Network Break 449: Amazon Invests $4 Billion In AI Startup; Will Small Modular Reactors Power Public Clouds?

Take a Network Break! Drew welcomes guest host Johna Till Johnson while Greg is away. On today’s show we discuss Amazon’s $4 billion investment in an AI startup, Marvell’s response to accusations of an NSA-friendly backdoor in older Cavium chips, and the impact of Cisco’s Splunk acquisition. Microsoft is developing a strategy for small modular nuclear reactors to help power data centers, the chair of the FCC proposes restoring Net Neutrality rules, and Meta confirms that its AI assistant is being trained using public posts on Facebook and Instagram. By the way, you can hear more from Johna on the Heavy Strategy podcast that she co-hosts with Greg. Sponsor: Connected Enterprise Mark your calendar for Capacity’s Connected Enterprise event in Chicago starting November 7th. This live event is a platform for CIOs, CISOs, CTOs and IT Managers to learn from each other and make sure they can manage their networks and deliver enterprise connectivity in an age of remote work, cloud adoption, cyber threats, and sustainability. Register at https://events.capacitymedia.com/lRNv1N. Tech Bytes: Palo Alto Networks Stay tuned after the news for a sponsored Tech Bytes conversation with Palo Alto Networks about SD-WAN in healthcare markets. We’ll talk about meeting requirements for security and performance, which can be a particular challenge for smaller clinics and remote locations offering healthcare services outside of a central hospital or medical campus. Show Links: Amazon to invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic, a rival to ChatGPT developer OpenAI – CNBC Expanding access to safer AI with Amazon – Anthropic Product security is paramount to us: A response to recent Cavium product security concerns  – Marvell Marvell disputes claim Cavium backdoored chips for Uncle Sam – The Register Some new snippets from the Snowden documents – Electrospaces Cisco to Acquire Splunk, to Help Make Organizations More Secure and Resilient in an AI-Powered World – Cisco Cisco and Splunk: Driving the Next Generation of AI-Enabled Security and Observability – Cisco Microsoft Cloud hiring to “implement global small modular reactor and microreactor” strategy to power data centers – Data Center Knowledge