The AI Revolution is here, but what about enterprises dealing with sensitive data, regulatory compliance, and low latency requirements? They can't always move to the public cloud—but now, they don't have to choose between compliance and innovation.

In this episode of Let's Talk Shop, host Elias Khnaser sits down with two technology giants: Justin Boitano, VP of Enterprise AI at NVIDIA, and Rohan Grover, Senior Director and Head of Product for Google Distributed Cloud.

They break down the deep technical partnership that is making the "AI Anywhere" vision a reality, allowing customers to run Google's cutting-edge Gemini 2.5 models directly on-premises using NVIDIA GPU servers. Discover how this collaboration uses confidential computing on both CPUs and NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs to secure sensitive customer data and proprietary model weights, turning previously inaccessible "dark data" into a source of competitive advantage.

If you work in public sector, finance, healthcare, oil and gas, or any enterprise with strict data sovereignty rules, this discussion on on-prem GenAI and Google Distributed Cloud's managed and customer-owned deployment models is a must-watch.

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In this episode, we dive deep into AI infrastructure at Google Cloud—what it means, why it matters, and how it’s evolving.

Our guest shares insights from over 8 years at Google and previous experience as a hardware engineer at IBM, bringing a unique perspective on the nuts and bolts that power today’s AI revolution. We explore:

✅ The foundations of AI infrastructure—chips, networking, storage, and workload-optimized systems

✅ How Google’s custom hardware (TPUs, Axion, ARM processors) differentiates it from AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM

✅ The concept of the AI Hypercomputer—a reference architecture combining hardware, software, and flexible consumption models

✅ Key announcements from Google, including NVIDIA Blackwell, GB200, Ironwood TPUs, and Cluster Director

✅ Why inference (not just training) is now the hot topic—and how Google helps customers lower the cost per inference

From hardware assembly roots to leading AI infrastructure strategy, this conversation highlights how Google builds and scales the systems behind Gemini, Vertex AI, and beyond.

📌 If you’re curious about the future of AI infrastructure, supercomputing, and how enterprises can actually run large-scale AI workloads efficiently—this one’s for you.


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The world of enterprise technology is evolving, and networking is more critical than ever. In this episode of Let's Talk Shop, host Elias Khnaser sits down with Muninder Singh Sambi, the General Manager and Vice President of Google Cloud's Cloud Networking.

Forget everything you thought you knew about networking. Muninder explains why a robust and intelligent network is the secret sauce for a successful AI strategy. They discuss Google's massive global network, including its vast subsea cable infrastructure, and the innovative new products announced at Google Next.

What You'll Learn:

► The Four Pillars of an AI Strategy: Understand the essential components, from AI infrastructure to data management and, most importantly, networking.

► The Power of Google Cloud WAN: Discover how this new, managed backbone service can simplify and secure enterprise networking, offering a potential 40% reduction in total cost of ownership.

► Cloud WAN in Action: Learn how companies like Nestle and Citadel Securities are leveraging Google's network to accelerate their business journeys.

► Openness in the Cloud: Muninder addresses the concept of multi-cloud and explains how Google Cloud WAN is designed to be an open ecosystem, allowing you to connect to applications and services wherever they are hosted.

► Why Google's Network is Different: Uncover the unique redundancy and reliability features, including Google's multi-shard architecture and proprietary subsea cables, that set its network apart from competitors.

Whether you're an IT professional, a thought leader, or just curious about the future of enterprise networking, this episode will challenge your assumptions and provide valuable insights into how the cloud is shaping the future of connectivity.

Additional Resources:

►Nestlé's network transformation with Cloud WAN:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHLlU7mjuvY

►BRK2-133: Google’s AI-powered next-gen global network: Built for the Gemini era:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZN9kUIVLOU

►BRK3-043: Best practices for designing and deploying Cross-Cloud network security:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0LQTHc1FOw


🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth discussions on technology and innovation!

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PODCASTS: Listen wherever you get your podcasts:
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Think Equinix is just about colocation? Think again! In this insightful episode of "Let's Talk Shop," your host sits down with Arun Dev, VP of Interconnection Services at Equinix, to explore how Equinix is revolutionizing digital infrastructure far beyond its traditional roots.

We dive deep into the power of interconnection and virtual networking, revealing how enterprises like IHG are modernizing their networks to achieve incredible scale and agility across global operations. Discover how Equinix helps solve real-world challenges, from simplifying complex legacy networks to enabling seamless hybrid and multi-cloud strategies.

Arun sheds light on:

►The true value of Equinix's global ecosystem: Over 260 data centers, 75 metros, 35 countries, and an unparalleled network of 2,000+ network providers and 3,000+ cloud/IT companies.

