Over the past week at Oracle CloudWorld 2022, there have been numerous sessions, keynotes, and announcements. Our team in Vegas have put together a digest of the most important news, themes, and information you’ll need to be aware of to get you up to speed on what’s been happening in the Oracle ecosphere and how it affects you.
The most significant announcement was the introduction of Oracle Alloy, a new offering that will enable Oracle partners to become cloud providers themselves and offer services built on OCI to their customers. Below we have outlined the 4 key points about what this means for the end user.
1. Allows trusted partners to evolve their CSP offerings for customers
This will be extremely beneficial to customers because it means they can take full advantage of the cloud via a trusted partner (like DSP-Explorer!) without having to move to a public cloud model whilst still getting all the financial and operational benefits the cloud offers.
2. Builds on the flexibility of Cloud@Customer and removes the need to be reliant on Oracle Cloud regions
Oracle Alloy means cloud can be built wherever the customer wants, removing the reliance on Oracle Cloud regions and can prevent data from leaving a particular geographic domain.
3. Allows for a more tailored experience and an easier platform to package public cloud with propriety IP from partners
Using a third party rather than Oracle means there is much more flexibility regarding the customer’s requirements. Instead of a one-size-fits-all model, customers can now have a customised experience built around their specific needs.
4. Demonstrates Oracle’s innovative approach to redefine public cloud
Oracle Alloy demonstrates Oracle’s innovative approach to redefining public cloud service models, rather than simply being another public cloud provider.
There were several key takeaways from Oracle CloudWorld on AI.
NVIDIA
The biggest news in terms of AI was the expansion of an existing partnership with NVIDIA, which is designed to accelerate AI across the industry and make it more accessible. Together, they are planning to add thousands more NVIDIA GPUs, including the A100 and upcoming H100 to the infrastructure of Oracle Cloud computing customers.
Cerner healthcare acquisition
Following Oracle's acquisition of Cerner, there is now a notable focus for Oracle on the healthcare sector, particularly on improving patient care using AI. The example of a computer vision solution to detect patients getting out of bed was used as an example of what can be easily achieved in the health tech arena.
Machine learning and cochlear implants
This segues nicely into our own session at CloudWorld, where we discussed how we used AI to positively impact the healthcare sector with our own machine learning and cochlear implants story. Our data science team worked alongside the NIHR's (National Institute for Health Research) Cochlear Research Team to improve the quality of life for people with hearing loss. Our team determined if machine learning could be used to anticipate device settings for new cochlear implants (something that users often struggle with) and then built a machine learning model to provide those settings for patients. This was done using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Data Science for a productive open-source Python experience for data scientists, with the flexibility to fully control the creation of the model so customers can understand the results. If you were unable to be at OCW, you can watch our webinar on the project here.
Adept
Adept discussed their natural language interface for high-value actions on PCs - teaching AI to use the same software you would use to solve the problem. For example: ask GPT-3 to buy a pizza and it will answer like a chatbot but not act on the process. AI can use software like a human does, and actuate the process. Adept demonstrated giving their NLP software voice commands to complete complex actions in NetSuite - Giving non-software experts the same capabilities as experts.
In summary, the main AI takeaway is that its clear Oracle is committed to building suites of tools for various problems, whether it be computer vision, natural language processing, or anything in between. This will enable developers to either pick a pre-trained SaaS solution and tune it to a specific problem or use their development suite to develop their own solution.
Oracle also launched Database 23c Beta (code named 'App Simple'), which focuses on simplifying applications and development. This is something that has become increasingly complex, but Database 23c delivers new technologies that make developing and running these modern applications much more accessible.
JSON Relational Duality
The database includes 'JSON Relational Duality', a new approach addressing the mismatch between how applications represent data and how relational databases store data. It simplifies application development by simultaneously allowing data to be used as both application-friendly JSON documents and database-friendly relational tables.
Oracle Database Zero Data Loss Autonomous Recovery Service
Oracle Database Zero Data Loss Autonomous Recovery Service was also announced, which protects data for mission-critical Oracle Database services running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). This enables organisations to combat ransomware, outages, and human errors efficiently.
Oracle Full Stack Disaster Recovery Service
Oracle also presented the 'Oracle Full Stack Disaster Recovery Service,' which enables users to configure, monitor, and manage the disaster recovery process for the full stack of technologies used to create applications. This includes middleware, databases, networks, storage, and compute from the OCI console.
In all, it was an incredible few days in Las Vegas. Having been unable to meet like this for the last three years, it was notable to see how fast and how far Oracle technology has advanced in this time. The team was impressed and inspired by the roadmap and the opportunities ahead for customers who embrace technology to operate in new and better ways.
If you'd like to discuss any of the issues raised at Oracle CloudWorld, get in touch with our experts or book a meeting.
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