The buzz around artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow, and with it, the crucial need to move beyond just training powerful models to effectively deploying them for real-world applications. This is where AI inference comes into play – the process of using trained AI models to generate predictions and insights. At Akamai, we’ve been strategically building towards a future where AI inference is not only easily accessible, but performant, scalable, and cost-effective – all the way to the edge.
With the launch of Akamai Cloud Inference, we further realize our vision to be the world’s most distributed cloud, enabling high-throughput, low-latency workloads for AI and beyond. Akamai Cloud Inference is the exciting union of several key steps we’ve taken recently to enable developers to build and deliver edge native applications and AI solutions. We recognized that while centralized cloud models handle large-scale AI training, they often struggle with the scale and distribution required for continuous, on-demand inference with ultra-low-latency to be effective on a global scale.
Our journey to delivering a faster, more cost-effective cloud for AI inference has been deliberate and built on a strong foundation of cloud-native technologies. Underpinning this architecture is Akamai Cloud, the world’s most distributed public cloud, uniquely equipped to power AI inference with a comprehensive suite of cloud products, delivered across Akamai’s expansive global network. Akamai Cloud Inference is built on the robust backbone of a cloud-native, scalable Kubernetes architecture — Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE) and Akamai App Platform – that enables rapid deployment of AI applications and inference use cases.
- Akamai’s new solution provides tools for platform engineers and developers to build and run AI applications and data-intensive workloads closer to end users, delivering 3x better throughput while reducing latency up to 2.5x.
- Using Akamai’s solution, businesses can save up to 86% on AI inference and agentic AI workloads compared to traditional hyperscaler infrastructure.
- From the latest AMD CPUs for lightweight fine-tuning to powerful accelerated compute options with NVIDIA GPUs and NETINT video processing units (VPUs), we provide the right horsepower to meet your unique AI inference needs.
- Our collaboration with VAST Data provides streamlined access to real-time data, crucial for accelerating inference related tasks. This is complemented by highly scalable object storage and integrations with leading vector database vendors like Aiven and Milvus for retrieval augmented generation (RAG).
- Leveraging our cloud native Kubernetes platforms including the new LKE-Enterprise and App Platform, we enable highly scalable and portable AI application containers that eliminate vendor lock-in and eliminate complexity, optimizing for speed, cost, and security.
- Partnering with leading WebAssembly (WASM) such as Fermyon, Akamai enables developers to execute lightweight inference for LLMs directly from serverless apps at the edge, powering latency-sensitive applications.
Our massively distributed network, with over 4,100 points of presence across the globe, ensures low-latency access to compute resources from cloud to edge. This powerful combination allows us to deliver the best possible low-latency and high-throughput AI inference, anywhere, at scale.
This isn’t just about technology; it’s about empowering businesses with practical AI solutions. Imagine transforming the retail checkout experience with real-time object detection and recognition, speeding up the process and reducing errors. Or consider AI-powered in-car voice assistance that provides immediate and relevant responses for connected car functions and advanced route optimization. These are just a few examples of how Akamai Cloud Inference can drive real business value.
Looking ahead, our vision is clear: to build the future of how businesses deliver fast and performant AI inference across their business and to their customers — with the highest throughput and lowest response time possible. We believe the momentum is on our side, as enterprises increasingly recognize the limitations of centralized architectures for edge-centric AI workloads. Akamai is uniquely positioned to help customers scale out their AI initiatives, turning data into action closer to the digital touchpoint. Welcome to the future of AI inference, powered by Akamai Cloud.
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