Dell Technologies Inc. is becoming a hotbed for startups. The legacy tech company has amassed a network of around 500 startup companies, many in the AI and quantum spaces.
This ecosystem not only supports Dell’s internal infrastructure, but enables the company to better serve its customers.
“We kind of drink our own Kool-Aid,” said Satish Iyer (pictured), vice president and chief technology officer of technology innovation and research at Dell. “We are bringing these startups, some of them solving a problem within Dell, and then we are turning it around to say, ‘OK, let’s actually take the same approach and same tech to go solve the same problem for our customers.’ And our customers love it.”
Iyer spoke with theCUBE’s Dave Vellante at theCUBE + NYSE Wired: AI Factories – Data Centers of the Future event, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, News Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed Dell’s approach to startup culture and the current trends in enterprise AI.
AI startups are leaning on-prem
Dell is particularly interested in startups that support on-premises infrastructure, especially for AI. While starting in the cloud is an easier path for many startup companies, Iyer estimates that seven in 10 startups are coming to the table with on-prem capabilities.
“Enterprise AI landscape is all about data and most, if not all, of the rich enterprise data stays on-prem,” he said. “We are the leaders in on-prem infrastructure. We talk about how we can add scale and credibility to these startups by building these partnerships. And that’s what gives us a unique advantage on working with these startups.”
Dell works with a variety of startups in AI, quantum, robotics and data management, positioning itself as customer zero. If a startup’s technology can fix an internal problem, then Dell feels confident enough taking it to the customer base.
“One of the main reasons why startups like to work with us is we not only have our AI Factory with Nvidia, but we also embrace open ecosystems,” Iyer said. “If our customers want to actually pick the best-in-class, we are able to demonstrate what those partners could be.”
Here’s the complete video interview, part of News’s and theCUBE’s coverage of theCUBE + NYSE Wired: AI Factories – Data Centers of the Future event:
Photo: News
Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.
- 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
- 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network.
About News Media
Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, News Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.
