From Eggs To The Edge: Feeding AI What It Really Needs

In third grade, I was taught the importance of a balanced breakfast through a fun exercise. We organized different food elements like carbs, protein and dairy, which highlighted the value of a nutritious start to the day. However, as I grew older, my mornings became more complex. Some days, I opt for a protein-rich meal before the gym, while on others, I choose fruits for sustained energy. Over time, I realized that my breakfast needs to adapt to my busy lifestyle, requiring tailored solutions that help me perform my best.

Similarly, next-gen and AI applications come in various forms, presenting nuanced and specific requirements that challenge even the most skilled network architects. While computing demand increases, so does the need for quick responses and seamless user experiences, which is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to recurring major problems AI applications face in their operational environments.

Managing Exploding Data Volumes

It’s no secret that the flow of tremendous amounts of data is the gasoline that drives the AI machine forward. An application like OpenAI’s GPT-3 “consumes nearly 175 billion parameters to perform its tasks.”¹ It utilizes vast amounts of data from books, websites and other resources to generate human-like responses, and further recycles data it collects from every user interaction to continuously bolster its application performance. This feedback loop is integral to the growth and success of not just GPT-3 but any next-gen AI application. Therefore, proper data management plays a crucial role in its long-term success.

The Importance of Adaptable Cybersecurity

Ransomware is an uneasy topic at the top of every CSO’s and ITDM’s mind. It’s a problem that threatens both internal company assets and the end-user experience. AI applications’ reliance on data consumption and how dependent they are on that data migration loop further complicate this matter. Securing this growing data is crucial to upholding business continuity as well as maintaining customer trust. Enacting strict security measures within an application’s operational environment can help mitigate risks. Implementing modern solutions that can scale up to match your growing needs—such as continuous data backups, secure network storage and customized privacy control for your workloads—can promote a protected environment in which AI applications can thrive.

Scaling with AI in Mind

AI workloads comprise thousands of technically intricate algorithms built upon unique training models, and powering their demand takes a colossal amount of computing capabilities. It’s estimated that “AI models require more compute power than conventional applications, contributing to the projected 80% rise in demand for AI-ready data centers in the U.S. by 2030.”² As these applications progress in their life cycles, users demand enhanced real-time data processing and application performance.

Computing demand for AI workloads is enormous, but companies must also consider vertical growth. As mentioned earlier, these applications rely on a growing influx of critical data to train themselves and improve end-user interaction. To help that process remain seamless, the applications must grow in parallel to the data they consume, including expanding the security to fortify them and the connectivity to bring the applications to the user. By utilizing flexible and powerful computing solutions to meet an application’s growing needs, companies can deliver real-time data processing and the ultimate end-user experience.

There are many paths you can choose when it comes to these computing environments, and each comes with its own pros and cons. Two of the most common solutions are private cloud and bare metal. At almost opposite ends of the computing spectrum, private cloud is a cloud-based software solution, whereas bare metal infrastructure provides dedicated hardware for computing needs.

So, which can better serve your applications?

How to Know if Private Cloud is Right for You

An essential feature of private clouds is their ability to preserve benefits such as accessibility while addressing the issue of the public cloud environment.

A significant pitfall of public clouds is the need to share the environment with others, which can lead to latency for workloads and limit flexibility and customization, impacting the optimal performance of AI applications. This is not an issue when it comes to private clouds.

Lumen^® Edge Private Cloud leverages a single Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) platform to provide a private environment for each user. Additionally, Edge Private Cloud provides managed infrastructure, so updates, security and maintenance are all handled by Lumen. Our unique edge capabilities allow for increased flexibility by giving you the option to deploy in third-party data centers, on-premises or even in Lumen infrastructure. This enables a secure, flexible and affordable private cloud environment for your applications.

Imagine you work in the analytics department of a large farming manufacturer. You hear about AI and its capabilities for your company, but you know your business isn’t ready to build AI applications for machinery yet. Instead, you can leverage the data your machines produce to map trends. These trends can help predict machinery failures, determine effective maintenance practices and identify suitable environments for your equipment. Insights like these can lead to increased efficiency and optimization, but this type of learning application needs a secure environment to transmit and analyze critical on-premises data. Additionally, managed infrastructure is beneficial since companies oftentimes lack resources to build a dedicated team. Lumen Edge Private Cloud powers workloads effectively, making it an excellent solution for this type of business challenge.

When to Consider a Bare Metal Solution

Let’s shift our focus from software to the tangible world of bare metal servers.

Lumen^® Edge Bare Metal is dedicated server infrastructure-as-a-service designed to reduce latency for real-time data processing and storage, maximizing security, performance and orchestration at the source of digital interaction. These physical servers offer ultimate control and customization when creating the environment for AI workloads. With around 60 locations across metro areas globally, Lumen Edge Bare Metal is designed to bring workloads close to end users and deliver <5ms of latency.

Imagine you’re the director of operations at a rapidly growing robo-taxi company expanding into metros worldwide. You’ve been at the forefront of integrating AI and data processing into your services and are now ready to deploy a new version that uses computer vision. This technology enables your cars to make decisions based on visual data, such as real-time traffic adjustments, internal temperature changes based on live weather data, and other quality-of-life measures that replicate nuanced interactions between drivers and passengers.

To deploy this update, you need a solution that minimizes latency and maximizes customization and control. Edge Bare Metal is designed to meet the stringent latency and customization demands of autonomous transportation—and other circumstances where data needs to be processed as close to the user as possible.

Why Lumen Meets Your Edge Computing Needs

Your AI applications will have unique demands. If your business is new to AI and beginning to harness it to improve operations, consider opting for an edge private cloud solution. However, if AI is central to your business and you are deploying intensive workloads, Edge Bare Metal may be the better choice.

When building out the infrastructure environment for your applications, there are a few key things you need to consider: the ability to meet scaling demands and security needs, the ability to manage data, and lastly, your network.

Networking is the last puzzle piece to unlock the full potential of your AI applications. Much like the maple syrup that holds together a great breakfast, a trusted network is the connectivity that fuels growth and a next-gen end-user experience.

With our extensive fiber network, Lumen supports ultra-fast data transfer and low latency, delivering exceptional performance for complex applications. Our network’s capacity of up to 400 Gbps, combined with deep domain expertise and managed services, makes Lumen the Trusted Network for AI℠.

Leveraging Lumen edge infrastructure and networking capabilities can bolster your applications and enable them to deliver truly next-generation user experiences.

Find out how our Edge Bare Metal or Edge Private Cloud solutions can support your applications today.

¹Balla, Here’s How Much Data Gets Used By Generative AI Tools For Each Request, November 2023.
²McKinsey & Company, AI power: Expanding data center capacity to meet growing demand, October 2024.

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