- DE-CIX anticipates a transformative year for Malaysia’s tech sector in 2024, highlighting advancements like generative AI and Quantum computing.
- Dr. Thomas King outlines five key tech trends for Malaysia, including optimized AI interconnect services, AIOps for network operations, and the evolution of SD-WAN exchanges.
- These trends reflect a growing reliance on AI, the need for efficient network management solutions, and the expansion of global network services, shaping Malaysia’s tech landscape in the coming year.
DE-CIX, a global Internet Exchange operator, forecasts a transformative year for Malaysia’s tech landscape in 2024, with advancements such as generative AI, Quantum computing, and more.
Dr. Thomas King, DE-CIX’s Chief Technology Officer, outlines 5 pivotal tech trends set to influence the connected business world, technology evolution, and interconnection business in Malaysia in 2024.
1. Interconnect services for AI optimization, ensuring low-latency delivery
With the introduction of cloud-based AI services like ChatGPT and other powerful generative AI models, Malaysia is witnessing a surge in AI adoption across various industries.
Companies are leveraging AI to gain a competitive edge, particularly in areas such as chatbots, analytics, and research and development.
However, many businesses lack the internal resources to develop and operate their AI models. This has led to a growing reliance on AI as a Service (AIaaS) providers and cloud-based AI solutions. To ensure optimal performance, companies require optimized connectivity to these AIaaS platforms, enabling low-latency and high-bandwidth connections.
This trend is especially crucial for industries like pharmaceuticals and manufacturing, where AI plays a key role in drug discovery, process optimization, and predictive maintenance.
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2. AIOps for Network Operations
With distributed workforces and cloud infrastructures, the demand for efficient network management solutions is on the rise.
AIOps (AI for IT operations), which combines AI and machine learning with IT operations, offers a promising solution. By automating processes, providing predictive analytics, and enabling root cause analysis, AIOps simplifies network operations, accelerating issue resolution and reducing costs.
A survey conducted towards the end of 2023 revealed that merely 4% of participants had fully integrated AIOps across their organizations. Additionally, 15% had initiated AIOps on a trial basis, and 29% had recognized potential use cases for its future deployment. Forecasts predict a significant growth, with the market projected to triple by 2028, reaching close to US$ 65 billion.
3. The advent of the SD-WAN Exchange
Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) has been offering cost-effective and flexible connectivity solutions for enterprises.
In Malaysia, the adoption of SD-WAN has been rapid, with many large enterprises leveraging its benefits over traditional MPLS networks. SD-WAN intelligently utilizes existing Internet connectivity, seamlessly integrating with multi-cloud environments and optimizing data pathways. This technology agnostic approach allows SD-WAN to function across various network technologies, including broadband and 4G/5G LTE.
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Internet Exchanges are poised to evolve into SD-WAN Exchanges, providing diverse SD-WAN endpoints for enterprises to connect with and route between different SD-WAN technologies.
4. Private communications in the post-Quantum era
With the rise of quantum computing, ensuring secure communication channels has become paramount.
Quantum encryption technology, including Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), is being developed to address these challenges. However, QKD requires unobstructed fiber networks and quantum repeaters for effective transmission. In 2024, Malaysia is expected to witness the development of productive quantum networks, testing QKD over longer distances and exploring new approaches for interconnecting participants in quantum networks.
5. Global NaaS expansion
Network as a Service (NaaS) providers are extending their global networks, offering enterprises comprehensive Wide Area Network (WAN) solutions.
Also read: 7 cloud computing trends that will define 2024
By outsourcing WAN building and management to service providers, businesses gain access to pay-as-you-go models, API-based operations, and self-service portals. This trend is particularly beneficial for multinational organizations with distributed infrastructures, providing local access to the Internet, clouds, and partner networks.
As Malaysia enters a transformative phase, businesses must align infrastructure with the digital trends, expand geographically, and meet various customer demands to stay ahead in the global tech world.
