Vahid Zohali’s Post

Spatial computing is about to change the course of technology innovation and the ways people work and live. 👇 92% of executives agree their organization plans to create a competitive advantage leveraging spatial computing. Accenture, 2024 tech vision. Spatial computing is about to hit its stride, and the race is on for leaders to get ahead. To position themselves at the top of the next era of technology innovation, enterprise leaders will need to rethink their position on spatial and recognize the effect recent technology advances are about to have. New computing mediums are few and far between, and they can have immeasurable impact on businesses and people for decades. Are you ready to immerse yourself in the moment? Take the easiest step to Spatial computing possible and grow into the future NOWHERE. Grab your free world today at https://meet.nowhere.io #immersivetech #virtualworlds #immersiveexperience #spatialcomputing #immersive

Microsoft and PNNL's AI-Driven Discovery We are on the brink of a sustainable revolution in battery technology, thanks to the groundbreaking collaboration between Microsoft and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), part of the US Department of Energy. Their recent discovery, a new material that could potentially reduce lithium use in batteries by up to 70%, is nothing short of revolutionary. This advancement is not just a step but a giant leap forward in our quest for sustainable and efficient energy solutions. What makes this discovery even more remarkable is the process behind it. Leveraging the power of AI and supercomputing, Microsoft researchers successfully narrowed down a staggering 32 million potential inorganic materials to 18 promising candidates in less than a week. This feat, under traditional lab research methods, could have taken over two decades! The journey from inception to the development of a working battery prototype took less than nine months. This rapid progress underscores the incredible potential of AI and high-performance computing in accelerating scientific discovery and innovation. Jason Zander, Executive Vice President of Microsoft, eloquently stated that one of the tech giant's missions was to "compress 250 years of scientific discovery into the next 25". This discovery is a testament to that mission and a clear indicator of the transformative impact that technology will continue to have on scientific research. The successful powering of a lightbulb with this new material is just the beginning. Imagine the possibilities and the impact on various industries, from electric vehicles to renewable energy storage. This breakthrough is a prime example of how technology, when applied thoughtfully, can lead us towards a more sustainable and efficient future. It's an inspiring reminder of the power of collaboration, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of progress. Let's celebrate this monumental achievement and the bright future it heralds for sustainable technology and energy solutions. #SustainableTech #AIInnovation #BatteryTechnology #Microsoft #PNNL #EnergySolutions #FutureIsHere

Good to see this news article in the Business Weekly newspaper about our report - hot off the press - into the vast commercial potential of #Japan's #quantumcomputing sector for UK tech firms. Our study is the latest item from the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme, which we're running for the Government to help companies break into markets in Asia Pacific. It identifies the segments of the sector that present particularly hot opportunities as Japan ramps up investment to develop commercial applications. And it explains how the major Japanese players' focus on quantum annealing and simulation has created big openings for UK companies with gate-based alternatives. You can download a free copy of the report here: https://lnkd.in/er2QRwmZ https://lnkd.in/e86XZCcS

📰 News: 📰 🚀 Unveiling the Quantum Computing Revolution in Ireland: Here’s Why It Matters! 🇮🇪✨ Ever thought about the next big thing that could revolutionize your industry? -Hint: It’s more exciting than flying cars!- Welcome to the mind-boggling world of --Quantum Computing--. But what makes Ireland a hotspot for this futuristic technology? Let’s break it down into bite-sized pieces - no PhD required! Think of Quantum Computing as supercharged calculators, capable of solving problems traditional computers take eons to crack. Imagine your computer is a light switch – it’s either on -1- or off -0-. A quantum computer is like a magic switch that can be both on and off at the same time! 📈✨ -Wow, right?- Here are some figures that might blow your mind👇: 📊 By 2040, the quantum technology market could hit a whopping $106B – talk about future-proof investment! 💸 In 2022, quantum tech start-ups secured $2.35B in investments – and 68% of these investments popped up in just the past two years. 📈 According to McKinsey, 49% of businesses are hopping on the quantum train faster than they adopted AI. Intrigued? Wondering how --Quantum Computing-- can disrupt and elevate your vertical? 💡 Dive deeper and share your thoughts! Drop a comment below and don’t forget to Follow --Spin Quantum Tech-- for the latest updates. Let’s navigate this quantum future together!✨ #Hospitality #Ecommerce #Retail #Commerce #Manufacturing #Logistics #Strategy #Innovation #Business #ArtificialIntelligence #QuantumComputing #SQT https://lnkd.in/ewxie9iE

