One of the intriguing aspects of the generative AI phenomenon is the vast range of vendors that are offering solutions to leverage the new technology. Companies eager to deploy GenAI face a complex landscape filled with foundation model suppliers, AI platform companies, data management vendors, and model customization tool providers.

Surprisingly, the big cloud computing companies which have dominated the IT landscape for the last decade haven't played as central a role as many initially expected. At least, not yet.

But there are signs that situation could be changing. Google recently held their Cloud Next event where they unveiled a wide range of new AI integrations for Google Workspace, a GenAI tool for video creation and editing, and other enhancements aided by its Gemini Pro 1.5 large language model.

Now it's Amazon AWS taking the wraps off a host of new features and improvements for its Bedrock GenAI managed service, which are designed to make the process of selecting and deploying the right tools for GenAI applications much easier. Amazon is adding the ability to import customized foundation models into the service and then allow companies to leverage the capabilities of Bedrock across those custom models.

For example, companies that have trained an open-source model like Llama or Mistral with their own data, possibly using Amazon's SageMaker, can now integrate that customized model along with the existing standardized models within Bedrock. This integration allows the use of a single API to build applications that utilize both customized and existing Bedrock model options, including those from AI21 Labs, Anthropic, Cohere, Meta, Stability AI, and Amazon's Titan models.

Amazon also introduced version 2 of their Titan Text Embeddings model, which has been specifically optimized for RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) applications and announced the general availability of its Titan Image Generator model.

The ability to import custom models into Bedrock supports the integration of RAG functionalities, facilitating continuous fine-tuning of models with new data. Bedrock's serverless infrastructure also supports scalable performance across AWS instances, which aids in managing real-time demands. Furthermore, Bedrock includes tools for developing AI-powered agents capable of performing multi-step tasks. Agents are currently one of the hottest discussion topics in GenAI, so these kinds of capabilities are bound to be of interest to those organizations that want to stay on the cutting edge.

Additionally, Amazon has introduced new Guardrails for Bedrock, which add enhanced filtering features to prevent the creation and dissemination of inappropriate content and sensitive information. While existing models already incorporate basic content filtering, these new Guardrails offer an extra layer of customizable protection.

Amazon's Model Evaluation tool within Bedrock, now generally available, assists organizations in selecting the most suitable foundation model for their specific needs. This tool compares various models based on accuracy, robustness, and allows customization to evaluate how different models perform with user-specific data and prompts.

As organizations navigate the early stages of GenAI deployments, many are realizing the importance of locating their GenAI software and services near their data sources. With a significant amount of data hosted on AWS, the new features in Bedrock could prove particularly attractive to companies looking to enhance their GenAI capabilities.

We may also witness the emergence of multi-platform GenAI deployments. Just as companies have found benefits in using multiple cloud providers, they are likely to adopt a similar strategy with GenAI platforms, using different platforms for various applications.

The race is still on, but it's clear that all the major cloud computing providers want to be (and will be) important entrants in the GenAI landscape as well.

Bob O'Donnell is the founder and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, LLC a technology consulting firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech

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As cloud computing evolves, Amazon's AWS looks for its role in generative AI - TechSpot

Google has fired around 50 employees so far after some of its staff participated in protests against the company's cloud contract with the Israeli government called Project Nimbus.

What is project Nimbus

Project Nimbus is a $1.2 billion contract awarded to Google and Amazon.com in 2021 to supply the Israeli government with cloud services. The aim of the project is to provide Israel with public cloud services in order to address challenges in various sectors of the country like healthcare, transportation, and education.

The execution of this project will allow Israel to perform large-scale data analysis, AI training, database hosting, and other forms of powerful computing using Googles technology as per a report in Business Today.

Meanwhile, the government employees and senior leaders of the country will also get training to enhance their digital skill.

Why are Google employees in the US protesting?

Google employees organised sit-ins at the Google office in New York City, California and Seattle against the company's contract with the Israeli government.

The protests are being led by No Tech For Apartheid which has been organising demonstrations against Project Nimbus since 2021. The employees in Google are opposing the ties of their employer with Israel which is currently in war with Gaza.

The protesting faction says that Project Nimbus supports the development of military tools by the Israeli government.

In a statement on Medium, Google workers affiliated with the No Tech for Apartheid campaign called it a "flagrant act of retaliation" and said that some employees who did not directly participate in the protests were also among those Google fired.

