I hope you all had a great week!  

Last week, Matt participated in the Oracle HeatWave Panel and attended Datacenter World (with Will).  Will attended Aruba Atmosphere.

This week, I will be in Seattle and Phoenix for advisory meetings.  Matt will be attending the HPE Houston Open House.

Our MI&S team published 11 deliverables: 

• 4 (Forbes or eWEEK) insight columns 
• 3 MI&S blogs
• 4 podcasts   
• 0 research papers

The press quoted us with 7 citations.  Journalists wanted to hear about Apple, Aruba, AWS, Cisco, Fintech, and Telecom. 

Quick Insights:

A.I./Machine Learning (Paul Smith-Goodson)

• The Defense Department is taking Chinese AI seriously, and it believes AI will transform warfare, and failure to adopt AI technology could hinder national security.  Even though the DoD takes AI seriously, an audit by the GAO reveals it is not developing aggressive plans for AI.  The GAO found that the DoD needs more comprehensive AI-related strategies.  It also lacks full descriptions of the resources necessary to develop AI-enabled technologies.  In addition, DOD has not yet issued guidance that clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of components that participate in AI activities.  The GAO issued 7 recommendations to correct these problems.  The gaps seem like basic planning issues.  If the problems aren't corrected soon, AI is vitally important to our security that the DoD leadership responsible for AI development and implementation should be replaced.
• The final game dominated by human intelligence, bridge, has been mastered by AI.  Recently eight world champions were defeated by artificial intelligence.  Rather than AI against a single human, bridge is more of a sophisticated challenge because it pits AI against multiple players and nuanced methods of play in the game.  AI has beaten humans in chess, checkers, Jeopardy questions, Go, and now bridge has been added to the list.  I believe this is a significant milestone on the road to what AI will eventually become.

 AR/VR (Anshel Sag)

• N/A

 Carrier/Wireless (Will Townsend)

• T-Mobile recently celebrated the second anniversary of its acquisition of Sprint.  There is no doubt that the carrier is leading its rivals in deploying 5G, given a complete spectrum footprint.  However, it will need to do more on the enterprise services front to garner richer ARPU and retire its multi-billion-dollar investment.      

Datacenter: 

• Storage- (Steve McDowell) 
  • VMware is getting into the storage-as-a-service market with its new Cloud Flex Storage file service for VMware Cloud on AWS. The new offering is based on technology that VMware brought in-house when it acquired HCI start-up Datrium back in 2020. Cloud Flex Storage is targeted at IT shops that are managing storage and data across cloud boundaries. This is an excellent offering targeting a problem space where nearly IT shop suffers. It’s in preview now, with general availability sometime later this year. 
  • Dell Technologies released a software update to its PowerScale and Isilon systems, adding the ability to synchronize object data stored on the Dell storage boxes to object storage targets in the public cloud. The new capability is branded SmartSync, and it both supplements and extends existing SyncIQ technology.  Objects are an increasingly popular way to manage unstructured data, and Dell’s SmartSync capability gives its customers a richer, more flexible experience.
• Networking- (Will Townsend) 
  • I attended Aruba Atmosphere 2022 and continue to be impressed by the networking infrastructure provider.  The company has grown topline revenue to $4B despite the challenges of the pandemic.  I also believe that its recent eight purpose-built NaaS offerings within the GreenLake for Aruba platform will ease partner sell-through and customer adoption.     
• Server- (Matt Kimball)   
  • N/A    

FinTech (Melody Brue)

