Johannesburg, 04 Aug 2016
As we dive headlong into an increasingly digital, more data-driven world, what's next on the horizon? Many theorists believe we're on an accelerating journey to the so-called "singularity" - the point at which artificial intelligence supersedes human intelligence, and rampantly expands into the future. Sci-Fi lore suggests that we're unable to see beyond this point, incapable of predicting the future. It is - quite simply - unfathomable to the human brain.
Stimulating these theories are the exponential advances in core computing capabilities. Futurist Ray Kurzweil notes that in his undergrad years at MIT, students shared a computer that consumed half a building. Today, he explains, the average cellphone is a "million times cheaper and a thousand times more powerful".
And there is no sign this trend will slow down. For instance, HP's next-generation computing system, currently in development, completely reinvents the way computers are designed. Known as "memory-driven computing", it collapses memory and storage into one vast pool - with memory and processing nodes that are connected by advanced photonic fabric, says Rudie Raath, digital technology strategist: enterprise business at Datacentrix.
This essentially means data is processed by light, and not by our traditional methods of electrical signals. It enables us to access any area of the computer's universal memory pool with far less data consumption than previously possible.
What it means for business
With the era of memory-driven computing within reach, the question facing business leaders is how this will change the way we live and work?
Consider the example of the retailer IKEA: a large, but fairly run-of-the-mill retailer. Its augmented reality prototypes thrust customers into an immersive virtual realm. With a smartphone or tablet, you can see 3D visualisations of how different pieces of furniture would look in your living room.
Ultra-realistic augmented and virtual reality experiences will become possible at far greater scale with the power of memory-driven computing. Organisations shouldn't underestimate the power of the new, connected world. In this era, our focus will need to evolve from simply digitising existing customer journeys, to completely reinventing them in new, immersive realms.
In the interactive discovery workshops that Datacentrix hosts with clients, it explores these trends and develops the roadmaps for clients to bring new solutions into their business, and avoid being caught in legacy minefields that constrain their ability to innovate, and leave room for more agile competitors to win market share.
In South Africa, and across the world, companies of every kind will be forced to evolve in a similar way to the IKEA example, and embrace new digital platforms, ecosystems and new customer solutions.
Bigger ambitions
As exciting as this sounds, the opportunities of memory-driven computing extend far beyond just our work lives. Imagine classrooms in rural South African schools that could use virtual reality to transport learners to other regions in the world, opening up new horizons and dramatically enriching the learning experience.
Datacentrix is passionate about making these new opportunities a reality. As our organisations embrace things like memory-driven computing and immersive reality, we will create the environment for new innovations to fuel the growth of the continent. The power of this technology will lie in its ability to influence the youth of today, to become Africa's innovators of the future.
And while the singularity may still be quite some way off, if it ever indeed arrives, in the meantime, wave on wave of technology evolutions will reach us over the coming years. As business leaders and as members of society, there will be an urgent requirement to embrace the future, the new "digital DNA" of tomorrow's world.
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