Introduction to Data Centers

In this article we will look at some recent announcements on digital storage and its use in AI training and inference. But first, an example of digital storage technology used to save humanity.

Data Storage Saves the Day

Digital archiving startup SPhotonix’s 5D memory crystal was an important element in the plot of the latest Mission Impossible movie. The 360TB memory crystal was used to stop a rogue AI from destroying the world. In practice, SPhotonix stores data using a FemtoEtch nano-etching technology on a 5-inch glass substrate. Note that I am an advisor for SPhotonix.
SPhotonix 5D Memory Cystal
Digital storage technologies have been used in many movies and TV shows over the years, such as the StorageTek Tape library used in the 1994 Film “Clear and Present Danger.”

Hybrid AI Data Centers

In practice data centers are generally using SSDs as primary storage in data centers, including for AI training applications. SSDs provide fast storage for refreshing data on the high bandwidth memory located close to the GPUs that directly support data processing. However, the cost for storing data on SSDs in data centers is about 6X higher than storing it on HDDs.
This leads data centers to use HDDs for storing colder but useful data in a hierarchical storage environment. Data is moved back and forth from various storage technologies to optimize the balance of cost versus performance. Ultimately archived information in data centers that is not frequently used is kept on magnetic tape cartridges or optical storage.

Recent Developments in Hybrid Storage

Vdura, formerly veteran storage company, Panasas, recently announced a white paper on digital storage for AI workloads and announced changes in their hybrid SSD and HDD storage offering to support HPC and AI workloads. The company is now offering QLC NAND flash SSDs combined with high-capacity HDDs with their global namespace parallel file system combined with object storage, offering multi-level erasure coding and fast key value storage. The image below shows the layout of this hybrid SSD and HDD storage system.
Vdura Global Namespace Storage
The Vdura Data Platform V11.2 includes a preview of V-ScaleFlow that enables data movement across QLC flash and high-capacity hard drives. This allows resource utilization, maximizes system throughput and provides efficient AI-scale workloads. In particular the company is using Phison Pascari 128TB QLC NVMe SSD with 30+TB HDDs to reduce flash capacity requirements by over 50% and lowing power consumption. Overall total cost of ownership is said to be reduced by up to 60%.

AI Data Pipeline and Storage Requirements

The Vdura white paper goes into details on data storage and memory utilization in an AI application. The figure below shows an AI data pipeline which should have the storage system enable minimum GPU downtime.
AI Data Pipeline
The table below goes into detail on read, write, performance and data size requirements for various elements in an AI workload. These various elements can require from GBs to PBs of digital storage with various performance requirements. This favors a combination of storage technologies to support different elements in this workload.
Element Characteristics in an AI Workflow
The below image shows a sample storage node that can provide all-flash or hybrid SSD and HDD storage to support AI and HPC workloads with a global namespace and a common control and data plane.
Vdura Storage Node

Conclusion

Digital storage technology saved the world from a rogue AI in the latest Mission Impossible Movie. Combining SSDs and HDDs can enable modern AI workloads that optimize cost and performance.

FAQs

Q: What is the main challenge in using digital storage for AI workloads?
A: The main challenge is balancing cost and performance, as storing data on SSDs can be expensive, while using HDDs may not provide the necessary performance.
Q: What is the role of hybrid storage in AI data centers?
A: Hybrid storage combines the benefits of SSDs and HDDs to provide a balance between cost and performance, enabling efficient AI-scale workloads.
Q: What is the significance of Vdura’s recent announcement?
A: Vdura’s announcement introduces a new hybrid SSD and HDD storage offering that supports HPC and AI workloads, providing a global namespace parallel file system and object storage with multi-level erasure coding and fast key value storage.

Introduction to Location Intelligence

A major brewery had a new idea for how to find new customers, create new buzz, and build new loyalty. They had big-time marketing, distribution into stores large and small, and strong relationships with customers, eateries, and bars. What they wanted to do was create their own branded pubs, but they needed decisive insight and intelligence about their own business. So, they mapped the popularity of craft beers by neighborhood, studied nighttime traffic patterns, and added information on the density and appeal of other restaurants and bars.