• Apple acquired Credit Kudos, an open banking platform that allows more informed credit decisions. The company is based in the UK and is similar to Plaid and is a challenger to the big credit reporting agencies. Apple has been investing in innovation across its services business, and it looks like this acquisition could be a setup for the launch of the Apple Card in the UK and other financial services. Last year Apple changed its policies on third-party APIs for open banking. Still, the laws are different in other countries, so this could be country-specific or indicate that the company is prepared to open the restrictions domestically. While many Big Tech firms face privacy and data concerns in banking, Apple has been very transparent about its use of data and details about financing and payments. The “Bank of Apple,” therefore, is a genuine possibility as the company continues to expand its services. The company now has Apple Card, Apple Pay, and Tap to Pay on iPhones, which compete with Block without any additional hardware required.  
• Zip and Klarna are among two companies that have launched a payment plan for gas, splitting the bill into four payments over six weeks. While I see this as a potentially needed solution for some, given the high price of gas and people starting to go back to the office, it could mean more debt for already financially compromised customers and harm credit.  
• Kroger and NVIDIA announced a digital twin simulator lab experiment in Cincinnati. The companies are among many others bringing AI into the shopping aisles, as AI use is increasing for retail experiences. Using virtual models designed to reflect store layouts and other operations with computer vision and analytics, the partnership aims to maintain freshness and maximize efficiency and processes at every step of the grocery journey - from farm to plate.

IIoT and IoT (Bill Curtis)

• N/A

Personal Computing/ Collaboration (Anshel Sag) 

• N/A

Quantum Computing (Paul Smith-Goodson)

• I've long been concerned about the US maintaining its quantum and AI lead over China, and I have written several articles on the subject.  Although this pertains to technology in general, I wanted to comment on the good news that the "America Competes Act" finally passed the Senate by 68-28 this week.  I'm optimistic that it will ultimately be reconciled and soon passed by the House.  It is one of the few pieces of legislation that has bipartisan support.  Although late to the game, it will reduce our dependence on Chinese-manufactured products with $52 billion allocated to manufacture semiconductors and $2 billion for manufacturing critical electronics, defense, and automobile components.
  • IonQ was included in this year's TIME100 Most Influential Companies list.  This year, the company has made many technical breakthroughs, including its newest quantum computer, the IonQ Aria. Its researchers created a new family of quantum gates that can accelerate quantum algorithms and can only be conducted on IonQ and Duke University systems; it is the first to use barium ions in a quantum computing architecture. It secured a public-private manufacturing partnership with Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) to produce barium qubits.  IonQ is currently available on all three major cloud providers, and its quantum research includes such applications as financial modeling, electric vehicle battery chemistry, logistics, and risk management. 

Security (Will Townsend)

• There are roughly one million professionals that work in the cybersecurity industry.  However, by most estimates, another half a million positions remain open.  The current geopolitical environment in Eastern Europe is likely creating a sense of urgency for enterprises to staff up, given the threat of nation-state attacks on critical infrastructure.  I also expect that venture capital firms will continue to invest in cybersecurity start-ups, given a need for additional layers of protection.        

Space (Paul Smith-Goodson)

• N/A   

Columns Published (Forbes, eWEEK, UPLOAD VR, and others

1. Corporate Internal Auditing And Innovation For The ‘G’ In ESG; A Close Look At Honeywell’s Transaction Monitoring Platform, Based On Forge, by Patrick Moorhead
2. Current Geopolitics Are Raising The Need For New Cybersecurity Measures, by Will Townsend
3. HeatWave ML: Real-Time Intelligence Comes To MySQL, by Matt Kimball
4. Qualcomm Deepens Commitment To The Metaverse With $100 Million Snapdragon Fund And Square Enix Partnership, by Anshel Sag

Blogs Published (MI&S)                                                              

1. Qualcomm Ventures Had A Banner 2021, by Patrick Moorhead
2. T-Mobile Introduces First 5G Automotive Service With BMW, Called ‘Magenta Drive’, by Patrick Moorhead
3. Momentum For Amazon's Climate Pledge Continues To Snowball, by Patrick Moorhead

Research Paper(s):

• N/A

Podcasts:

