We hope everyone had a great week!  

This week, Anshel, Will, and I will be in Barcelona to attend Mobile World Congress.  

Our MI&S team published 25 deliverables:  

• 13 Forbes insight columns  
• 5 MI&S blogs 
• 7 podcasts    
• 0 research papers 

The press quoted us with 6 citations. Journalists wanted to hear about Cybersecurity, NVIDIA, Quantinuum, and WAN.  

MIS Quick Insights: 

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

• IBM is so heavily involved in creating AI foundation models it decided to build its own AI supercomputer in the cloud. It was primarily built to accommodate IBM's own internal AI needs coming from building and training models for IBM's business units. Much of IBM's recent internal research has been dedicated to foundation models and generative AI. These models are trained on large amounts of unlabeled data and can be used for multiple tasks with few modifications. Foundation models are huge, usually with billions of parameters. Models of this scale are so large they can only be trained with supercomputers. Unfortunately, classical supercomputers were not designed for the computational complexity necessary for the optimal training of AI models. IBM realized that building an AI supercomputer with an architecture designed to develop and train massive AI models would benefit its research efforts and, eventually, its customers. The AI supercomputer was built in the cloud last May 2022. Its entire stack is built on top of OpenShift, making it portable to any cloud, on-prem, or public cloud environment and allowing it to run in a hybrid cloud environment. The AI supercomputer has everything needed for an AI supercomputing-as-a-service offering. I wouldn't be surprised to see such a service in 2024.

AR/VR (Anshel Sag) 

• The PlayStation VR2 launched this week, and my first impressions have been positive, as the onboarding experience is simple and easy. The image quality is very high even though there is a slight visible Mura distortion at times, resulting from the display technology and game design. 
• The OnePlus 11 launched, and I believe the company did an excellent job hitting all the right marks on that device. However, it still suffers from performance challenges over Wi-Fi and does not have wireless charging, which is a tough pill to swallow. It is also the first Snapdragon Spaces-ready smartphone making it compatible with any AR or VR headset supporting Snapdragon Spaces. 
• ZTE is teasing the launch of its AR glasses, which is likely a response to what TCL and Oppo have announced thus far. It is still unclear whether these glasses will be compatible with Snapdragon Spaces or what their specs will be, but its quite clear that Chinese OEMs want to be in on the AR race.

Carrier/Wireless (Will Townsend) 

• Ericsson and Cradlepoint recently announced a successful network-slicing demo marrying 5G and SD-WAN. It is a significant accomplishment, especially in distributed networking deployments. Mapping applications to slices is challenging, especially given specific demands on latency and throughput.                     

Datacenter:  

Networking- (Will Townsend)  

• Celona recently announced its global expansion, extending its enterprise private cellular networking "solution in a box" to a larger addressable market. It's a logical move for the company, and I like its dual-mode LTE and 5G access point that should provide investment protection, especially in OT deployments.      

Server- (Matt Kimball)    

• Recent reports of Google designing Arm chips in-house for GCP are interesting. The company already deploys Arm-based instances based on Ampere and is now looking to build an Arm chip based on a Marvell design (codenamed Maple) and another "custom chip" (codenamed Cypress) out of its Israel office. It is said that the company is looking to get performance out of these chips that will rival AMD and Intel. Either way, the company has done its due diligence and sees the cost advantages of designing chips in housein-houseike AWS with Graviton. 
• Is the market paying attention to Lenovo ISG and what Kirk Skaugen and the team have accomplished? In an otherwise bearish market, Lenovo is seeing growth everywhere – server, storage, at the edge, and as-a-Service. I have long been a fan of how this team has leaned into markets that other major OEMs retreated (from) and how the company has managed its manufacturing. I will be curious to see how the next few quarters play out, but I expect it to continue outperforming the market. 

ESG (Melody Brue)

• HPE launched its "Force For Good Financing Program" for its customer companies with a demonstrated sustainability commitment. This demonstrated commitment is based on a "pre-determined range of a recognized industry standard index." The program is meant for SMB and enterprise customers with increasing costs associated with technology and digital transformation that also could be at risk of falling behind as they face increasingly stringent environmental regulations. 
• ESG initiatives can create a have vs. have not situation amongst corporations as a structured emphasis on ESG takes a tremendous amount of resources for a company. Companies must sometimes choose between sustainability efforts and shareholder value creation. Initiatives like HPE's program nicely answer its business goal of financing and selling products. It also serves as a playing field leveler while compounding HPE's sustainability efforts.

