AI has the potential to transform society, from bridging the digital divide and empowering underserved communities to enhancing connectivity, education, healthcare and language accessibility.
THE rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries across the Asia Pacific, however it poses uncharted waters for many, especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
StarESG explores the potential of AI and why it’s the new way of doing business, with liquid cooling technology expert Vertiv (M) Sdn Bhd – which provides a comprehensive solution for managing data centre heat by reducing energy consumption, enhancing efficiency and supporting scalable systems.
The company’s High Density Compute and AI business director for Asia, Alvin Cheang provided greater insights on AI’s role in sustainability.
How can artificial intelligence (AI) technologies contribute to creating a more inclusive society?
Vertiv recognises the transformative potential of AI in bridging the digital divide and empowering underserved communities.
By personalising learning experiences and developing assistive technologies, AI can improve access to education and enable individuals with disabilities to participate more fully in society.
Moreover, AI’s ability to analyse vast amounts of data can help identify and address critical social issues, such as poverty and limited healthcare access.
As a company, we are committed to leveraging new technologies like AI to enhance our collaboration with customers, consultants and partners.
In what ways can AI be used to bridge the digital divide and ensure equal access to opportunities?
We recognise the immense potential of AI to transform various aspects of society, from bridging the digital divide and empowering underserved communities to enhancing connectivity, education, healthcare and language accessibility.
By leveraging AI technologies, we can optimise network infrastructure, personalise learning experiences, facilitate remote healthcare services, break down language barriers, and promote financial inclusion.
Moreover, AI has the power to reduce human biases in critical decision-making processes, such as hiring, lending and resource allocation.
AI is not merely a technology but an ecosystem that requires collaboration among governments, stakeholders and industry partners to drive digitisation and optimise its use in various sectors, such as traffic control.
Cheang: AI's ability to analyse vast amounts of data can help identify and address critical social issues, such as poverty and limited healthcare access.
How can SMEs leverage AI technologies to enhance their competitiveness and drive growth?
We have observed that organisations with enterprise data centres are diversifying their investments and deployment strategies, particularly in AI, to meet sustainability objectives.
This shift is expected to impact edge application deployments and the overall IT landscape.
On-premise capacity for proprietary AI and optimising existing infrastructure through incremental investment, service, and maintenance can help organisations free up capacity in maxed-out computing environments and increase energy efficiency.
Moreover, extending the life of existing servers can reduce Scope 3 carbon emissions, as opposed to replacing and scrapping them.
AI can also help SMEs strengthen their cybersecurity defences by detecting and responding to potential threats in real-time through AI-powered security systems that analyse network traffic, identify anomalies, and proactively mitigate risks.
Vertiv Asia vice president and general manager Paul Churchill said, “Across Asia, we’re seeing organisations ramp up their investments, realigning their strategies towards harnessing and integrating AI technology. In fact, according to IDC, by 2026, tech providers will allocate significant investments towards AI/automation.”
SMEs can start small and achieve AI applications or adopt AI technologies by leasing cost-effective AI cloud services from key leaders like Alibaba, AWS and Microsoft Cloud.
Dedicated servers, which are affordable and price-sensitive AI servers, are also available in the market.
What challenges do SMEs face when adopting AI, and how can these challenges be overcome?
SMEs may face various challenges when adopting AI technologies, including financial constraints, lack of knowledge and skills, ethical and legal considerations, and access to high-quality data.
To overcome financial barriers, SMEs can collaborate with government agencies, industry associations, or financial institutions to secure funding support, grants, or loans for AI adoption.
Addressing the knowledge and skills gap requires investment in AI education programmes, workshops and collaboration with universities or AI service providers.
SMEs should also prioritise ethical considerations, adopt transparent models, collaborate with legal experts, stay updated with regulations, and comply with data protection laws to build trust and ensure responsible AI adoption.
Effective communication, employee training and demonstrating AI benefits can help overcome resistance to change.
To tackle data-related challenges, SMEs can partner with larger organisations or data providers, collaborate with data analytics companies, and invest in data management systems.
How does Vertiv’s scaling/cooling solutions support the AI infrastructure requirements of SMEs and large corporations?
Vertiv offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions for scalable AI infrastructure, including prefabricated modular solutions that can be combined and scaled to meet current and future needs.
We also provide a wide range of cooling solutions for AI and high-performance computing, such as rear door heat exchangers, direct-to-chip liquid cooling, coolant distribution units, high-capacity free-cooling chillers, and large capacity chilled water-based prefabricated modular data centre solutions.
The optimised designs minimise disruption to existing workloads by leveraging available cooling infrastructure and heat rejection.
Vertiv’s solutions also offer flexibility and customisation by reusing or retrofitting existing cooling systems, reducing deployment costs and allowing for more efficient AI infrastructure implementation.
What are the key considerations for SMEs when implementing AI technologies to ensure scalability and efficiency?
When SMEs implement AI technologies, they need to ensure their infrastructure is ready to scale and operate efficiently.
This involves assessing and possibly upgrading their current IT infrastructure to handle increased computational power and storage demands. Investing in scalable solutions, such as cloud services and modular data centres, can provide the necessary flexibility as AI initiatives expand.
Additionally, ensuring the infrastructure’s reliability through redundant systems, backup power solutions, and efficient cooling systems is crucial to minimise downtime and maintain continuous operations.
Data management is another critical aspect, where the focus should be on maintaining high-quality, secure data with strong governance frameworks.
Advanced storage solutions optimised for fast data retrieval and processing are essential to support AI applications.
Cost management also plays a significant role; SMEs should plan their investments carefully, starting with smaller projects then gradually scaling up
They should also consider long-term operational costs, including maintenance, energy consumption, and potential upgrades.
Energy-efficient infrastructure can help mitigate ongoing costs, making the adoption of AI more sustainable.
What role does sustainability play in the deployment of AI technologies, and how does Vertiv address this aspect in its scaling/cooling solutions?
Vertiv recognises the importance of sustainability in AI deployments as the data centre industry faces challenges in addressing energy consumption, costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
To support the growing demand for AI capabilities and the need for innovative power and cooling infrastructure, Vertiv offers end-to-end AI power and cooling solutions that simplify data centre infrastructure selection and deployment.
The advanced technologies are designed to scale up and future-proof critical infrastructure, with optimised designs capable of supporting workloads up to 100kW per rack in various deployment configurations.
