Asia Pacific organisations poised to overhaul infrastructure to embrace AI

Asia Pacific economies stand to realise the productivity gains offered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. According to new research from global data and storage leader Seagate Technology, 96 per cent of senior IT professionals believe AI applications will drive productivity and business performance. However, an almost equal number of respondents (95 per cent) believe further investments in their IT infrastructure are required to enable them to support their use of AI.

The Seagate research, “Data Pulse: Maximising the Potential of AI”, explores the varying readiness levels of AI adoption and implementation by business segments across key markets in the Asia Pacific (APAC) as well as the opportunities and challenges faced by organisations when looking to incorporate AI applications.

The study identified 89 per cent of organisations plan to implement AI technologies in the next 12 months, in areas within the organisation including IT, supply chain logistics, product innovation and R&D, as well as finance and customer support. However, two-thirds of respondents indicated they struggled to know where to start.

“Analysts, leading technology companies and thought leaders alike are discussing that companies that embrace AI will gain a significant competitive edge. With its vibrantly growing economies, emerging pools of talent, and highly connected population, there are tremendous opportunities for APAC in reaping the benefits of AI,” said BS Teh, senior vice president, global sales and sales operations of Seagate Technology. “In order to take full advantage of the considerable benefits brought by AI, Asia Pacific organisations should proactively look to develop robust infrastructure and ecosystems to support the needs of data analytics and real-time data processing.”

Despite the robust adoption of AI technologies in the region, the report found that a significant number of organisations have not invested in the data and technology solutions required to support the technology fully. 89 per cent of the respondents are planning to implement AI solutions, but 31 per cent do not think enough is being invested. One in five organisations indicated they were not ready or able to handle the increasing data streams from the use of AI applications. Further, while 95 per cent of respondents believe there is an increasing need for robust data storage solutions with growing AI applications, 15 per cent say they have not invested sufficiently in data storage to be ready for AI now or in the future.

Key findings from the study include:

• 96 per cent of respondents in APAC believe that AI applications will drive productivity and business performance.
• 74 per cent of respondents have already begun implementing AI solutions, with 89 per cent indicating they will implement AI technologies in the next 12 months.
• 70 per cent of organisations agree AI will have a significant impact on their industry within three years.
• 95 per cent of respondents believe there is an increasing need for robust data storage solutions with growing AI applications, yet 15 per cent say they have not invested sufficiently in data storage to be ready for AI now or in the future.
• 94 per cent of the respondents agree that data security is critical for AI, yet more than 10 per cent do not update and review their data security strategy regularly.

Key challenges to AI implementation are identified as:

• Clear strategy and direction
• IT infrastructure
• Budget Leadership team’s commitment
• Talent

The key areas of AI implementation include:

• IT - 73 per cent
• Supply Chain / Logistics – 51 per cent
• Production Innovation & R&D – 45 per cent
• Customer Support – 43 per cent

Key findings in India:

• Nearly all respondents (90 per cent) have implemented AI in one or more areas of their business – one of the highest in the region (vs. 74 per cent in APAC). These areas include IT (83 per cent); Customer Support (46 per cent); Product Innovation/R&D (42 per cent); and Supply Chain/Logistics (38 per cent).
• Almost everyone is planning to use or adopt more AI solutions in the next 12 months (99 per cent).
• 80 per cent believe AI will have an apparent impact on their industries within 3 years.
• 96 per cent believe AI solutions will generate an increasing amount of data, and nearly all respondents (95 per cent) believe there is an increasing need for robust data storage solutions.
• Most respondents struggle to know where and how to start their organisation’s development and implementation of AI (75 per cent), and almost everyone agree that they could do more if they had the right AI talent (97 per cent).

It is estimated by IDC that the global datasphere subject to data analysis, may grow by a factor of 50 to 5.2ZB in 2025, and the amount of analysed data that is processed by machine learning, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence may grow by a factor of 100 to 1.4 ZB in 2025. Being able to expand network storage capacity quickly and cost-effectively without disrupting service level agreements is critical in today’s world of data. Already US$39 billion has been invested in AI worldwide, with Asia Pacific spending to reach US$4.6 billion by 2021.