Fresh off the studio, Jay Jenkins, CTO of Cloud Computing in Akamai, dives deep into the transformative potential of edge AI in a dynamic conversation on Akamai's latest technological advancements. Discussing the company's strategic edge computing platform, Gecko, Jenkins describes how it is redefining cloud computing paradigms by embedding capabilities directly into the edge network. He explores the broader implications of edge AI for real-time applications and generative AI technologies, highlighting Akamai's vision to support the burgeoning demands of data processing and AI inferencing at the network edge. With insights into early trials and future use cases, he shares how Akamai is set to revolutionize industries, from immersive retail to spatial computing and explores what great would look like for Akamai in cloud computing and AI at the edge.

"So already this year we've rolled out 10 of these regions. So two in APJ and Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. But 75 of these locations by the end of the year along with our core computing regions will give us 100 locations where customers can run these workloads, and we're not going to stop there. So we're going to have hundreds of these regions over the next few years, and we're going to focus on those locations where hyper-scalers don't have compute. Africa and South America, for example, have been extremely underserved when it comes to computing capabilities. There's a huge potential for those countries if we could get them the compute. And that's exactly what we intend to do. But, those are extreme regions. Even in places like the U.S., which are well served by the hyper-scalers, there's certainly the middle of the U.S. which is ignored. In Southeast Asia, if you're in Singapore or Jakarta, you're served by everybody. But if you're in Vietnam, how are you served? If you're in Thailand, how are you served? The internet is inherently unfair. We want to make it more fair for our customers and our customers' customers." - Jay Jenkins

Audio Episode Highlights:
[0:40] Quote of the Day #QOTD by Jay Jenkins.
[1:45] Introduction: Jay Jenkins, CTO of Cloud Computing from Akamai.
[4:29] Lessons learnt from Jay’s career journey.
[6:31] Total Market Opportunity for AI at the Edge and Akamai’s value proposition.
[8:55] Introduction to Akamai and its global footprint.
[11:18] Jay’s role as global CTO in Cloud Computing and future vision.
[16:23] Generalized Edge Compute aka Gecko and why it differs from the hyper-scalers such as AWS.
[19:53] How Gecko enhances the user experience in terms of performance and latency.
[22:59] Challenges to integrate cloud native computing at a massive edge network.
[25:38] Lessons learned from Gecko’s early trials with enterprise customers of Akamai.
[28:01] Applications of Gecko beyond immersive retail.
[30:33] The One Thing that Jay knows about Gecko in generalized edge computing that very few do.
[33:07] Generative AI with Akamai Gecko’s platform.
[37:30] Inference at the edge with Large Language Models (LLMs).
[39:41] Role of Edge Computing for real-time AI processes.
[41:47] What does great look like for Akamai in the cloud computing space.
[43:53] Closing.

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig

Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia

Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl 

Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 

Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia

Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/

Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia

Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia 

Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup 


Akamai Cloud Computing & The Age of Edge AI with Jay Jenkins

Welcome back, AI enthusiasts! 🎙️ You’re tuned into the Weekly AI News roundup with Shaily, hosted by Shailendra Kumar (Shaily). In this week’s edition (week starting March 23, 2025), we unpack mind-blowing machine learning and deep learning breakthroughs: Discover UCLA's non-invasive AI brain-computer interface, enabling device control through real-time EEG decoding—no surgery needed! 🧠⚡ Microsoft races ahead with MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-1, deploying the latest generative AI and voice models at unprecedented speed, marking a milestone in the competitive landscape against OpenAI. Don’t miss the historic $1.5B Anthropic settlement on AI ethics and copyright—crucial for researchers and business leaders dealing with ethical AI development. 🌍 Plus, meet Apertus from Switzerland: a revolutionary open-source, multi-lingual language model supporting 1,000+ languages and upholding transparent, responsible AI. For those building at the edge, DFI's rugged NVIDIA Jetson-powered hardware enables robust, real-time AI vision out in the wild. 

