Strategic Foresight - Insights in Business and Technology

Deep Seek's GPU Infrastructure Initially acquired 10,000 GPUs in 2021 Estimated to have grown to around 50,000 GPUs in total Used 2,000 H800 GPUs specifically for V3 model pre-training Share infrastructure with their quantitative trading fund operations Initial Export Control Framework US government initially restricted two parameters : Computing power (FLOPS) Interconnect bandwidth between GPUs This two-factor restriction created an opportunity for optimisation H800 GPU Restrictions and Adaptations H800 was China's version of the H100 GPU Two key restriction factors from the US government: Chip compute (FLOPS) Interconnect bandwidth H800 was designed with: Full FLOPS capability (same as H100) Restricted interconnect bandwidth Deep Seek developed specialized SM (Streaming Multiprocessor) scheduling techniques to work around interconnect limitations Managed to achieve full GPU utilisation despite interconnect restrictions Export Control Evolution First Phase: Dual restric...

  The Future of Enterprise AI: Palantir's AIP Palantir's AI Platform (AIP) is revolutionising how enterprises harness data's power. By integrating, analysing, and visualising vast datasets, AIP enables organisations to uncover valuable insights and make informed decisions. What Does Palantir AIP Offer? At its core, Palantir AIP is an ontology-driven platform. This means it uses a structured knowledge graph to represent concepts, entities, and their relationships. This foundational layer allows AIP to: Integrate diverse data sources: Seamlessly combine data from various sources, including structured and unstructured data. Visualise complex relationships: Use powerful visualisation tools to explore connections and patterns within data. Support decision-making: Provide actionable insights to drive strategic decisions and optimise operations. Opportunities for Service Providers For service providers, Palantir AIP presents a wealth of opportunities: Skill Development: Invest in ...

  Cloud-Native in 2025: A Comprehensive Overview of Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges Introduction As we approach 2025, cloud-native architecture has evolved from a cutting-edge approach to a mainstream strategy for enterprise digital transformation. This blog post explores the key trends, strategic importance, benefits, challenges, and future trajectory of cloud-native technologies. Key Trends Shaping Cloud-Native Ecosystem 1. Cost Optimization: FinOps Takes Center Stage Cloud-native architectures are becoming increasingly complex, making cost management crucial. The emergence of FinOps (Financial Operations) is transforming how organizations approach cloud spending. Key developments include: Tools like OpenCost providing granular visibility into Kubernetes spend Projects such as OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, and OpenSearch enabling precise resource consumption tracking Organizations focusing on reducing overall spend without compromising performance 2. Developer Produ...

From Four to Six Pillars: The Evolution of the Australian Telecom Industry  The Rise of Aussie Broadband:  The Australian telecommunications landscape has witnessed a significant transformation in recent years, shifting from a traditional four-pillar model dominated by Telstra, Optus, TPG, and the NBN, to a six-pillar model that now includes Vocus and Aussie Broadband. This evolution has been driven by a confluence of factors, including regulatory changes, evolving consumer demands, technological advancements, and strategic diversification. A "pillar" refers to any telecommunications operator with a revenue of $1Bn or more. A New Era of Competition Aussie Broadband, with its rapid growth and strategic acquisitions, has emerged as a key player in this evolving market. With revenue at ~$1Bn, the company is poised to solidify its position as the sixth pillar of the Australian telecommunications industry. (PE TTM - 35.7, PB - 1.7)  Key Factors Driving the Transition...

First, what I wrote about ABB's FY23 Results last year.     Update on ABB's Business  ABB's Acquisition Spree - Ongoing Tussle and Drivers Behind it.  My other post on NBN and its Economics

Australia Telecom Industry in Transition - From Four Pillar to Six Pillar Model  Australia Telecom Industry - Fixed Services  Australia Telecom Industry - Fixed Internet Ranking   Australia Telecom Industry - Mobile Services  Australia Telecom Industry - Mobile Internet Ranking   My previous post on the Global Telecom Industry Evolution to date.

 Generative AI - Where is The Growth?  The current state of the Gen AI industry shows that big tech companies, especially hyper scalers, dominate the scene. They are the primary drivers of innovation and growth, focused on achieving long-term sustainability by shifting their focus from selling computing to selling generic and specialised model services with higher margins.  This has led to increased interest from venture capitalists, resulting in numerous startups focused on selling model-based services and integrating with existing apps and services. The low barriers to entry make it easy for startups to grow in the short term, but sustainability is challenging without a unique proposition. Many startups will likely fail, with some being acquired by larger companies.  Software providers such as Salesforce, Oracle, and Workday are also integrating AI services, either by building or purchasing specialised services to defend and survive the industry changes. Future of ...

 Generative AI - Framework to Identify Use Case and Investment Application of Framework - Use Cases for Telecom Gen AI - Use Cases for Telecom

Palo Alto Networks - Leader in Cyber Security   Key Indicators  Market Cap – 73.07 Bn EV – 72.95 Bn Debt - $2.26Bn P/B – 41.79 (Goodwill from M&A)  P/E (Trailing) – 184.99 (Growth)  P/E (Forward) – 44.44 (Growth) Economic Moat: Wide (product, innovative)    Palo Alto Network provides network security solutions. The company's solution offerings spread across network security, cloud-native application protection, security operations, and endpoint security and are available across multiple key industries. Cybersecurity has 5 stage lifecycle - Identify, Protect, Detect, Recover and Restore. This cyclical process is essential for protecting an organisation from cyber threats. It helps to ensure that corporations are constantly prepared and able to respond to evolving threats. Dominating Growth Strategy Since Nikesh Joined as CEO in 2018, Palo Alto Networks has grown with a CAGR of 24.9% with market cap. surging by $48Bn to $73.1Bn. This growth is spurre...

 IBM a Tech Giant - How it Lost its Way Key Indicators  Market Cap – $129.39Bn EV – $173.4Bn Debt - $57.5Bn, Cash - $17.9Bn  P/B – 8.57  P/E (Trailing) – 60.44 (Growth)  P/E (Forward) – 14.3 (Div. Centric,  No Growth) Economic Moat: Narrow (under threat)   Where is the Growth How it Lost its Way IBM a more than 100-year-old company that used to be a trendsetter in the technology space has become a laggard and is struggling to get its Mojo back. It is facing headwinds, and it is not clear how it will modernise its business. Today, IBM has 3 business segments, Infrastructure, Software and Consulting, and all of them are declining YoY. There are multiple reasons why IBM's revenues are declining except for the minor surge in 2021, and 2022. Let's look at the key reasons. Unlike its peer group players like Salesforce and ServiceNow which specialises in providing packaged application software in the Cloud (SaaS), IBM has no application software to offer...