The G2 on 5G by Moor Insights & Strategy, with Anshel Sag and Will Townsend

• The G2 on 5G Podcast - Ep 92 – Nokia Romania Ban, OnePlus 10 Pro 5G, GSMA $1T Payment Report & more
  • Nokia is blocked from providing 5G infrastructure in Romania - what’s the conspiracy theory?
  • OnePlus 10 Pro 5G launches in the US, exclusively on T-Mobile and working on certification on Verizon, but has no plans to work on AT&T
  • GSMA report reveals $1T in mobile money platform transactions in 2021 - can 5G drive added value in the Fintech space?
  • Qualcomm claims first for NR-DC at 2.6 GHz and 26 GHz in Thailand on AIS with ZTE
  • Vodafone launches V2X road safety system in the UK - is it laying the foundation for 5G’s ushering of autonomous driving support? 
  • T-Mobile marks two years of acquisition of Sprint

DataCentric Podcast by Moor Insights & Strategy, with Matt Kimball and Steve McDowell

• N/A

The Six-Five Podcast by Moor Insights & Strategy and Futurum Research, with Patrick Moorhead and Daniel Newman

• Ep116: Intel Arc & acquiring Granulate, Oracle Heatwave, Micron earnings, Groq Day, IBM Quantum
  • Intel Arc Discrete Graphics Launch
  • Oracle HeatWave
  • Intel Acquires Granulate
  • Micron Earnings
  • Groq Day
  • IBM Quantum HSBC News

Moor Insights & Strategy Podcast

• Ep14 #FinTech #RetailTech Friday: Apple’s Fintech Future, #BNPL at the gas pump, Kroger’s AI & more
  • The Bank of Apple 
  • Fill Now, Pay Later    
  • Zip and Klarna allow splitting the gas bill into four payments 
  • The retail moment: Kroger and NVIDIA Bring AI into the shopping aisles
  • Acronym of the week: BOPIS 
  • What’s coming up?
• Lisa Spelman Corp VP, GM, Intel & Mick Hollison President, Cloudera talking about FHC
  • Talking with Lisa Spelman Corp VP, GM, Intel & Mick Hollison President, Cloudera about transitioning to the Future (Hybrid) Cloud

 Press Citations: 

1. Apple / Emergingtachbrew https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2022/03/30/apple-s-new-lower-cost-5g-enabled-iphone-won-t-move-the-needle-on-5g-adoption (Anshel Sag)
2. Aruba / Techtarget https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252515214/Aruba-launches-VXLAN-management-GPS-enabled-Wi-Fi-networks (Will Townsend)
3. AWS, Oracle, Snowflake / Siliconangle https://siliconangle.com/2022/04/01/database-competition-heats-up-as-aws-oracle-and-snowflake-reshape-the-landscape-cubeconversations/ (Matt Kimball)
4. Cisco, cloud / Thefastmode https://www.thefastmode.com/technology-solutions/23943-cisco-unveils-new-innovations-to-accelerate-enterprises-hybrid-cloud-adoption (Matt Kimball)
5. Cisco, Cloud  / Techtarget https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252515126/Cisco-adds-HCI-UCS-software-to-hybrid-cloud-infrastructure (Matt Kimball) 
6. Fintech / Protocol https://www.protocol.com/newsletters/protocol-fintech/sec-dealer-trader-crypto?rebelltitem=1#toggle-gdpr (Melody Brue)
7. Telecom / Androidcentral https://www.androidcentral.com/flagship-android-phones-north-america (Anshel Sag)

Company:

• N/A

New Gear or Software We are Using and Testing that is Public Knowledge 

• HP Omen 45L Desktop 
• HP Omen 27c Gaming Monitor 
• Lumina webcam
• MSI Creator 15 OLED Laptop
• Microsoft Surface Go 3 with LTE
• Samsung S22 Ultra and S22.

