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Data Insights Artificial Intelligence, 2020 Update - Thematic Research

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AI is everywhere, and it has an impact on all our lives. However, years of bold proclamations have resulted in AI becoming overhyped, with reality often falling short of the world-altering promises. The coming years will be less about making bold statements and more about delivering tangible benefits. Practical uses of AI will be front and centre, as businesses ensure they get their money’s worth by using AI to address specific use cases.  

As AI becomes more pervasive and embedded in life-changing decisions, the need for transparency has intensified. There have been plenty of high-profile cases in recent years where AI has contributed to bias and discrimination, with the use of facial recognition for policing just one example. There is a high probability of a shift from loose self-regulation to government involvement in AI over the next couple of years. In turn, Big Tech is increasingly using AI to solve the privacy and bias problems that the technology itself created. Explainable AI, which allows humans to understand the path a model took to make a decision, and synthetic data training, which circumvents the small data problem using artificially created data, are two ways AI is being used to develop trust.  

AI technologies, most notably ML, are integral to the development of co-bots and other smart industrial robots. They allow them to anticipate and adapt to situations based on the interpretation of data derived from various sensors. However, to take industrial automation and industrial robotics to the next level, further advances are needed in certain AI technologies, including CV, NLP, and contextual awareness. 

However, not all companies are equal when it comes to their capabilities and investments in the key themes that matter most to their industry. Understanding how companies are positioned and ranked in the most important themes can be a key leading indicator of their future earnings potential and relative competitive position.  

According to GlobalData’s thematic research report, Artificial Intelligence, leading adopters include: Microsoft, ABB, Siemens, GE, Alphabet, NVIDIA, Alibaba and Amazon. 

Insight from a top-ranked company 

NVIDIA 

NVIDIA has dominated the GPU market for years. However, it faces competition from companies such as Google, Intel, and Graphcore. NVIDIA has made efforts to stay ahead. In 2019 it acquired Mellanox, which focuses on high-performance interconnected technology and will enable NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform for AI workloads. In May 2020, NVIDIA unveiled its next-generation GPU technology called Ampere, which will become the foundation for its AI strategy and product portfolio. Ampere features the third generation of Tensor Core, a chip that’s purpose-built for accelerating AI. The A100 GPU is the first AI accelerator based on the Ampere architecture and will offer unified support for training and inference. On the software front, NVIDIA unveiled Jarvis, a new application framework for building conversational AI services. Like Intel, NVIDIA is also making its mark in the autonomous vehicle sector, adding Mercedes to its already impressive client-roster in mid-2020. In September 2020, NVIDIA announced plans to acquire UK-based chipmaker Arm for $40bn.   

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence.