The future of AI relies on solving the infrastructure shortage. Flux has the answer.

Undoubtedly, AI will grow to be an essential technology for governments, corporations, and citizens. Infrastructure shortages could impede the emergence of AI. But there is no need to worry; Flux has a solution. The design of the Flux tech stack and key partnerships place Flux as the leader in decentralized infrastructure for AI applications.

News about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on our future is everywhere nowadays. On every newsfeed and every social media platform, you can find content related to AI or even content created by it. Big Tech has significantly invested in developing the best AI software, hardware, and services to win the technological race. The AI market is expected to grow to $1,394.30 billion by 2029.

AI is one of the critical technologies of the “Fourth industrial revolution,” where increased automation will make everything incredibly more efficient, allowing for massive productivity increases. This is why AI captures everyone’s attention, as we can all glimpse an entirely new reality on the horizon. However, we must deal with some complications before AI can take off.

AI applications require infrastructure that can handle heavy computations, such as GPUs or specialized AI hardware, like Nvidia Jetsons. It also requires massive storage as AI uses large datasets and generates much data independently. Infrastructure must have low latency and scalability for AI applications to operate efficiently and responsively to users’ expectations. Lastly, the infrastructure must be secure, as the data used by AI applications usually require privacy.

The famous AI chatbot ‘ChatGPT’ was trained using 10,000 Nvidia GPUs. As the AI market grows, there will be a shortage of GPUs and other specialized hardware. Developers are already facing difficulties obtaining the required infrastructure for the centralized cloud computing providers at Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. The demand will outweigh the supply. The problem is further complicated by the ongoing global shortage of computer chips, a lingering effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, how can we overcome this shortage of infrastructure?

Decentralization is the answer.

For AI technology to develop and thrive, there must be an abundance of GPUs and other hardware capable of performing heavy computations as well as massive amounts of storage for data. Everything needs to be connected in an efficient, secure, low-latency network that can scale with the demands of all the AI applications.

Currently, anyone seeking AI-capable infrastructure has two options. They can either purchase the required hardware and build their own private infrastructure or pay to use infrastructure at a cloud provider such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure.

However, both options have massive drawbacks for the same reason — They are based on the centralization of infrastructure. Here’s the problem:

• Whether big tech or other single organizations are building their infrastructure, it would be unsustainable as there wouldn’t be enough hardware for everyone, leading to the equivalent of a ‘bank run’ on AI-capable hardware. This would further compound hardware shortages and make AI infrastructure more expensive for everyone.
• Hardware shortages would lead to longer procurement times, making it difficult to scale the infrastructure efficiently. Without proper scalability, some developers and organizations won’t be able to secure the infrastructure needed for their applications, thereby stifling the technological advancement of AI.
• The hardware that ends up in centralized data centers serving only one organization (private infrastructure) risks sitting idle when there is no work to be done.
• The cloud-based infrastructure big tech sells as a service can potentially exclude developers without deep pockets, as high demand with little market competition will allow big tech to ramp up prices as they, please.

Centralization cannot solve an AI infrastructure shortage; it can only worsen the problem by accelerating the scarcity.

Decentralization is the honest answer to solving infrastructure shortages as it presents some sustainable solutions that can scale without compounding the problem.

Flux is leading the charge on large-scale decentralized infrastructure for AI.

Exactly how decentralization will solve the AI infrastructure shortages is not a theoretical discussion. The decentralized AI infrastructure needed to solve these challenges is being built and deployed by Flux, the Web3 Cloud provider.

Here is how Flux makes it possible to create a fully decentralized network of AI-capable infrastructure that is infinitely scalable:

• Blockchain technology is used to secure, organize and govern the network. By utilizing the strengths of blockchain, true decentralization is made possible, enabling anyone to participate in the web in a trustless system, as Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto envisioned. It’s blockchain operationalized with an honest and tangible use case.
• The network is secured and run using the concept of ‘proof of useful work.’ If the network requirements are met, anyone can provide computational nodes (servers) and GPUs (miners). Node operators and miners offer resources to the network and are rewarded with the $Flux cryptocurrency.
• Clients can buy services from the network by having the nodes and miners do ‘useful work.’ Currently, the nodes run decentralized applications and webpages, such as WordPress deployments, while the GPU miners secure the blockchain network. Later in 2023, Flux will deploy its new proof of useful work algorithm for GPU miners, enabling them to do AI infrastructure work for clients. Flux is developing proof of useful work in partnership with the University of Geneva Applied Science.
• Clients can buy services from the network, like with Web2 cloud providers, using crypto and fiat currency. Clients need to learn about blockchain or interact with it; they can buy a service and get the critical infrastructure resources.
• The Flux network and technology are designed to coexist with existing and future infrastructure providers. While Flux is Web3-centric, it can participate in hybrid Web2/Web3 solutions to help further adoption and create flexible and desirable solutions for Enterprise clients. Flux is currently partnered with Lumen Technologies and OVH Cloud.
• Due to the decentralized nature of the Flux network, it doesn’t need to procure servers, GPUs, and storage, as anyone can add their resources to the network. In theory, all the hardware already out in the wild can be utilized on the web, making the network’s capacity for scalability essentially limitless. Using resources already in the wild, Flux provides a more sustainable circular approach to solving infrastructure shortages. Furthermore, the network is global, with nodes and GPUs distributed across the globe, which reduces latency as there is always infrastructure close to the end-users.

The Flux approach to providing cost-efficient, secure, and scalable infrastructure for AI solves the problem instead of compounding it. With the circular economy approach, idle GPUs can now be utilized for AI workloads, providing a new way of resource usage for anyone to participate.

About 200,000 GPUs are working on securing the Flux network (by mining). The GPUs on the Flux network are only a fraction of the combined GPUs currently used for blockchain mining. There is plenty of infrastructure, as the GPUs needed for AI are already out in the World.

Flux is about to revolutionize computing by shifting these resources towards useful work like AI, Machine-learning, and other compute-intensive tasks. Decentralized solutions like Flux are the answer to how we will sustain the momentum of AI and the fourth industrial revolution.

Want to know more?

Please visit the official Flux website hosted on the Flux decentralized network. Learn about the ecosystem and see what Flux has to offer.

If you want to witness what Flux has built so far, you can visit the Flux network dashboard, see how many nodes are online, and check out the massive resources available to the network.

And also, please do stop by the Flux discord to meet the Flux team and community and discuss all things Flux, and we’re always on the lookout for new community members, developers, or potential partners.