Events MI&S Plans on Attending In-Person or Virtually (New) 

• April
  • HPE Houston Open House April 4 (Matt)
  • Advisories, Seattle, April 5-7 (Patrick Moorhead)
  • Advisory, Phoenix, April 7 (Patrick Moorhead)
  • BigTech Neuromorphic Computing, April 11 (Paul Smith-Goodson)
  • IBM Quantum Open House, April 12 (Paul Smith-Goodson)
  • Open Networking & Edge Executive Forum, April 12-14, virtual (Will)
  • NetApp Investment Analyst Day, April 22 (Steve McDowell)
  • NVIDIA Investment Analyst Day, April 22 (Steve McDowell)
  • NAB Show, Las Vegas, April 24-27 (Steve McDowell)
  • Infosys Cloud panel moderator, NYC, April 26 (Patrick Moorhead)
  • Oracle Lab Grand Opening, Chicago, April 27 (Patrick Moorhead)
• May
  • Dell Tech World, Las Vegas, May 2-5 (Matt Kimball, Steve McDowell, Patrick Moorhead, Will Townsend)
  • MediaTek Analysts Day, Scottsdale, May 9-11 (Anshel Sag, Will Townsend)
  • IBM Think, May 9-13 (Steve McDowell, Patrick Moorhead)
  • SAP Sapphire, Orlando, May 9 (Patrick Moorhead)
  • Red Hat Analyst Summit, May 10-11 (Matt Kimball)
  • Intel Vision, May 10-11 (Steve McDowell)
  • All In Summit, May 15-17, Miami (Patrick Moorhead)
  • Big 5G Event – Austin, May 16-17 (Will Townsend)
  • GlobalFoundries GTS, May 19 (Patrick Moorhead)
• June
  • RSA – San Francisco, June 6-9 (Will Townsend)
  • Pure//Accelerate TechFest, L.A., June 7-9 (Steve McDowell)
  • Six Five Summit 2022, Virtual, June 7-9 (Patrick Moorhead)
  • Google Applied ML Conference, June 9 (Paul Smith-Goodson)
  • Lenovo Analyst Summit, June 13-15, (Matt Kimball, Pat Moorhead)
  • Cisco Live, June 12-16 (Patrick Moorhead, Will Townsend)
  • Zscaler Cloud Summit – Las Vegas, June 21-23 (Will Townsend)
  • HPE Discover, June 28-30, Las Vegas (Matt Kimball, Paul Smith-Goodson, Steve McDowell, Will Townsend)
• July
• August
  • Flash Memory Summit, Aug 2-4, Santa Clara (Steve McDowell)
  • VMworld, San Francisco, Aug 28-Sept 1 (Steve McDowell)
• September
  • Quantum Open House Event, TBD (Paul Smith-Goodson)
  • SNIA Storage Developer Conference, San Jose, Sept 28-29 (Steve McDowell)
• October
  • Open Compute Global Summit, October 18-19 (Steve McDowell)

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The Team 

Analysts, Analysts In-Residence, Contributors

1. Patrick Moorhead, Founder, CEO, Chief Analyst; Broad technology coverage plus deep insights into Cloud & SaaS, Personal Computing, Semiconductors, Automotive 
2. Bill Curtis, Analyst In-Residence, IIoT, and Deep IoT Technology 
3. Matt Kimball, Principal Analyst, Datacenter Servers, CI, and HCI 
4. Melody Brue, Principal Analyst, Financial Tech
5. Steve McDowell, Principal Analyst, Datacenter Storage, and Storage Technologies 
6. Anshel Sag, Principal Analyst; V.R., P.C. Gaming, Mobile Platforms 
7. Paul Smith-Goodson, Principal Analyst; Machine Learning, A.I. and Quantum Computing 
8. Will Townsend, Principal Analyst; Security, Carrier Services, Networking 
9. Chris Wilder, Contributor, Security 

Operations 

1. Dan Pickens, Business Director 
2. Paula Moorhead, Marketing Director, Website, and Social Media 
3. Walker Pickens, Media Relations, and Writer 
4. Zane Pickett, Office Manager, AP., AR, travel, writer 
5. Lee LeClercq Williams, Business Associate 
6. Nigel Church, Business Associate, Writer, Editor
7. Jacob Freyman, Writer, and Researcher 
8. Connor Kenyon, Six Five Sales & Business Development