We are actually transferring from sci-fi to actuality with the launch of many AI companies which might be poised to rework industries and reshape our every day lives.

Whereas knowledge facilities are increasing quickly to assist AI necessities, there’s much less readability on how AI may affect long-haul community infrastructure, particularly submarine cables.

That is precisely what I delved into throughout my keynote at Submarine Networks World 2024.

On this presentation, I checked out three massive questions:

1. How massive are AI coaching knowledge units and fashions?

To grasp AI’s potential affect on submarine cables, we should contemplate the sheer dimension of coaching knowledge and fashions.

I used to be curious to grasp simply how massive the coaching knowledge and fashions are when it comes to gigabytes, as a substitute of the extra obscure metrics used within the AI world like parameters or tokens. In any case, this knowledge is the uncooked materials that may very well be carried across the globe on submarine cables. 

2. How will AI affect demand for submarine cable bandwidth?

Over the previous couple of years, I have been asking individuals how AI may form the demand of submarine cable bandwidth. I introduced some outcomes of this non-scientific, pretend survey within the chart beneath.

Even with no definitive reply to this query, it’s price digging into what components could play a task.

Two phrases: location issues.

A mannequin could require pulling coaching knowledge from sources positioned all around the world, or it may very well be relying purely on a knowledge set already saved regionally. Mannequin coaching and inference (utilizing an AI mannequin) might happen inside the similar metropolis, or the mannequin could also be distributed globally throughout a number of knowledge facilities.

And that is simply the tip of the iceberg.

Components resembling knowledge dimension, mannequin coaching frequency, energy availability, knowledge sovereignty legal guidelines, inference latency, and on-device inference can even affect bandwidth necessities.

3. Is there an AI-fueled bubble in new submarine cables?

Many veterans of the telecom trade will recall the submarine cable funding bubble (and subsequent meltdown) within the late Nineteen Nineties/early 2000s. Is the present stage of funding much like what occurred 1 / 4 of a century in the past?

Whereas a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} are flooding into GPUs, knowledge facilities, and energy technology, the funding into new cables is extra modest.

Shifting ahead

I closed with a have a look at some components to control because the AI revolution progresses. Particularly, the placement of future AI factories is vital. Will these be in areas which might be unconnected or underserved by submarine cables?

Extra Information This Method 👇

Yow will discover my full 2024 Submarine Networks World presentation over right here.

Obtain the slides. Free your thoughts.