Escaping the Matrix: AI and Submarine Cables

We are actually transferring from sci-fi to actuality with the launch of many AI providers 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 would possibly influence 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 large questions:

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

To grasp AI’s potential influence on submarine cables, we should take into account the sheer dimension of coaching knowledge and fashions.

I used to be curious to know simply how large the coaching knowledge and fashions are by way of 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 could possibly be carried across the globe on submarine cables. 

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

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

Even with no definitive reply to this query, it’s value digging into what components might play a job.

Two phrases: location issues.

A mannequin might require pulling coaching knowledge from sources situated everywhere in the world, or it could possibly be relying purely on a knowledge set already saved regionally. Mannequin coaching and inference (utilizing an AI mannequin) might happen inside the identical metropolis, or the mannequin could also be distributed globally throughout a number of knowledge facilities.

And that is simply the tip of the iceberg.

Elements equivalent to knowledge dimension, mannequin coaching frequency, energy availability, knowledge sovereignty legal guidelines, inference latency, and on-device inference may also affect bandwidth necessities.

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

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

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

Transferring ahead

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

Extra Knowledge This Means 👇

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

Obtain the slides. Free your thoughts.