►What "interconnection services" truly means at Equinix: Secure, private, low-latency connectivity to financial exchanges, hyperscalers, and beyond.

►The magic of Equinix Fabric: On-demand, virtual connectivity across regions, driven by APIs and SDKs – allowing you to spin up connections in seconds and scale bandwidth on the fly.

►Real-world enterprise transformation: The IHG success story – how virtualized networking with Equinix helped them serve 115 million mobile app users with a flawless experience.

►Equinix's role in the Age of AI: How current network limitations are driving urgency for modernization and how Equinix is uniquely positioned to handle demanding AI workloads at the edge.

►The interconnected edge: Why Equinix's global footprint makes them the ideal partner for delivering low-latency experiences, especially for use cases like in-store retail innovation.

►Complementary cloud strategies: Understanding how Equinix works with hyperscaler backbones and offers a neutral, abstraction layer for seamless multi-cloud connectivity, even between competing cloud providers.

►Future of intelligent networking: Equinix's vision for AI-driven network optimization, predictive insights, and cost-saving recommendations for customers.

🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth discussions on technology and innovation!

Sign Up Now for my online course "The Cloud Strategy Master Class":
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PODCASTS: Listen wherever you get your podcasts:
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Welcome back to Let's Talk Shop! In this episode, we dive deep into the world of AI with Russell Fishman (Sr. Director of Solutions Product Management) at NetApp to explore the evolving storage landscape. Forget the GPU-centric hype – we uncover the critical role of intelligent data infrastructure in the AI pipeline, from ingestion to inference. Russell shares how NetApp's long history in data management for analytics and HPC uniquely positions them to tackle AI's biggest challenges, especially around data readiness. We discuss NetApp's specific features that boost performance and scalability across on-premises and multicloud environments, and address the crucial topic of data governance and reducing vendor lock-in in the age of AI. Discover how NetApp is helping customers make their data AI-ready through innovative metadata management and integrations with MLOps tools, ultimately simplifying complex workflows for data scientists and engineers.


► Bridging Customer Outcomes with AI
► The Impact of Intelligent Data Infrastructure on the AI Pipeline
► Beyond Training: The Growing Importance of AI Inference
► NetApp's Role: Fueling the AI Engine with Data Management
► Right Performance, Right Stage: NetApp's Feature Flexibility
► Achieving Extreme Performance: NetApp's Standard-Based Approach with PNFS
► NetApp's Evolution: From Analytics & Big Data to AI
► Making Data Management Accessible for Data Scientists
► Simplifying AI Workflows: Integration with MLOps Tools like Domino Data Lab
► Addressing Vendor Lock-in: NetApp's Open Standards Commitment and Multi-Cloud Strategy
► Getting Data AI-Ready: The Importance of Metadata
► Leveraging Metadata for Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
► Data Governance, Traceability, and Security Across Multi-Cloud with ONTAP

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PODCASTS: Listen wherever you get your podcasts:
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Prepare for a tech revolution! We dive deep into Google's groundbreaking move: bringing Gemini on-prem with Google Distributed Cloud (GDC). Hear firsthand about the incredible customer excitement and partner collaborations that are reshaping the AI landscape.

🔥 Ever wondered how AI is truly transforming enterprise? We tackle the burning question: Is AI just hype, or is it the real deal? From optimizing performance and security to managing costs and bringing AI anywhere, we unpack Google's top 10 innovations.

🚀 Key Highlights:

► Gemini On-Prem: Discover how Google is delivering its cutting-edge Gemini models directly to your data center, solving critical sovereignty and latency challenges.

► Real-World AI Use Cases: We explore tangible examples, from ServiceNow's AI-powered IT service management to financial services leveraging agent-based enterprise search.

► Storage & Networking Breakthroughs: Learn about Google's game-changing storage innovations like Anywhere Cache and Rapid Storage, and how Cloud WAN is redefining enterprise networking.

► McDonald's AI Transformation: See how GDC is powering the future of store operations at McDonald's locations worldwide.

► The Future of AI Hardware: We discuss the critical role of hardware, including GPUs and TPUs, and how Google is managing these resources for optimal performance.

► Google vs. The Competition: Find out what sets Google apart in the AI and cloud space, especially with their unique approach to on-prem AI and networking.

► Cloud WAN & Premier Tier Networking: Discover how Google's backbone network is delivering unprecedented latency and cost savings.

💥 We address the critical questions:

► How are enterprises truly leveraging AI beyond the hype?
► What are the practical applications of AI in various industries?
► How does Google solve the challenges of bringing AI on prem?
► How Google's networking solutions are changing the game.

Join us as we explore the cutting edge of AI and cloud technology, and uncover the real-world impact of these innovations.

🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth discussions on technology and innovation!