"Google workers have the right to peacefully protest about terms and conditions of our labor," the statement added.

The protesting faction says that Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract awarded to Google and Amazon.com in 2021 to supply the Israeli government with cloud services, supports the development of military tools by the Israeli government.

How has Google reacted?

Google CEO Sundar Pichai issued a public warning against those protesting in the company and urged employees not to indulge in any politics.

We have a culture of vibrant, open discussion that enables us to create amazing products and turn great ideas into action. Thats important to preserve. But ultimately we are a workplace and our policies and expectations are clear: this is a business, and not a place to act in a way that disrupts coworkers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics. This is too important a moment as a company for us to be distracted, he wrote in his blog.

In its statement, Google maintained that the Nimbus contract "is not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services."

(With Reuters inputs)

(Published 24 April 2024, 13:23 IST)

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Explained | What is Project Nimbus and why are Google employees protesting against it? - Deccan Herald

With over half of all corporate data held in the cloud as of 2022, demand for cloud storage has never been higher. This has triggered extreme energy consumption throughout the data centre industry, leading to hefty greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Worryingly, the European Commission now estimates that by 2030, EU data centre energy use will increase from 2.7% to 3.2% of the Unions total demand. This would put the industrys emissions almost on par with pollution from the EUs international aviation.

Despite this, it must be remembered that cloud storage is still far more sustainable than the alternatives.

Why should we consider cloud storage to be sustainable?

Its important to put the energy used by cloud storage into context and consider the savings it can make elsewhere. Thanks to file storage and sharing services, teams can collaborate and work wherever they are, removing the need for large offices and everyday commuting.

As a result, businesses can downsize their workspaces as well as reduce the environmental impact caused by employees travelling. In fact, its estimated that working from home four days a week can reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions by around 10%.

In addition, cloud storage reduces reliance on physical, on-premises servers. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), having on-site servers or their own data centres can be expensive, whilst running and cooling the equipment requires a lot of energy, which means more CO2 emissions.

Cloud servers, on the other hand, offer a more efficient alternative. Unlike on-premises servers that might only be used to a fraction of their capacity, cloud servers in data centres can be used much more effectively. They often operate at much higher capacities, thanks to virtualisation technology that allows a single physical server to act as multiple virtual ones.

Each virtual server can be used by different businesses, meaning fewer physical units are needed overall. This means less energy is required to power and cool, leading to a reduction in overall emissions.

Furthermore, on-premises servers often have higher storage and computing capacity than needed just to handle occasional spikes in demand, which is an inefficient use of resources. Cloud data centres, by contrast, pool large amounts of equipment to manage these spikes more efficiently.

In 2022, the average power usage effectiveness of data centres improved. This indicates that cloud providers are using energy more efficiently and helping companies reduce their carbon footprint with cloud storage.

A sustainable transition: three steps to create green cloud storage

Importantly, there are ways to further improve the sustainability of services like cloud storage, which could translate to energy savings of 30-50% through greening strategies. So, how can ordinary cloud storage be turned into green cloud storage? We believe there are three fundamental steps.

Firstly, businesses should carefully consider location. This means choosing a cloud storage provider thats close to a power facility. This is because distance matters. If electricity travels a long way between generation and use, a proportion is lost. In addition, data centres located in cooler climates or underwater environments can cut down on the energy required for cooling.

Next, businesses should quiz green providers about what theyre doing to reduce their environmental impact. For example, powering their operations with wind, solar or biofuels minimises reliance on fossil fuels and so lowering GHG emissions. Some facilities will house large battery banks to store renewable energy and ensure a continuous, eco-friendly power supply.

Last but certainly not least, technology offers powerful ways to enhance the energy efficiency of cloud storage. Some providers have been investing in algorithms, software and hardware designed to optimise energy use. For example, introducing frequency scaling or AI and machine learning algorithms can significantly improve how data centres manage power consumption and cooling.

For instance, Googles use of its DeepMind AI has reduced its data centre cooling bill by 40% a prime example of how intelligent systems can work towards greater sustainability.

At a time when the world is warming up at an accelerating rate, selecting a cloud storage provider that demonstrates a clear commitment to sustainability can have a significant impact. In fact, major cloud providers like Google, Microsoft and Amazon have already taken steps to make their cloud services greener, such as by pledging to move to 100 per cent renewable sources of energy.