The Power of "Where"

They looked at dining-out behavior and spending, where it was rising or declining by category, and areas that were expanding, teasing out places where income might increase and demographics were shifting to match their target groups. They created their own business intelligence portfolio around the brewery idea, built on a single quality: Location. Business intelligence that melds internal customer and operational data with external data of every sort. The question they were trying to answer was, "Where would people be most interested in these new brew pubs?" and "Where do the demographics, values, behaviors, and preferences match the new community the brewer is hoping to tap?"

The Importance of Location in Business

“Where?” is really the question of the moment, whether you’re in construction or energy, consumer goods or retail, restaurants or banking. “Where” questions are incredibly potent—they unlock growth, efficiencies, and innovation. Oddly, though, location is the one thing most often missing from strategic planning, analysis, business intelligence, and operations. Leaving out location means missing chances for efficiency in operations and supply chain, reducing risk, improving marketing effectiveness, and increasing adaptability in an uncertain business environment.

The Cost of Missing Location Intelligence

Leaving out location means missing the chance to grow existing customers in unexpected ways and to find new customers and markets. You’re missing opportunity. Location isn’t about where you are, it’s about where you’re going. There are tools to bring location intelligence right into existing business intelligence platforms, exponentially enriching their analytical power. We’re talking about being able to make the invisible visible—patterns, perils, possibilities—and to map the future.

Mapping and Spatial Analytics

This approach has a name: mapping and spatial analytics. It’s making sure you’re applying “where” to basically every question and analysis your company undertakes. It’s weaving spatial intelligence into all the other kinds of intelligence analysis you already do. Once you start using it, ‘where’ becomes not just intuitive, it becomes instantly compelling. You start asking, in every setting, how does location fit into this? What about “the where”? Two things are key: ‘spatial analytics’ are easy to use—the complexity is under the hood. And as you’ll quickly see, it provides a striking competitive advantage.

Real-World Applications of Mapping and Spatial Analytics

Here are a few examples of how different industries are using mapping and spatial analytics:

• Retail: The third largest fast-food chain in the U.S. by sales uses location data for everything from site selection and drive-through optimization to supply chain risk management and competitive intelligence.
• Consumer goods: One of the world’s largest apparel companies uses mapping and analytics to trace its supply chain across 40 countries and compress six-month reporting tasks into days or weeks.
• Logistics and transportation: One of America’s largest transportation services companies uses mapping and spatial analytics to assess where its customers are, where its trucks are, and where its service depots are.
• Banking: A major bank serving the Southeast and Midwest U.S. uses mapping and analytics to figure out where it should grow and expand its services.

The Value of Location Intelligence

Not all locations are equal. In business, we know this intuitively—not all outlets do the same volume, not all neighborhoods have the same growth prospects, not all communities face the same kinds of extreme weather risk or climate opportunity. Location is not some niche quality anymore; it’s a kind of master key that unlocks all the other elements of business intelligence in ways that are revealing, creative, and energizing.

Conclusion

Location intelligence is a powerful tool that can help businesses make informed decisions, reduce risk, and increase efficiency. By applying “where” to every question and analysis, companies can unlock growth, innovation, and competitive advantage. With the right tools and techniques, businesses can make the invisible visible, map the future, and thrive in a dynamic and uncertain environment.

FAQs

• What is location intelligence?: Location intelligence refers to the process of using geographic data and spatial analysis to gain insights and make informed decisions.
• How can location intelligence be used in business?: Location intelligence can be used in a variety of ways, including site selection, supply chain optimization, risk management, and competitive intelligence.
• What are the benefits of using location intelligence?: The benefits of using location intelligence include increased efficiency, reduced risk, and improved decision-making.
• What tools and techniques are used in location intelligence?: The tools and techniques used in location intelligence include geographic information systems (GIS), spatial analysis, and mapping and spatial analytics software.
• How can I get started with location intelligence?: To get started with location intelligence, you can begin by identifying your business needs and goals, and then exploring the various tools and techniques available to help you achieve them.

We’re drowning in climate headlines. Every week brings more reports about disappearing species, collapsing ecosystems, or yet another environmental tipping point. It’s exhausting. And it’s easy to feel like the damage is too big, too complex, or too far gone to fix.