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PODCASTS: Listen wherever you get your podcasts:
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In this episode of Let's Talk Shop, our guest is Rohit Badlaney, who leads Product Design, Industry Strategy, and Execution for IBM Cloud. Rohit shares deep insights into IBM’s role in shaping the future of AI and hybrid cloud technologies. We discussed many topics including:

► IBM’s vision as a hybrid cloud and AI company.
► How IBM differentiates itself from other hyperscalers by prioritizing enterprise trust, compliance, and security.
► The importance of AI infrastructure and IBM’s innovations with NVIDIA, Intel, AMD, and proprietary AI chips.
► Real-world applications of AI and generative AI (Gen AI) for enterprise customers.
► The evolving role of IBM’s mainframe systems in a hybrid multi-cloud world.
► Rohit also shares how IBM integrates its consulting, technology, and innovation arms to help clients optimize performance, security, and total cost of ownership. Whether you're an industry professional, a tech enthusiast, or simply curious about the future of cloud and AI, this video is packed with insights you won’t want to miss!

🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth discussions on technology and innovation!

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PODCASTS: Listen wherever you get your podcasts:
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In this epoxide, Sanjeev Mohan and I comment and share thoughts on the AWS Re:Invent 2024 keynote.   We deliver an unfiltered take on the announcements, the storytelling, and the impact of innovations like Tranium 3, metadata advancements, Nova models, and Q Developer.

🔍 Key Discussions Include:

► The power (and pitfalls) of AWS's obsession with "speeds and feeds."
► Why metadata and open standards are a game-changer for security and interoperability.
► Sanjeev’s take on Bedrock’s new reasoning capabilities and the rise of AI agents.
► The storytelling disconnect: Why smaller customer success stories could resonate better than Fortune 500 examples.
► A candid chat on AWS’s competition, benchmarks, and strategic partnerships.
► The future of personal AI agents and how they’ll revolutionize everyday tasks.

📌 One Key Question: Are we ready for AI agents that handle more than just recommendations—agents that autonomously act on our behalf?

👉 Don't miss our raw feedback, favorite announcements, and plenty of constructive criticism. Plus, discover why Q Developer might be the unsung hero of this year's keynote.

💬 Share your thoughts in the comments and let us know: What was your favorite AWS announcement this year?

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In our continued coverage of AWS Re:Invent 2024, i had the pleasure of speaking to one of the coolest, smartest and most passionate AWS ambassador yet. Rory Richardson was electrifying. In this episode, we discuss Amazon Q Developer, a tool that promises to reshape not just how developers approach code, automation, and innovation, but also how ops teams and security teams and FInOps teams can benefit as well. Our guest, a long-time AWS insider with 12 years of experience, shares insights on why Q Developer might just be the coolest thing they've worked on—ever.

🛠️ Some highlights:

► The evolution of Q Developer from a simple IDE plugin to a comprehensive DevOps and operations powerhouse.
► How Q Developer tackles the 35 hours of developer toil outside of writing fresh code—think modernization, automation, and transformation.
► Natural language as the future of coding and the delicate balance between abstraction and precision.
► Agents vs. Assistants: What’s the difference, and how do they empower developers?
► The big picture of intent-based development—moving from "coding" to "orchestrating."
Mainframe migrations, legacy tech, and the role of AI in tackling monolithic applications.

💡 Plus:

► The philosophy behind Q Developer’s integration with tools like GitLab for seamless pipeline management.
► A candid discussion about AWS’s vision for democratizing innovation and creating tools for the next generation of builders.
► Whether you're a seasoned developer, a tech enthusiast, or just curious about the future of software engineering, this episode is packed with insights, analogies (Jarvis fans, rejoice!), and real-world examples of how generative AI is transforming the industry.

🔗 Tune in now and join the conversation on the future of coding, cloud, and beyond! Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to help us reach 1.5M views! 🌟

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In this episode of Let's Talk Shop, my guest is Nirav Mehta, Sr. Director of Product Management for Google Cloud. We dive into the latest trends that CIOs are looking for in cloud infrastructure. From a hyperscale cloud provider capable of addressing both current and future workloads to leveraging AI expertise and ensuring security and reliability, we explore the key needs of businesses today. We also discuss how Google Cloud is meeting these demands with elegance and efficiency, from simplifying global network management to enhancing object storage across regions. Plus, we break down the impressive shift in market perception, highlighted by Google's rise in recent Magic Quadrant rankings. Tune in for insights into how Google Cloud is not only innovating but setting a new standard for the future of enterprise cloud services.

Sign Up Now for my online course "The Cloud Strategy Master Class":
► On my web site: https://lnkd.in/gcxcrX and use promo code LINKEDIN20 to receive a 20% discount.
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PODCASTS: Listen wherever you get your podcasts:
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