Dell Technologies Unveils Path to AI Adoption for Businesses

Businesses of all sizes are grappling with questions about adopting generative AI, from initial steps to addressing specific concerns like power and cooling. Jeff Clarke, Vice Chairman and COO of Dell Technologies, assures companies that the journey into AI and GenAI may be more straightforward than anticipated. Speaking at Dell Technologies World in Las Vegas, Clarke emphasized the rapid advancements in AI over the past year and the opportunities they present.

Clarke’s optimism about AI adoption was palpable as he addressed an audience of thousands. “It’s a pretty reasonable discipline that everyone in this room is capable of, or has probably already done, inside their organizations,” he stated, highlighting that Dell’s own GenAI journey mirrors that of many other companies. During customer meetings, Clarke frequently encounters questions such as: Where do I start? Is our data AI-ready? What’s the ROI? Can I afford AI?

Overcoming Initial Challenges in AI Adoption

Two years ago, Dell embarked on its AI journey, facing challenges familiar to many businesses. Clarke revealed that Dell initially had over 900 GenAI projects underway with insufficient data governance and a lack of strategic architecture. However, by establishing robust data governance, architecture, and appointing a chief AI officer, Dell developed the Dell AI Factory, a strategic framework for AI deployment.

Clarke illustrated Dell’s success by discussing the company’s efforts to extract value from disparate datasets within its services organization. By leveraging AI techniques such as machine learning, deep learning, and GenAI, Dell built a support assistant that significantly improved productivity and customer satisfaction.

“This didn’t require the latest models, the latest GPUs, nor did it require significant resources,” Clarke explained. “This GenAI use case is deployed on-prem where the data resides and is protected and secured by our data protection products.”

AI Use Cases and Industry Impact

This support assistant is just one of six primary use cases identified by Dell to help businesses capitalize on GenAI. The other use cases include content creation and management, natural language search, design and data creation, code generation, and document automation. Clarke stressed that these needs are universal across businesses, regardless of size.

Joining Clarke on stage, CoreWeave Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Brian Venturo discussed the future of AI. Venturo emphasized that AI’s impact will be subtle and nuanced, rather than dominated by a single “killer app.” He highlighted the importance of investing in infrastructure to support AI’s growth.

Strategic Partnerships and Future Innovations

Arthur Lewis, President of Dell’s Infrastructure Solutions Group, outlined Dell’s goal of transforming data into intelligence and simplifying complexity. He introduced initiatives like Project Lightning, designed for agentic AI workloads, and a partnership with Cohere to simplify on-prem AI technology deployment.

Cohere Co-founder and CEO Aidan Gomez discussed the Cohere North platform, which enables secure AI agent deployment with strict data control. Lewis also announced new products aimed at easing the deployment and management of private cloud environments.

Sam Burd, President of Dell’s Client Solutions Group, encouraged customers to envision the possibilities AI models can unlock. Burd emphasized the importance of investing in AI PCs to future-proof business operations. He teased the upcoming Dell Pro Max Workstation, featuring a Qualcomm AI100 PC inference card, marking a significant step in AI integration at the endpoint.

“The question is no longer whether AI belongs on the endpoint,” Burd said. “Instead, it is what will you do with server-grade compute power folded into your laptop.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of AI in Business

Clarke concluded the keynote by highlighting the rapid pace of innovation at Dell Technologies. “AI has taken off like a rocket ship,” he said. “We have innovated at an unmatched pace with our Dell AI Factory. We are in the early innings for enterprise AI, and Dell Technologies understands the enterprise better than anyone.”

With a robust ecosystem of partners and a commitment to advancing AI, Dell is poised to lead businesses into the future of AI. For more information on Dell Technologies’ solutions, interested parties are encouraged to explore further.

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