AI Unleashed: Wes Cummins on Supercomputing-as-a-Service and the Future of AI Infrastructure

The AI-First Business Podcast

Join us to dive into the world of AI infrastructure with Wes Cummins, CEO and Chairman of Applied Digital. Prior to founding the company he also founded and led 272 Capital LP and led B. Riley Asset Management as President.

Applied Digital (Nasdaq: APLD) designs, develops and operates next-generation datacenters across North America to provide digital infrastructure solutions to the rapidly growing high performance computing (HPC) industry.

Discover the distinctions between traditional and high-power density data centers, and learn how competition for electricity is shaping the industry.

Explore the diverse customer personas in the AI infrastructure market, from hyperscalers to Gen.AI startups, and gain insights into the future of compute for AI. Wes also shares valuable tips for companies venturing into GPU compute and finding the right partners.

• We Cover:
  • Why do AI infrastructure demands necessitate high-power density data centers, and how do they differ from traditional ones?
  • What's driving the escalating demand for compute power in the AI market, and how does it fuel competition for electricity?
  • Who are the key customer personas shaping the AI infrastructure landscape, from hyperscalers to Gen.AI startups and enterprise giants?
  • What are the diverse purchasing options for AI infrastructure, ranging from ownership to cloud services, and what choices exist for GPU compute?
  • What are the common pitfalls to avoid when venturing into GPU compute, such as accessibility issues and hardware management challenges?
  • How can you effectively locate GPU compute companies, whether through online searches or exploring smaller vendors alongside major cloud providers?
  • What does the future hold for data centers as the gatekeepers of AI compute deployments, and why is there a growing focus on their power consumption?

Connect with Wes Cummins here:

Linkedin

Applied Digital

Episode References:

• Nvidia’s H100 – What It Is, What It Does, and Why It Matters
• kW, MW and GW: How electricity units work and how to convert them
• The State of Digital Assets Data and Infrastructure: 2023 Edition Sponsored by Amberdata
• Nvidia H100s shipped 2023
• Hugging Face: The platform where the machine learning community collaborates on models, datasets, and applications

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Chapter

1. Introduction and Background (00:00:00)

2. Data centers and AI Infrastructure (00:06:47)

3. Energy and Geographical Limitations (00:16:55)

4. Customer Personas and Market Outlook (00:31:01)

5. Purchasing Options: Applied Digital vs. Super Compute as a Service (00:35:57)

6. Different Options for GPU Compute (00:36:43)

7. Common Mistakes and Advice for Companies Exploring GPU Compute (00:38:40)

8. Finding GPU Compute Companies (00:39:47)

9. Predictions and Final Words of Advice (00:41:03)