IioT and IoT (Bill Curtis) 

• Qualcomm announced Aware, an "API first" platform for building connected edge applications. At first glance, it resembles the plethora of other cloud-to-edge services for connectivity and device management, none of which have achieved strong market traction. But Qualcomm seems to be avoiding three deficiencies of other end-to-end frameworks. (1) Control point – Qualcomm's leadership in baseband silicon allows Aware to take full advantage of the company's silicon portfolio without worrying about multi-vendor interoperability. This single-vendor strategy simplifies designing and building value-added software and services for connectivity management, location services, and security. The trade-off is vendor lock-in, and we'll see how that plays out in the marketplace. (2) Focus – Initially, Aware sharply focuses on logistics and supply chain verticals. It makes sense to start with applications that need cellular and can afford it, rather than complicating Aware by addressing other industries such as consumer and healthcare. (3) Partnerships – Aware's strategy is to partner with enterprise application platforms and vertical industry experts rather than try to compete with them on their turf. Many IoT frameworks try to manage and analyze edge data, so it's good to see Qualcomm "stay in its lane" and avoid that obvious error. Overall, Aware looks promising, but we'll know much more after spending time with the APIs.

Modern Work (Melody Brue)

• Tech companies that were among the first to close their offices and allow fully remote work during the pandemic are now mandating a return to the office. Amazon and several other companies have called some employees back to the office at least a few days a week. However, this has sparked concerns about proximity bias, where on-site employees are perceived as more dedicated, engaged, and productive than their remote counterparts. Proximity bias and its effect on culture are essential for leaders to be aware of, as a recent study revealed that in the event of a recession-fueled downsizing, 60% of American managers said it's very likely that remote employees would be the first to be laid off.
• To promote greater worker satisfaction and inclusivity in the workplace, companies will likely continue to enable a portion of their workforce to work remotely. Organizations must evaluate all team members and candidates to prevent proximity bias based on their capabilities and outcomes rather than their physical location. For all the reasons discussed, companies are working to strike a balance in hybrid work that allows for productivity, engagement, and scale in organizations. These decisions must be data-driven—not based on who shows up at the office – to build a healthy culture that drives the bottom line.

Personal Computing/ Collaboration (Anshel Sag)  

• Microsoft continues to try to fight back opposition to its acquisition of Activision Blizzard by signing more long-term deals with competitors. It has signed deals with NVIDIA for GeForce NOW and with Nintendo to provide its games for the Switch and other platforms for the next ten years. 
• Adobe's acquisition of Figma is likely in serious jeopardy as there are rumors that the DoJ is seeking to block the merger under competitive grounds, which I believe makes sense since Figma is likely a direct competitor to Adobe's creative tools.
• MediaTek announced its standalone 5G satellite modem, the MT6825, which delivers very low-power satellite connectivity for a very low additional cost for OEMs, and partnered with Bullitt at MWC to launch three devices powered by this modem 
• Leia is teasing a launch of a glasses-free 3D tablet at MWC in partnership with ZTE, which looks promising for delivering spatial content to consumers without making any sacrifices 
• Oppo launched the Find N2 and N2 Flip right before MWC, featuring MediaTek's Dimensity 9000+ processor, bringing a serious challenger to Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip and Fold line.
• T-Mobile has announced a partnership with AWS for its 5G Advanced Network Solutions, specifically for boosting its abilities at the edge, an area where T-Mobile has lagged compared to its competitors Verizon and AT&T. If this partnership realizes its full potential, there is a real benefit to T-Mobile and its customers as it already has the largest, fastest and most ubiquitous 5G network. This is why I believe that companies like Vail Resorts recently signed a deal with T-Mobile to supply connectivity to all its Ski resorts 

Quantum Computing (Paul Smith-Goodson) 

