Not all networks can handle AI traffic – and experts are sounding alarms

AI is reshaping the demands on network infrastructure, and many organizations are not prepared – including some of the so-called neocloud providers offering AI services.

A study by analyst biz Omdia finds that many rent-a-GPU providers have scaled up their compute infrastructure to handle AI workloads, but their networking infrastructure is becoming a critical constraint.

It warns enterprise customers to scrutinize potential suppliers beyond their raw compute capacity when considering AI compute services.

Neocloud operators, or GPU-as-a-service providers, sprang up to take advantage of the huge demand for compute using GPU accelerators for AI. Many count hyperscalers such as Microsoft among their customers, as well as enterprise.

This means that AI performance increasingly depends on their ability to process and move data securely across distributed environments and geographies. However, the networking capabilities of different neoclouds vary from rudimentary to advanced, depending in part on their origins, Omdia says.

Some, such as ...