increasing it up to tenfold in a decade • By 2030, annual e-waste production is on track to reach a staggering 75 million metric tonnes • The IMDC Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) division, which now covers 32 countries, sanitises more than three million drives a year and has generated in excess of US$1bn for clients via remarketing and recycling • Click here to read the IMDC Infrastructure Service Sheet on the Top 10 considerations when planning AI infrastructure

the infrastructure industry that supports it. It promises to deliver immense economic value over the coming decade, but will also consume immense amounts of power. Many generative AI applications can be hosted in a specialised shared facility. Different models have different infrastructure requirements, but all share the need for high-density power, advanced cooling and modular design. The scale of the power challenge does not mean it cannot be overcome. In an era in which Big Tech has displaced many oil giants 170

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in the list of the world’s largest companies, innovation has accelerated and serious fact-based commitments have been made by industry leaders to tackle the climate crisis. In fact AI may be a key to solving the problem, not just for our own industry but for other sectors. Data centre customers interested in developing generative AI applications should plan and invest early to keep ahead of the steep upward curve in power and space uptake. They should also pay close attention to new infrastructure design impacts,

“ Iron Mountain is now one of the top 20 renewable buyers in the world”

efficiency, energy sourcing and e-waste. This means scrutinising the energy track record and targets of their cloud or data centre provider and sharing data on climate target progress and day-to-day access to – preferably 24/7 carbon-free – renewables. You can find more detail on the market forecasts and detailed infrastructure impacts of generative AI in IMDC’s Generative AI Solution Guide.

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Healthcare

Health knows no bounds Philips connects data, technology and people – seamlessly. Every day, healthcare moves forward. And it appears nothing can stop the progress of human health. Yet even the most advanced healthcare networks can be more integrated. Systems need to be able to talk to each other. Data needs to be available when and where decisions need to be made. At Philips, we help create seamless solutions that connect people, technology and data across the care continuum. From first-time-right diagnosis to hospitals that go where the patient goes, we’re breaking the boundaries standing in the way of progress. There’s no limit to what we can do together. Because today health knows no bounds, and neither should healthcare. See how Philips is removing the bounds of care at: www.philips.com/nobounds There’s always a way to make life better.