As Arrow Electronics continues its expansion and growth in Europe, in the last two weeks I had the opportunity to travel to three amazing cities with two things in common. #Tallinn, the capital of Estonia and the headquarters of Arrow in the Baltics. A beautiful city, where the old town is a UNESCO listed world heritage site. #Budapest, where the central area of Budapest along the Danube River is also UNESCO listed world heritage site. #Coppenhagen, another beautiful city which was awarded the World Capital of Architecture by UNESCO in 2023. So the first is clearly UNESCO, but the second one?. No surprise its AI, why? because each respective country has published a National AI Strategy to support the adoption and use of AI in both the public and private sector with common principals of Trustworthiness, Explainability and Transparency. So we know AI is top of mind for partners and clients, especially after the announcement of IBM watsonx last year, but access to SMEs and hands on training, especially technical, to progress AI adoption and support National Strategies is a recurring challenge. That is why last year we began discussions with Arrow ECS EMEA. on how we could provide our joint ecosystem of partners with these crucial skills. The #Arrowailab in Arrow ECS Sweden does exactly that, it provides a full stack watsonx environment (.data, .ai, .governance) running on #redhatopenshift, and #ibmfusion. Last week Arrow's Christian Pallinder, Tahira Naeem and Dan Swango of IBM, hosted a full house of thirty Arrow and IBM partners from across EMEA in the Lab, for 3 days of deep, hands on L3 Watsonx training. The outcome? more than 75 Watsonx technical sales badges were earned. Read more how #arrowailab can help you get started on your AI journey below: https://lnkd.in/dZDzVcWV Suvi-Maria Saarilehto, Gregoire Markesis, Mike Worby, Mark Benson, Olaf Scamperle, David Stokes, Rose Nunez-Renck, David La Rose, Carl Mikael Dufberg, Nick Bannister, Henrik Resting-Jeppesen, Arthur Kallos Penny Philpot

Lessons and observations from my meetings with Japan's government and science agencies on critical tech, critical infrastructure, quantum, AI, and AI Safety! 🇯🇵🇦🇺 A great two days. I had the privilege of engaging with the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), AI Safety Institute Secretariat (AISI), Information-technology Protection Agency (IPA), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI Technology (G-QuAT), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and NEC GenAI Hub. Here are some key takeaways: 🌐 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the arrival of powerful quantum computers, Japan has wisely invested in "quantum engineering." This includes a robust quantum software stack, AI-quantum cloud, system-level simulation, and device measurement. By doing so, companies can capitalise on early wins while being prepared to seamlessly transition their use cases across quantum and AI compute infrastructures. 🎯 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐈 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲, 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬/𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬. While there seems to be a rehashed process/governance framework/standard emerging every week, SMEs are not necessarily eager to set up another process, committee, or role. What they desperately need are technical standards and concrete practices/measurements. My visit to AISI was particularly interesting as both Australia and Japan are embarking on new AI safety initiatives. We realised we have so much to share, harmonise, and collaborate on in the future. ⚖️ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 by providing research infrastructures across countries and granting trusted research institutions access to frontier AI systems for external evaluation. Interestingly, Yoshua Bengio had met with the same people a few days before me, talking about the approach. I happily supported it with a few lessons from Australia, including CSIRO's Data61's use-without-sharing and disclosure control technologies to enable a balanced enclave environment. 🤝 To foster concrete collaboration between the two countries, we need to encourage young 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡. A huge thanks to the Australian Embassy in Tokyo, especially Oi Yee Claudette Chan, for arranging many enlightening discussions! 🙏✨ #AISafety #QuantumTech #CriticalInfrastructure #AustraliaJapanPartnership

🌍 Are Smart Data Centres Revolutionising the Global Built Environment? 🌍 In the age of data, our virtual worlds are growing exponentially. However, behind every byte lies a brick and mortar reality: data centres. And these aren't just any buildings - they're the future of the built environment. ✅ Energy Efficiency: Take Google's DeepMind AI system, which reduced the energy used for cooling its data centres by 40%. Smart data centres use such technologies to ensure optimal energy consumption, aligning with global sustainability goals. 🤖 Automated Operations: Microsoft's underwater data centre, Project Natick, showcased how automation can lead to unprecedented efficiencies. By leveraging the seabed's cooling properties, it highlighted the innovation potential in this space. 🌍 Global Interconnectivity: Facebook's data centre in Luleå, Sweden, is a testament to how these infrastructures are playing a critical role in our interconnected world. Located near the Arctic Circle, it uses natural cold to improve efficiency, serving billions of users seamlessly. 🔒 Security: The Apple data centre in Reno, Nevada, exemplifies how crucial real-time monitoring and advanced security measures are in our data-driven age. Ensuring that our digital realms are safe is paramount, and smart data centres are leading the charge. As we push boundaries in the digital world, it's essential to recognize the foundations that support it. Data centres are not just housing our data; they're setting the blueprint for tomorrow's built environment. Are there any other projects you can think of? #SmartDataCentres #BuiltEnvironment #DigitalInnovation #Sustainability #FutureTech