• For the eighth consecutive time in 3 years, Quantinuum's measured quantum volume has increased. Its H1 generation quantum processor set a quantum volume (QV) of 16,384, followed by another record QV of 32,768. IBM originally developed quantum volume to reflect a quantum computer's overall capabilities. Quantinuum's trapped-ion quantum computer uses an advanced architecture called a quantum charged coupled device (QCCD) that uses several zones for performing operations on qubits rather than many qubits in a single zone.
• In collaboration with Ruhr University Bochum, researchers at the University of Copenhagen solved a problem that quantum researchers have worked on for years. The researchers can now control two quantum light sources rather than one. Trivial as it may seem to those uninitiated in quantum, this colossal breakthrough allows researchers to create a phenomenon known as quantum mechanical entanglement. This uses light particles, called photons, as micro transporters to move quantum information about. Researchers have created quantum mechanical entanglement for years – a phenomenon with nearly sci-fi-like properties, where two light sources can affect each other instantly and potentially across large geographic distances. Entanglement is the basis of quantum networks and central to developing an efficient quantum computer. Researchers have created quantum mechanical entanglement for years – a phenomenon where two light sources can affect each other instantly and potentially across large geographic distances. Entanglement is the basis of quantum networks and central to developing an efficient quantum computer. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute published a new result in Science. It allows the researchers to control two quantum light sources and connect them to each other. It is an advancement that builds on the past 20 years of work. It may be key to scaling up qubits.   

Retail Tech (Melody Brue) 

• N/A

Security (Will Townsend) 

• Rumors abound that AT&T is looking to shed its cybersecurity business. It's a smart move for the operator as it refocuses on its core competency of mobility and fiber services. Alienvault is at the center of its cybersecurity business unit, and it represents a significant asset that, if liquidated, could retire a significant portion of the company's debt.             

Space (Paul Smith-Goodson) 

• N/A    

Columns Published  

1. Data Democratization In A Hybrid World, by Patrick Moorhead
2. Lenovo Establishes New Cybersecurity Center In Israel To Advance' Security By Design', by Patrick Moorhead
3. Intel Brings Sapphire Rapids To Desktop Workstations, by Patrick MoorheadMarvell And AWS Trade Chips For EDA Cloud Services, by Patrick Moorhead
4. Nokia And Kyndryl Want To Upgrade Your Plant To Industry 4.0, by Patrick Moorhead
5. Mediatek Democratizes Satellite And 5G At Mobile World Congress 2023, by Anshel Sag
6. IBM Built A Giant AI Supercomputer In The Cloud To Train Its Massive AI Models, by Paul Smith-Goodson
7. Addressing The Power Issue With Mears Advanced Technology Group, by Matt Kimball
8. Amazon And Other Tech Companies' Return-To-Office Orders Renew Fears Of Proximity Bias, by Melody Brue
9. Quantinuum's New CEO Wants To Build The World's Most Valuable Quantum Company (And He Has The Expertise To Do It), by Paul Smith-Goodson
10. The 5G Fixed Wireless Access Vs. Fiber Debate, by Will Townsend
11. The OnePlus 11 Smartphone: OnePlus' Best-Executed Device Yet, by Anshel Sag
12. RingCentral Dials In Strategic Partnerships With AWS And Avaya, by Melody Brue

Blogs Published (MI&S)                                                               

1. Overcoming Challenges Facing Data Leaders, by Patrick Moorhead
2. Zoho Continues To Unify Its Platform With Zoho Trident, by Patrick Moorhead
3. Oracle Cloud Made All The Right Moves In 2022, by Patrick Moorhead
4. Renesas Positions Its Microcontrollers For The Digitally Transformed Automotive Industry And Consumer And Industrial Markets, by Patrick Moorhead
5. Microsoft Announces New Generative AI Search Using ChatGPT; Bada BING, Bada Boom—The AI Race Is On, by Melody Brue

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 - Mobile World Congress 2023 Preview - Ep 135
• Airvine Wireless Backhaul, Snapdragon X75, Cohere , iPhone 5G SA, Nokia & NTT in 6G & Superbowl 5G

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

• Ep 157: We are Live! Talking Lenovo, Luminar, Marvell, AWS and NVIDIA
• The Six Five On the Road with David Liu, CEO of Plus
• Ep 156: Talking Qualcomm, Intel, Nokia, Kyndryl, Cisco, Lattice, GlobalFoundries

