LAS VEGAS: Forget oil, the 21st century’s economy will be all about data — it is something we have heard a lot since the turn of the decade.
As Brian Householder, CEO of the Hitachi Vantara group, said at the Hitachi NEXT event in Las Vegas last week: “In 2017 machines generated more data than humans for the first time. However, by 2023 it will be 50 times more.”
And during the glitzy event at MGM Grand Hotel, the Japanese company showed exactly why they are perfectly positioned to be market leaders in the new “data economy” as the sector goes from strength to strength and the large scale “industrial internet” booms in the coming years.
Interesting opening day at the #HitachiNEXT event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas - lots of product launches, and insight into how data is the 21st century's new economy and breaking new ground in fields as wide-ranging as healthcare and transport @HitachiVantara pic.twitter.com/IpcOiEB8dp
— Arab News (@arabnews) October 10, 2019
Speaking at the event, Hitachi CEO Toshiaki Higashihara gave two examples to illustrate how the company’s systems have been applied to everyday, practical scenarios, first citing transport.
He mentioned how the commute time from Ashford to London in the UK was cut by 50 percent and how the Copenhagen Metro could reschedule trains based on data analysing the number of passengers on platforms at any given time, both using Hitachi’s state-of-the-art software.
Elsewhere, the second example was the company’s technology and equipment being used in healthcare — to treat cancer through the use of particle beam therapy and its software being used to help the American Heart Foundation.
Using the power of data for good and “social innovation” was something Higashihara was keen to stress and it was the major theme of the event.
Day Two at #HitachiNext - where the focus this morning has been about how data can be a power for good in society, highlights of which include the world's largest electric vehicle project and rainforest conservation (@HitachiVantara) #LasVegas pic.twitter.com/22kuZbCTo7
— Arab News (@arabnews) October 10, 2019
Hitachi’s expertise in the sector was never far from the point of discussion either, with clients of the company waxing lyrical about how much its software and technology has helped their causes — global clients that require huge compute and storage capabilities, especially with a trillion new data sensors expected to come online by 2024.
To cope with such demands, Hitachi used the event to announce its preparedness with three key launch announcements within its Edge-Core-Cloud framework :
- Hitachi’s Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) 5000 series and Hitachi Ops Center software were the biggest highlights of the company’s storage and infrastructure announcements.
- Hitachi Vantara expanded its cloud services capabilities in the first major announcement of the company’s newly formed cloud services portfolio.
- Hitachi Vantara also announced the expansion of its Lumada platform services and solutions portfolio to help clients across several industries with data silos issues and drive more innovation through DataOps.
#UPDATE: Innovative and important product launches on Wednesday at the #HitachiNEXT event in Las Vegas included the VPS 5000, @HitachiVantara Ops Center and Lumada Edge Intelligence 3.0 pic.twitter.com/rO8UUoTfjX
— Arab News (@arabnews) October 10, 2019
Also part of the program of events at NEXT 2019 were the keynote speakers who raised interesting and thought-provoking points. Zeynep Tufekci, who is associate professor at the University of North Carolina and contributor to the New York Times, is a technosociologist and an expert in privacy and surveillance.
She spoke about how algorithms such as those used by YouTube highlight a human vulnerability and tendency to be curious about extreme ideas, which the video platform’s engines used to drive up engagement figures.
She said this was not a built-in design feature, but rather was a result of the algorithm being allowed to optimise around user engagement, and that lessons must be learned about machine learning and its power.
On the second day of keynote speeches, free-solo climber Alex Honnold who explained the huge amount of training, mental control and physical preparation goes hand-in-hand with climbing experience to overcome tough challenges in any walk of life.
#UPDATE: Keynote speaker at #HitachiNEXT's day two was free-solo climber @AlexHonnold who spoke inspirationally about the importance of having mental control in challenging situations pic.twitter.com/hXTj1OfRDJ
— Arab News (@arabnews) October 10, 2019
The star of National Geographic’s “Free Solo,” which saw the American attempt to conquer the first free-solo climb of the famed El Capitan's 900-metre vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park, wowed the crowd with anecdotes and humbling accounts of his life as a free-climber.
Attendees were also given a chance to see equipment and software in action at the event’s exhibition space — Solutions Showcase — where the latest data solutions in the industry were on show.
#WATCH: A demo of 3D Lidar technology in action, which enables real-time statistics and data without tracking identifiable personal data #HitachiNEXT @HitachiVantara pic.twitter.com/SGTAZAdEzy
— Arab News (@arabnews) October 10, 2019
This section also included a nod to Hitachi’s new strategic alliance with Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. While Mickey Mouse was part of the big announcement on day one, attendees were able to get up close to characters from Pixar’s Toy Story including Woody himself.
#UPDATE - And this being Las Vegas, no event is complete without a little superstar glamour... Mickey Mouse wows the crowds to mark the partnership between @HitachiVantara and @Disney #HitachiNEXT pic.twitter.com/4gVbPAtD5j
— Arab News (@arabnews) October 10, 2019
Hitachi Vantara is now the official ride and show analytics provider to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California to help create data-driven solutions to enhance the operational efficiency of shows and attractions.
