The tech world is introducing new, innovative technologies all the time. From blockchain technology to virtual reality (VR), to augmented reality (AR), to deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI). It’s a daunting task for consumers to stay up to date with all the latest tech and hardware—but they aren’t the only ones struggling.
With the introduction of these new technologies comes a set of issues and requirements that companies are forced to face head-on. One pain point that sticks out amongst the rest is that of scaling.
Rapid growth in the AI industry
AI is one of the fastest growing areas of the tech sector. In fact, so far in 2018, we’ve already seen a 70% growth of business value in AI. However, all of that impressive growth comes at a cost.
In the case of the AI industry, that cost is computing power. For companies and innovators to power AI and other tasks associated with deep learning (like all of the neural networks: artificial, convolutional, recurrent, modular, etc.), they need access to vast amounts of computational power—especially when expanding operations.
Machine Learning and AI are using so much power for scenarios like autonomous cars, cancer diagnosis, computer vision and more – to the point that some are even saying that the GPU is really the new CPU. So, what does that mean for the smaller innovators and startups that don’t have the capital to invest in thousands of dollars of hardware?
Fortunately, there’s a scaling solution focusing on solving those pain points. Enter: Tatau.
Tatau: identifying the problem
Tatau is a new startup that realized the pain points in the tech industry long before they ever got to their current stage. The company’s founders recognized that while many other industries have commoditized certain goods and services (such as grain, energy, etc.), the tech industry still handles computing power the same way it’s been handled forever.
Those in need of computing power are constrained to only two options:
- Businesses can either invest large amounts of funding into hardware for computing and rendering or;
- They can pay a high premium for services from companies like Amazon or Google.
Tatau recognized that there had to be a better way to modernize the industry (and there is).
The solution: a blockchain-based AI computing platform
To solve the current industry problems and lack of options, Tatau is launching a new platform to enable companies of any size to purchase and utilize computing power without having to invest in the hardware beforehand.
The new creation will be established on a distributed system of computers and GPUs for businesses to access and utilize for their projects while only paying for the computational power they need, and not the excess they don’t.
AI projects grow and develop over time, and in correlation to that–they need more processing power. That can mean big problems for companies that don’t already have the hardware to handle such requirements or the funding to purchase such systems.
With Tatau’s technology, the computing power industry is democratized and streamlined to enable better results for not only the AI industry but other industries that require processing power as well.
How does the Tatau platform work?
- Suppliers—those who have GPU hardware and want to maximize their return on investment (ROI) —share the amount of GPU they want with Tatau and what price they’d like to be paid. Then, Tatau will give the supplier an estimated fill rate of the amount of GPU shared with the platform and the supplier will adjust machinery accordingly. The suppliers then get payment in Tatau tokens after the GPU is automatically used. From there, suppliers can either sell their tokens or stake them to ensure priority on future jobs.
- Users—those in need of a lot of computation power for video rendering, AI development, etc. —create a job request in the Tatau marketplace by providing their data and instructions. Then, they’ll receive an estimate of how much the project will cost and how long it will take, along with the option to pay to have it done faster or less for slower service, and finally pay for the job via Tatau tokens or fiat currency.
- Tatau is operating the marketplace the entire time by connecting suppliers and users and ensuring cost estimations are both accurate and fair. Additionally, payments are all automated via smart contracts and funds are held in escrow during the job.
In addition to blockchain integration, Tatau’s platform also utilizes a proprietary system to protect against fraud, guarantee end-to-end privacy, and verify suppliers’ work for genuine results.
Those seeking additional processing power for AI development can securely purchase spare computing power from a global market while those putting their spare power up for sale receive compensation for the work done by their hardware. It’s a win-win.
When does Tatau launch?
Tatau has already completed a successful $1.5 million seed funding round in April 2018 led by Techemy Capital and has successfully completed its proof-of-computation pilot concept which means their unique algorithm is working.
The team is currently working on a product release scheduled for this month as the first iteration with the final product launch capable of enterprise capacity slated to go live in June of 2019. In the meantime, the Tatau team is working on an early version of the platform in testing with a select group of customers and partners and improving capabilities while launching an additional round of funding before the final release.
Those interested in this new, innovative approach to solving an enterprise-level gap in the world of AI, still have an opportunity to get involved with the company as of September of 2018 when a private pre-sale round of funding will go live.