Cloud storage without the climate cost

The clouds impact on businesses is undeniable, but our digital growth risks an unsustainable future with serious environmental consequences. However, businesses shouldnt have to choose between innovation and the planet.

The answer lies in green cloud storage. By embracing providers powered by renewable energy, efficient data centres, and innovative technologies, businesses can reap the clouds benefits without triggering a devastating energy tax.

The time to act is now. Businesses have a responsibility to choose green cloud storage and be part of the solution, not the problem. By making the switch today, we can ensure the cloud remains a convenient sanctuary, not a climate change culprit.

Check out the upcomingCloud Transformation Conference, a free virtual event for business and technology leaders to explore the evolving landscape of cloud transformation.Book your free virtual ticket to deep dive into the practicalities and opportunities surrounding cloud adoption.Learn more here.

Tags: climate, costs, Storage, sustainability

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Future-proof your business: cloud storage without the climate cost - CloudTech News

Google Public Sector achieved a major milestone Tuesday for its U.S. government customers, announcing Defense Department authorization for its cloud platform to host secret and top secret classified data.

The accreditation instantly makes Googles cloud offering more competitive with rivals Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Oracle as they vie for billions of dollars worth of business within the Defense Department and intelligence agencies.

We're thrilled to announce another significant milestone for Google Public Sector: the authorization of Google Distributed Cloud Hosted to host Top Secret and Secret missions for the U.S. Intelligence Community, and Top Secret missions for the Department of Defense, Leigh Palmer, the companys vice president of delivery and operations said at Google Cloud Next conference in Las Vegas. This authorization underscores Google Public Sector's commitment to empowering government agencies with secure, cutting-edge technology.

Google Distributed Cloud is the companys air-gapped solution built to meet the U.S. governments most stringent security standards. The suite of accredited tools includes capabilities like compute and storage, data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence and does not need to be connected to the public internet to function.

According to Palmer, Google developed its air-gapped cloud with a security-first approach, leveraging zero trust principles, Google best practices and the latest federal guidelines in application and hardware security, cryptography and cybersecurity.

The accreditation represents the culmination of a pivot back to defense work for Google, which in 2018 opted not to continue controversial AI work it was doing under a Pentagon program called Project Maven in part over employee concerns. In 2022, the tech giant formed a new division, Google Public Sector, in part to target a growing government market that spends more than $100 billion on technology each year.

The Defense Department and intelligence agencies represent a significant portion of that spending, and the ability to host secret and top secret government data now allows Google Public Sector to compete for task orders against Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Oracle on two multi-billion dollar contracts: The Central Intelligence Agencys C2E contract and the Pentagons Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract.

Even before the accreditation, Google Public Sector performed work for the Army, Defense Innovation Unit and Air Force.

Google Cloud is committed to being a trusted partner and enabling public sector agencies to achieve their goals with the highest levels of security and innovation, Palmer said.

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Google is now authorized to host classified data in the cloud - Nextgov/FCW

In a recent address at the 72nd Antitrust Law Spring Meeting in Washington DC, UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) CEO Sarah Cardell delved into the potential impact of the current AI landscape on competition and consumer protection.

Emphasizing AI's transformative benefits, Cardell implied that tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have been selectively investing in specific startups.

Her speech, recorded via speakers notes, highlighted the need for proactive measures to ensure fair, open, and effective competition in the AI landscape.

Reflecting on the CMAs ongoing scrutiny of the cloud and AI industry, Cardell outlined a series of risks that current practices pose.

Concerns were raised about tech giants controlling critical inputs (such as compute and data) for foundation model development, potentially restricting access for other companies. Such restriction could lead to incumbent firms protecting their existing positions from disruption, which Cardell fears might even lead to market power in other markets beyond AI.

The CMAs CEO also noted that partnerships involving key players in the AI landscape, such as the big three, could reinforce their existing positions of market power and dominance, making it even harder for smaller companies to reach the top.

To address these concerns, the CMA has already committed to enhancing its merger review process to assess the implications of partnerships and arrangements and to monitor current and emerging partnerships more closely, including that of Microsoft and OpenAI.

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Finally, the CMA has plans to examine AI accelerator chips and their impact on the foundation model value chain.

As the AI landscape continues to evolve, its clear that the CMA remains committed to its existing investigations into dominant companies and encouraging competition.

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Competition under threat as cloud giants selectively invest in startups, watchdog says - TechRadar