The Hidden Engine Behind AI’s Rise

AI is booming, with major US companies investing an astonishing $109 billion into AI initiatives and technologies in 2024 alone. This surge highlights how AI powers various sectors, from autonomous vehicles and medical devices to the applications and assistants we rely on daily. Despite this explosive growth, the true infrastructure behind AI’s transformation remains less visible. While attention often focuses on data centers and their energy demands, the pivotal role of data storage systems frequently goes unnoticed.

AI relies on massive volumes of data which require continuous storage, access, and management. The global data volume, largely driven by AI, is anticipated to exceed 200 zettabytes in the near future—a staggering amount where just one zettabyte equals a billion terabytes. Each insight generated, every decision made by an AI model, hinges on the capability to store and process this immense data stream. Without efficient, high-speed flash storage, AI models would struggle to function effectively, akin to trying to think without a memory. Without it, data would remain fleeting and unstructured, devoid of meaning.

Enter Sandisk®, a company with a rich history in flash storage innovation, which is crucial in turning raw data into actionable real-time intelligence. Sandisk plays a foundational role in the infrastructure that supports the vast data needs of AI.

Inside the AI Data Cycle

For AI systems to deliver the outputs expected by businesses and consumers, they must navigate a complex data life cycle, where flash storage is fundamental at every stage:

• Raw Data Archives: AI initiatives begin by collecting vast datasets from a myriad of sources. These datasets must be efficiently stored and easily retrievable for analysis and model development.
• Data Preparation and Ingestion: Raw data must undergo cleaning, structuring, and tagging to be useful. This process demands high-performance storage capable of supporting real-time processing at scale.
• Model Training: AI systems learn from data patterns in this phase. Here, high-capacity storage is vital to feed data rapidly to supercomputers equipped with powerful GPUs.
• Interface and Prompting: User-friendly interfaces, such as APIs and dashboards, are developed during this stage, requiring strong flash storage support to connect large data centers with smaller edge devices seamlessly.
• Inference and Content Generation: Once trained, AI models produce real-time outputs based on user prompts. Fast and reliable flash storage is critical to preventing slowdowns and enhancing rapid decision-making.
• Feedback and Improvement: AI systems often feed data back into the cycle for ongoing training and optimization, continuously refining their outputs.

Memory’s Next Leap

As AI models advance, their data storage needs grow exponentially, pushing traditional storage systems to their limits. Sandisk is committed to addressing these challenges through partnerships with hyperscalers and industry leaders, developing a new generation of flash storage tailored for AI workloads. High-performance SSDs support the compute-heavy environments required for training, while scalable enterprise storage solutions manage data efficiently throughout the AI pipeline.

These innovative storage solutions are designed to keep pace with the rapid advancements in AI-specific compute chips, enabling systems to handle increasingly larger datasets effectively without performance degradation.

AI on the Edge

No longer confined to the cloud, AI is making inroads into edge devices like smartphones and self-driving cars. These deployments create new demands for intelligent and decentralized storage solutions, as self-driving cars, for instance, generate up to 10 terabytes of data daily from various sensors and cameras, necessitating swift data processing using robust flash storage.

Powering Scale and Agility

Underlying these storage advancements is Sandisk’s commitment to sustainability, featuring manufacturing facilities powered entirely by renewable energy. Recognized by the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network for their innovations in Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, these facilities maintain efficiency and operational excellence while ensuring a steady supply of flash storage critical for myriad applications.

While often overlooked, storage solutions are fundamental to the AI revolution. Whether assisting financial analysts, diagnosing patients through expansive image catalogs, or facilitating predictive maintenance in factories, the essential contribution of Sandisk’s flash storage cannot be understated. As AI continues its rapid expansion, emphasizing storage infrastructure will be vital for sustained innovation in this transformative field.

Explore Sandisk storage innovations enabling AI breakthroughs.

This post was created by Insider Studios in collaboration with Sandisk. SANDISK is a registered trademark of Sandisk Corporation or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

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