2025 ZKast #154 - Equinix's Distributed AI Strategy: Why You Must Move the Model to the Data

I recently sat down with I'm here with DD Dasgupta, VP of Product Marketing at Equinix, to dive deep into the unique architectural demands of Artificial Intelligence. ????????

AI is not like any other workload we've ever seen. It’s inherently multi-stage (training, fine-tuning, inferencing) and multi-location, forcing every company to completely rethink its infrastructure.

The AI Architecture Revolution
The old approach of centralizing data in one cloud is dead. Between crushing egress costs and rapidly evolving data residency/digital sovereignty laws (172 global privacy laws and growing!), the new mandate is clear: move the AI model to the data, not the data to the model.

DD explains that AI workloads must run in specific locations to perform:

Training: Where compute (GPUs) is abundant.

Fine-Tuning: Often behind the corporate firewall for security.

Inferencing: At the edge, where the data is being generated, for low latency.

Equinix's Two Big Announcements
Equinix is stepping up to solve this interconnection challenge with a two-part strategy:

Distributed AI Architecture: An architectural approach to unify these fragmented AI stages across a global footprint of 270+ data centers.

Fabric Intelligence: A powerful new module for Equinix Fabric that monitors AI traffic 24/7 and makes dynamic routing decisions in real-time. This is essential for controlling what data leaves a sovereign border and for maintaining digital sovereignty.

Ecosystem is Everything
No single vendor can deliver the full AI stack. Equinix’s neutrality is key, offering a massive ecosystem of partners:

Hyperscalers (AWS, Google, Azure).

Neo Clouds (like Groq, Lambda, CoreWeave) for specialized GPU services.

AI Hardware (NVIDIA, @Dell, @HPE ) for turnkey solutions like Equinix Private AI with @NVIDIA DGX.

With over 250 AI partners in their data centers, Equinix provides the choice and flexibility to fast-track your AI journey.

Advice for the IT Pro
If your CEO is pushing for an AI strategy, DD's advice is to start with a full infrastructure assessment to understand your AI maturity. Don't risk locking your company (or your job!) into a rigid, non-compliant architecture.

Watch the full interview for the complete breakdown and details on how to get started!

#AI #DistributedAI #Equinix #FabricIntelligence #DigitalSovereignty #DataSovereignty #ITInfrastructure #EdgeComputing #HybridCloud #NVIDIA #GenerativeAI #TechTrends #ZKResearch @Equinix