In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and big data, NVIDIA has long been a dominating force, especially with its significant growth in the gaming sector and the data centre field. However, the future of the industry could lie in FPGA technology. With Intel and Xilinx leading the charge and major companies like Microsoft and Amazon embracing this tech, FPGA technology may be better equipped to handle what’s coming in AI and big data than traditional GPUs like NVIDIA’s Titan X Pascal.

FPGA Technology vs. GPU: The Changing Landscape

Recently, a group of engineers at Intel published a paper detailing the comparison between FPGA systems and current GPU standards. They concluded that as FPGA technology and algorithms increase, they will become far more adept at handling the big data stress load, all at a lower ops/watt ratio. In layman’s terms, FPGA technology may be the future, with more extensive customizability and capabilities to meet the evolving demands of AI.

The Giants Behind FPGA: Intel and Xilinx

Intel and Xilinx, the top makers of FPGA technology, currently hold 90% of the market share. This dominance, paired with significant advancements in technology, is shifting the balance from traditional GPUs.

Microsoft, for instance, has committed to using Intel’s version of FPGA in all its data centres, while Xilinx recently secured a substantial contract with Amazon for its accelerated AWS (Amazon Web Services).

Why Is FPGA Better?

Unlike GPUs, FPGA technology offers greater customizability and can be better integrated into developing systems around AI needs. The FPGA’s adaptability is indicative of a technology more aligned with the future, potentially rendering the GPU’s industry domination fleeting.

The Market’s Response to FPGA

Xilinx’s contract with Amazon, along with Microsoft’s use of Intel’s FPGA, signals a market shift towards array systems over single processing units. Though this represents a tiny portion of the overall processor field, the signs are clear: FPGA technology is on the rise.

Investment Opportunities: Xilinx as a Smart Money Play

For companies and investors seeking smart investment in AI and big data, Xilinx could be a promising option. Comparing the chance to invest in NVIDIA back in 2007, investing in Xilinx today could yield similar rewards in the future.

Conclusion

FPGA technology represents a crucial development in the AI and big data field. With industry giants like Intel, Xilinx, Microsoft, and Amazon embracing FPGA over traditional GPUs, the trajectory seems clear. The adaptability, efficiency, and foresight offered by FPGA technology could shape the future of AI and big data. What are your thoughts on FPGA’s rise in prominence? Is it the future of processing technology? Share your insights and opinions in the comments below. We would love to hear from you!

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The year has not been a good one for British Airways. After five previous IT shutdowns this year, the company has just now had its most severe IT related shut down of the year. Flights today were cancelled throughout the world, and the airline has said that it will likely take several days to get the systems back up and the backlog cleared. There had been some serious concern that the outage was due to the most recent ransomware attack (nicknamed ‘WannaCry’), but after these suggestions were made, British Airways revealed that there had been no hacking on the system. A BA representative was quoted as saying, “We’ve found no evidence that it’s a cyber-attack.”

Thousands of would be passengers missed flights and were stranded in varying locations throughout the world. The scene at the London airports was chaotic at best. Queues for checking in had become ridiculous, and because of the IT shut down, BA employees had been forced to start using whiteboards with markers to try and communicate with the massive crowds. As the crowds continued to build, the airline was forced to cancel all flights for Saturday. Finally after noon, a spokesman for the beleaguered airline said,  “We have experienced a major IT system failure that is causing very severe disruption to our flight operations worldwide. The terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick have become extremely congested and we have cancelled all flights from Heathrow and Gatwick before 6pm UK time today, so please do not come to the airports.”

Some had suggested that the decision last year by the airline to outsource all the IT to India was to blame. The GMB union said that this was the cause of the outage again. However, British Airways has denied that this is the cause of the problem. Mick Rix, the head of the GMB aviation sector said, “This could have all been avoided. BA in 2016 made hundreds of dedicated and loyal IT staff redundant and outsourced the work to India.” Whether this stands true or not, the IT department will certainly be under some pressure.