This week’s insights matter for everyone—from developers and engineers navigating data privacy to enterprises chasing cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools. Shaily breaks down what these latest machine learning developments mean for innovation, ethics, and global access. 💡 

Love what you hear? Subscribe, like, and join Shaily across platforms for more insights! Stay curious and make smart moves with AI! 🚀

🔥 News with Shaily for Week starting Sep 8: Brainwaves Decoded & $1.5B AI Shakeup!

Welcome to "AI with Shaily" hosted by Shailendra Kumar! 🎙️ Shaily, a passionate male AI enthusiast, takes listeners on an exciting journey through the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Today’s spotlight is on **model distillation** — a fascinating technique transforming how AI models work.

Imagine a massive, powerful AI model, like a giant SUV 🚙 that can do everything from writing essays to diagnosing diseases. It’s impressive but consumes tons of energy, making it impractical for everyday devices like smartphones 📱. Model distillation is the clever process of teaching this big "teacher" AI to pass its knowledge to a smaller, faster "student" AI — think of it as swapping that SUV for a nimble scooter 🛵 that’s just as smart but much more efficient.

Shaily highlights a recent breakthrough from a Chinese startup called DeepSeek, which stunned the AI community by releasing a budget-friendly model rivaling giants like OpenAI, but with a fraction of the computing power. Their secret? Advanced distillation techniques such as selective parameter activation and dynamic weight pruning — essentially trimming unnecessary parts while keeping the core strength intact 💪.

Why is this important? Huge AI models demand enormous energy, straining data centers worldwide 🌍. Distillation can cut power consumption by up to 70%, making AI greener and more sustainable 🌱 — a win for the planet as we move into 2025.

Thanks to open-source tools like MiniLLM, developers now have accessible frameworks to build specialized, efficient AI models for tasks like grammar correction and real-time code generation, all without needing supercomputers 🖥️. On popular platforms like TikTok and YouTube, users showcase AI-powered translation and image recognition running smoothly on budget devices — proof that distilled models are making edge AI a reality 🚀.

Shaily shares a personal moment from a recent workshop where a participant demonstrated a distilled model running live on her phone, leaving everyone amazed at how fast and practical AI is becoming in real life 📲✨.

For AI practitioners and enthusiasts, Shaily offers a valuable tip: balance model size and accuracy carefully. Over-pruning can shrink models but harm performance. Using metrics like reverse KL divergence helps maintain that perfect balance — your models will perform better and smarter 🎯.

He closes with a thoughtful quote from Marvin Minsky: *“Will robots inherit the earth? Yes, but they will be our children.”* Today’s distilled AI models are teaching those “children” to be intelligent, efficient, and responsible 🤖❤️.

For more insights, Shaily invites you to follow his YouTube channel, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Medium articles. He encourages listeners to subscribe and share their thoughts on how model distillation might reshape their world 🌐💬.

That’s all for now from Shailendra Kumar on AI with Shaily — keep questioning, keep innovating, and stay curious! 🌟

Model Distillation: The AI Revolution Making Supermodels Run on Your Phone

The Analyse Podcast, formerly Analyse Asia, is a weekly show that dissects the pulse of business, technology, and media across the world. Hosted by Bernard Leong, it features in-depth conversations with leading journalists, senior executives, visionary authors, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who shape industries and ideas. Each episode dives into the most important trends and stories redefining how the world builds, scales, and innovates — from Asia to the globe.

Unlock the secrets of data mastery with Shailendra, a 27-year veteran in AI, ML, and Data Science, driving AU$ 6 Billion in transformative value. As the author of 'Making Money out of Data,' their strategies redefine digital success. With expertise honed at IBM and Accenture, they drive innovation and data monetization. Explore how loyalty programs like Flybuys and Everyday Rewards revolutionize business—connect with Shaily today.

New tracks tagged #Edge AI