Some people have asked me about my lack of posting, i.e., if everything’s OK. Everything’s great, just a busy time. Some quick updates below. ** IBM Congressional Fly-in ** Had the privilege of joining Timothy Humphrey for the annual IBM Congressional Fly-in to meet with the U.S. Senators and select U.S. Representatives from our state of North Carolina and/or their staffs. It was a great learning experience and made me proud that IBM is (IMO) on the right side of topics like how AI should be regulated (risk focused vs. tech focused) and that these messages are resonating in Washington. ** IBM AutoLab Summit in Munich ** Had the privilege of joining Christine Rupp, Peter Schel, and other IBM DACH colleagues for the IBM AutoLab Summit in Munich, Germany. This is an event where IBM Consulting DACH and IBM partners meet with tech leaders from the large German automakers about trends in technology that are relevant to their digital transformations and their technical platforms. I gave a talk on how open innovation (open source, inner source, etc.) played a profound role on the creation of watsonx and how IBM and Red Hat are working hard with other organizations committed to open innovation in AI to ensure that the future of AI is open, not closed. ** Getting back to my book ** I have one more week of travel coming up (Yorktown, NY) then am going to try to spend some cycles on the next parts of my “Higgins book” project. I haven’t hit on the topic of Strategy yet so probably should do that, also want to talk about the controversial topic of Politics in organizations. You can find the current sections here if you have no idea what I’m talking about: https://lnkd.in/eigh6pvq Hope everyone’s doing great and thanks for checking in!

The European cloud infrastructure landscape is shaped by the interplay between AI and accelerated computing, emphasizing the importance of GPU capacities for technological advancement. Increasing demand for secure, sovereign, and scalable access to accelerated computing in Germany and across Europe is driven by stringent data regulations, energy limitations, and the need for sustainable energy sources ⚡ ♻   The primary factors that will drive innovation and adoption in this field include advancements in accelerated computing, resource-effective solutions for AI training and inferencing, and breakthroughs in sustainable or net-zero operational practices. Additionally, the ability to deploy these technologies in a sovereign manner is increasingly important, as well as forming strong alliances and business cases to secure the substantial funding needed. To foster AI innovation and economic growth, a robust infrastructure must prioritize criteria such as data and computing security, sovereignty, scalability, and sustainability, as well as catering to diverse users like researchers, startups, SMEs, corporates, and public entities 🏭 This is why we initiated the expert group on 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. With leading experts from the field, we will find ways to tackle these issues and building access to AI infrastructure for ⭕ KI Park e.V. members and beyond. Be prepared to get more updates soon! Olly Salzmann Claire Helffer-de Soyres Thomas Schoenemeyer Thomas Schmidt Claudia McHugh Tonio Rost Marcus Giehrl Juergen Bienzeisler Robert Schiller Friedrich Stahl #DigitalInfrastructure #AI #sustainability #GPUs #Europe #acceleratedcomputing #datacenters #Germany 

Excited to have attended an enlightening event hosted by Microsoft Denmark at the Technical University of Denmark , where I had the privilege of exploring the limitless possibilities of AI and Quantum technology. It was an honor to hear from industry leaders like Mette Kaagaard, CEO of Microsoft Denmark, and Charlotte Mark, Managing Director of Microsoft Denmark, as they shared invaluable insights into how these innovative tools are reshaping our world. From solving complex problems to revolutionizing how we live, work, and interact with technology, the event truly showcased the transformative potential of AI and Quantum. Moreover, it's fascinating to witness the tangible impact of AI in Denmark, particularly in critical sectors such as healthcare. AI is already being utilized in X-ray radiology, blood sample analysis, and cyber security defense. Additionally, AI plays a crucial role in predicting wind patterns, aiding in real-time positioning of #Vestat wind turbines to optimize wind capture. Microsoft is also at the forefront of sustainability efforts, leveraging AI and quantum computing to transition its data centers to green energy sources. This convergence of technology and sustainability underscores the profound influence of AI and Quantum in shaping a brighter future. The event was truly a visionary experience that showcased the transformative potential of AI and Quantum. #Microsoft #AI #Quantum #Innovation #TechnologyTransformation #Sustainability 🌐