Moor Insights & Strategy Podcast 

• We are LIVE! Talking insights into Intel's 4th gen Xeon family of processors with Lisa Spelman

Press Citations:  

1. Cybersecurity / Siliconangle https://siliconangle.com/2023/02/17/cybersecurity-gaps-grow-consolidation-takes-new-meaning-hybrid-cloud-hpecomputesecurity/ (Matt Kimball)
2. NVIDIA / Siliconangle https://siliconangle.com/2023/02/22/nvidia-reports-better-expected-earnings-sending-stock-higher/ (Pat Moorhead)
3. Quantinuum / NBC15 https://www.nbc15.com/prnewswire/2023/02/23/quantinuum-sets-industry-record-hardware-performance-with-new-quantum-volume-milestone/?outputType=amp (Paul Smith-Goodson)
4. Quantinuum / Yahoo https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/quantinuum-sets-industry-record-hardware-140000142.html (Paul Smith-Goodson)
5. Quantinuum / Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/news/quantinuum-sets-industry-record-hardware-140000142.html (Paul Smith-Goodson)
6. WAN / BizTechMagazine https://biztechmagazine.com/article/2023/02/advanced-networking-technology-you-need-optimize-digital-work (Will Townsend)

Company: 

• N/A

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

• Inseego MiFi X Pro 5G hotspot 
• OnePlus 11 
• OnePlus Buds 2 Pro PSVR 2
• Solis Lite Global Mobile Wi-Fi hotspot   

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

• February
  • Mobile World Congress – Barcelona, February 27 – March 2 (Anshel Sag, Will Townsend) 
• March
  • APS Quantum, Las Vegas, March 5-10 (Paul Smith-Goodson) 
  • SXSW, Austin, March 10-19 (Melody Brue)
  • LoRa Alliance Event - Orlando, March 14-16 (Will Townsend)
  • IBM z event, Poughkeepsie, March 14-16 (Pat Moorhead)
  • NVIDIA GTC (March 20-23) Matt Kimball, Pat Moorhead
  • Adobe Summit 2023, Las Vegas, March 21-23 (Melody Brue)
  • Enterprise Connect, Orlando, March 27-30 (Melody Brue)
  • Connected America – Dallas, March 28-29 (Will Townsend) 
  • HP Amplify, Chicago, March 28-29 (Pat Moorhead)
• April
  • Fortinet Accelerate – Orlando, April 3-6 (in person) (Will Townsend) 
  • HPE Aruba Atmosphere – Las Vegas, April 23-28 (virtual) (Will Townsend)
  • RSA Conference – San Francisco, April 24-27 (virtual) (Matt Kimball, Will Townsend) 
• May 
  • IBM Think, Orlando, May 9-11 (Pat Moorhead)
  • Event, Paris, May 15-16 (Pat Moorhead)
  • Event, Cambridge UK, May 17-18 (Pat Moorhead
  • Dell Tech World, Las Vegas, May 22-25 (Matt Kimball, Pat Moorhead)
  • Red Hat Analyst Summit, Boston/Virtual, May 23-24 (Matt Kimball)
• June
  • MongoDB World, New York, June 20-22 (Pat Moorhead)
  • Samsara Analyst Day, Austin, June 21 (Melody Brue)
• July
  • Lenovo Industry Analyst Conference, July 24-27 (Pat Moorhead)
• August
  • Google Cloud Next, San Francisco, August 29-31 (Pat Moorhead)

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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 Devices, Semiconductors, & Automotive  
2. Melody Brue, Principal Analyst, Modern Work and ESG 
3. Bill Curtis, Analyst In-Residence, IIoT, and Deep IoT Technology  
4. Matt Kimball, Principal Analyst, Datacenter Servers, CI, and HCI  
5. Anshel Sag, Principal Analyst; VR, PC Gaming, Mobile Platforms  
6. Paul Smith-Goodson, Principal Analyst; Machine Learning, A.I. and Quantum Computing  
7. Will Townsend, Principal Analyst; Security, Carrier Services, Networking  
8. Chris Wilder, Contributor, Security  
9. Jacob Freyman, Junior Analyst 

Operations  

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