The rise of AI has highlighted the need for a new generation of storage solutions that combine compute, software, and services. One of the company’s developing such a system is VAST Data, which has quickly established itself as one of the leading vendors in the space.
We recently had a chance to sit down with Renen Hallack, the CEO and founder of VAST Data and a Person to Watch for 2024. Here is what he had to say:
BigDATAwire: VAST Data has an ambitious strategy for centralizing compute and exabyte-scale storage for AI. What does success for VAST Data depend upon?
Renen Hallak: In August, we rolled out the vision for the VAST Data Platform, which consolidates storage, database, and compute engine services in a single, scalable software platform for AI workloads. The platform enables organizations to understand all data, both structured and unstructured, as it exists in the natural world and allows them to get the most value from their data.
Built on VAST’s unique DASE (Disaggregated Shared Everything) architecture, we’ve really set ourselves up for a truly amazing opportunity within the market. We have a world-class engineering team that continually pushes the innovation envelope, and with the immense wave of AI initiatives permeating the enterprise and service provider markets, our vision has lined up nearly perfectly to modern data requirements and industry demand.
The Vast Data platform
At this point, our success is ultimately dependent on our ability to execute on this vision and continue to over-deliver to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of our current and prospective customers. Our success hinges on our customers’ success – and we are committed to delivering the most simple, secure, performant and efficient AI infrastructure in the market. There is a massive opportunity in front of us with AI, and new deals are being signed every day, and our view is that there’s no reason we shouldn’t win every one of them with the technology we’ve developed and the flexible consumption models and incredible customer experience we offer.
BDW: VAST Data has emerged as one of the hottest tech firms in the past couple of years. Are you surprised by the recognition, or were you expecting it?
RH: It’s great to be recognized across the industry by analysts, investors, and technologists who see the innovation we’re driving in the market, but I can say with all honesty it was never a goal of ours to be a “hot tech firm.” Our objective from Day One was always with an eye toward AI, asking the question: Can we build a Thinking Machine?
In 2016 when we started the company, we anticipated that AI would be the next big wave of tech that would change the world, and we intentionally began developing the components for the ideal data platform, built from the ground up for the rigors of AI and deep learning, and our goal was to be ready for broader enterprise adoption… but we had no idea when or how AI would become so mainstream, and I don’t think anyone expected how quickly things have taken off.
The recognition is great, but we’re just getting started – we’re continually innovating and adding more features and capabilities that our customers are asking for to ensure they have everything they need to derive value from their data and change the world. It’s an exciting time in such a nascent market, and the impressive growth we’re experiencing now is only the beginning.
BDW: Your company stated that it’s looking beyond the “relatively basic forms of generative AI that we see today in use by LLMs.” What other forms of AI were you referring to?
RH: The potential applications/impact of GenAI across nearly every industry extends far beyond LLMs. I envision a future where computers not only sift through and produce information that is already known, but also use incoming unstructured and structured data in the form of video, imagery, free text, data streams and instrument data – generated from all over the world and processed against an entire global data corpus in real-time to formulate new ideas, concepts, and solve problems at a rate that humans cannot. 
By granting AI access to vast repositories of knowledge about the natural world, GenAI technologies can engage in collaborative experimentation and idea exchange to steadily advance their cognitive capacities to reason, plan, innovate, and invent.
With the ability to train and retrain models on all of an enterprise’s data, these machines can continuously and recursively enrich and understand data from the natural world. In the future, they’ll be able to develop scientific theories that can solve hard problems related to several sectors, including energy, disease, climate, and more—problems that society has not been able to solve.
GenAI is already revolutionizing business operations, driving cost efficiencies and enhancing overall performance. From optimizing software development and advancing genomics research to improving medical imaging and powering efficient chatbots, AI is already reshaping workflows, minimizing errors, and driving efficiency.
BDW: Outside of the professional sphere, what can you share about yourself that your colleagues might be surprised to learn – any unique hobbies or stories?
RH: I find that my responsibilities at VAST, and at home as a husband and father of four are enough to keep me incredibly busy – and happy. There’s nothing I love more than spending time with my kids and family, and any time I’m not with them is dedicated to continuing to support my colleagues as we build this amazing company together. I enjoy traveling, both personal and professional, whether for a fun family trip, or to meet with a customer to inform our roadmap as we help them to solve a problem they’re facing.
You can read more about the 2024 BigDATA Wire People to Watch here.
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