The Power of Ocean with David Attenborough

That’s what makes Ocean with David Attenborough—the new documentary directed by Toby Nowlan and narrated by Sir David Attenborough—so powerful. It doesn’t offer false comfort or vague inspiration. It presents a clear, science-backed message: the ocean is more resilient than we thought, and protecting it is the most powerful thing we can do right now to restore the health of the planet.

The Ocean Bounces Back—Fast

Dr. Enric Sala has spent the last 15 years proving that point. Once a university professor, Sala left academia after realizing he was spending his days documenting the slow death of the sea. He now leads National Geographic’s Pristine Seas initiative, which combines exploration, policy, science, and storytelling to create marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world. So far, his team has helped establish 29 of them—covering an area larger than the Amazon rainforest.

Findings and Implications

The findings so far are staggering. Fully protected marine reserves quickly regenerate. Fish populations can increase fivefold. Coral reefs damaged by bleaching events often recover in a few short years—if given the chance. These aren’t isolated pockets of recovery. From the Southern Line Islands to the coasts of California, the pattern is the same: when you stop taking, the ocean gives back.

The 30×30 Goal: Ambitious, But Possible

Despite these results, just 3% of the global ocean is fully protected today. Scientists say we need to protect at least 30%—both land and sea—by 2030 to maintain a livable planet. That 30×30 goal has been endorsed by governments, conservationists, and NGOs around the world. But Ocean isn’t a policy documentary. It’s not filled with charts and legislative jargon. It uses stunning visuals and emotional storytelling to make the science real—and personal.

The Film’s Message

The film’s message is direct: saving the ocean isn’t just a climate issue. It’s a life support issue. Half of the oxygen we breathe comes from the sea. The ocean regulates temperature, absorbs carbon, and feeds billions. If it collapses, it will have a cascading effect that collapses everything else with it.

One Clear Solution—Not a Laundry List

One thing that makes Ocean different from other environmental films is its focus on a single, proven action. While many documentaries leave viewers overwhelmed with advice—buy local, drive less, eat plant-based—Ocean makes a case for one big move: expand marine protection. “We wanted to focus on one solution,” Sala explained. “There is one proven solution that works everywhere… that actually can be applied by governments, by communities, by anybody.”

Why This Story Needed David Attenborough

The film is also shaped by director Toby Nowlan, whose credits include Planet Earth II and Our Planet. Nowlan has spent two decades filming the rarest, most vulnerable wildlife on Earth—including securing the best footage ever captured of the critically endangered Javan rhino. With Ocean, he wanted to make one message stick: protecting the sea works. It’s not theory. It’s happening now. That’s why having Attenborough narrate the film matters. His voice has become a universal symbol of trust in nature storytelling. His presence here elevates the message, giving it weight at a time when public trust is rare and essential.

A Call to Protect Our “Ocean Backyard”

One of the moments that stuck with me most in our conversation was Sala’s reminder that this isn’t just about the Arctic or the Great Barrier Reef. “If you live on the coast, you can be the person who leads your community to protect your ocean backyard,” he said. That line matters. It reframes the ocean as not just a remote wilderness, but a shared resource that touches every life—no matter where we live.

Conclusion

We don’t need another film telling us how bad things are. We need stories that show us how to fix it. Ocean with David Attenborough does exactly that. It’s beautiful, emotional, and urgent—but also deeply practical. The science is real. The path is clear. And the results are already visible in every corner of the sea that’s been given time to heal. If governments follow through on the 30×30 promise—and if communities join the push—we could see the greatest comeback story the natural world has ever told. And it starts with protecting what’s below the surface. Check out Ocean with David Attenborough for yourself. It is available now to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.

FAQs

• Q: What is the main message of Ocean with David Attenborough?
  A: The main message is that the ocean is more resilient than we thought, and protecting it is the most powerful thing we can do to restore the planet’s health.
• Q: What is the 30×30 goal?
  A: The 30×30 goal is to protect at least 30% of the global ocean and land by 2030 to maintain a livable planet.
• Q: How can individuals contribute to ocean protection?
  A: Individuals can contribute by supporting legislation, raising awareness, and protecting local waters, especially if they live in coastal communities.
• Q: Where can I watch Ocean with David Attenborough?
  A: Ocean with David Attenborough is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.