This recent failure highlights the realities that companies are facing in the digital age. When systems are fully IT dependent for functionality, shutdowns can destroy an entire system and bring whole businesses to a grinding halt. While it’s true that this failure is a major one, it may also indicate the substantial need for careful attention to IT controls and security in the business world. When you can’t live without IT, you have to find a way to live with it properly.

Keep your IT department up to date with some research whitepapers from some of the top vendors in the IT Security and Infrastructure space – check out our Research Center.

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Today the head of Fidelity (one of the largest asset management firms in the world with $1.9 trillion in assets) told the audience at the Consensus conference that she is a huge fan of bitcoin. Consensus is a technology summit for Blockchain – the tech that Bitcoin relies on for its security and third-party verification. Blockchain is a decentralized database system that requires full consensus for approval, thus making any single user incapable of tampering with any record without all the other users seeing the fault. This sort of self-policing security is what has Bitcoin a  household name in the tech world.

Bitcoin was the first, though not the last, of the digital Cryptocurrencies to solve what is affectionately referred to as the ‘double spending’ problem. The trouble with digital currencies is that they could potentially allow for double spending if the coin was able to be duplicated. The Blockchain system allowed Bitcoin to overcome this issue and made it the first widely accepted digital currency in the world.

And bitcoin has been doing well. If you had invested $100 in Bitcoin in 2010, you would now have well over $70 million. Yes – you read that correctly. $100 to $70+ million dollars in seven years. There’s simply no other monetary vehicle capable of producing these types of returns. And these kinds of numbers have made heads turn in the financial world. Hence Fidelity’s growing interest.

Fidelity is the only one of the major financial players that has made it possible for customers to see Cryptocurrency balances online if they have a Coinbase account already. This system will be available starting later this year. What’s more, they’ve set up a bitcoin mining group to work toward gaining an understanding of digital currency, but now the group is turning a good profit. Between mining themselves and now offering services, Fidelity is getting into the Bitcoin world in a bigger way. They’ve even allowed employees to use Bitcoin at the coffee shop in the lobby.

The question of whether the cryptocurrency system is able to handle the high-pressure needs of the financial world is still in play (for now the infrastructure doesn’t allow enough transactions to make it competitive on the global market), and the reality that digital currencies are here to stay is clear. The sheer power, anonymity, and returns have made investors in different sectors wake up and check out the system. While it may have started life as a fringe currency under lots of scrutiny, bitcoin has sustained itself and is grabbing up followers quickly. With Ethereum and other Cryptocurrencies coming online, there’s room for this tech world to grow.

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The GDPR, on the face of it, seems fairly simple. Data subjects, including all employees, end users, customers, etc, are empowered to file a claim against an entity if their data is not protected according to the new regulations. And if the claim is seen as valid, the EU has the right to levy substantial fines for violations – up to €20 million or 4% of the total annual revenue of the company. Large companies with substantial revenue could face unbelievable fines if found in violation. The shocking part of this story is that less than half of US companies (according to a recent survey by Imperva), are preparing to make the necessary changes to protect themselves from this sort of fine. The reality is that for businesses working in the EU, the time for preparation is now. Fines could be huge and a lack of preparedness could significantly injure the company.

There are a number of important things that should happen immediately if a company is wanting to protect itself from the potential dangers inherent in this new law. First, companies should begin by identifying what personal data they are in possession of, based on the specific legal requirements. Next, companies should analyze how much of that personal data is currently at risk of exposure. This step would require a careful analysis of where personal data is stored within the company infrastructure, and who has access to that particular portion of infrastructure. Finally, a company should take necessary measures to ensure that access to those portions of their internal infrastructure is carefully secured. Failure to take these preventative steps could potentially have negative impacts.

There are some third party software options that can help you prepare for this event. IBM offers a very useful security suite called the Security Guardium. The software allows you to locate the points where your personal data is at risk and then will help you to fix any issues that it finds. It will also allow you to monitor the activity of different users and protect all personal data from unauthorized access. Finally, it carries an automated compliance evaluation which helps managers keep a constant watch over the potential threats and manage them rapidly.

With the tsunami of GDPR coming, it would be wise to start the process now. Whether companies utilize the IBM solution or take it in house, the warning is here, and preparation is key to success.

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