Fresh off celebrating the 40th anniversary of his company’s founding, Michael Dell kicked off Dell Technologies World (DTW) 2024 in Las Vegas by reflecting on the tremendous growth of the business since its humble beginnings in 1984. With the rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), Dell acknowledged that the technology industry has only been operating at a fraction of its potential.
Dell stated, “All the progress we’ve made until now was just a pregame show. We are transitioning from computation to cognition, entering the age of AI.” He expressed his excitement and confidence in the opportunities that lie ahead, emphasizing the transformative power AI holds for organizations, individuals, and the world at large.
Bill McDermott, CEO of ServiceNow, joined Dell on stage to discuss the path paved by AI and how their companies are collaborating in this area. McDermott highlighted the importance of Dell’s infrastructure in driving the success of ServiceNow’s cloud services and AI capabilities. He emphasized the impact AI has had on enabling people to accomplish tasks they never thought possible.
On the first day of the conference, Dell officially launched Dell AI Factory, a comprehensive AI solutions portfolio that spans various aspects of computing and storage, from PCs to datacenters and the cloud. Dell emphasized the central role of data in the AI Factory concept, highlighting the importance of data control, management, optimization, and security.
Among the new offerings, Dell introduced Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus-powered AI PCs with Microsoft Copilot+, aimed at helping users focus on creative and strategic tasks. The AI Factory portfolio also includes data management and protection enhancements such as the Dell PowerScale F910 all-flash file storage solution, Project Lightning for accelerated training times, and Dell Solution for AI Data Protection.
Dell is also expanding its networking products to deliver enhanced AI performance, featuring the Dell PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON switch to boost network performance, the Dell PowerEdge XE9680 server for improved scalability and efficiency, and innovations in Enterprise SONiC Distribution and SmartFabric Manager for SONiC.
The company is also expanding its services portfolio to support AI initiatives, including implementation services for Microsoft Copilot and accelerator services for Dell Enterprise Hub on Hugging Face. Dell aims to optimize on-prem GenAI model deployment through collaboration with Hugging Face, Meta’s Meta Llama 3 models, and Microsoft for Azure AI services.
Dell concluded by emphasizing that the AI Factory isn’t just about creating intelligence; it’s about making companies more efficient and productive, advancing scientific discovery, and fostering impactful partnerships within organizations.
