Verizon has launched a new AI-centric network offering, and is looking to make its underutilized data center assets available for companies to deploy hardware.
The telco last week announced Verizon AI Connect, an integrated suite of solutions and products designed to “enable businesses to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) workloads at scale.”
Quite what the service features is vague, with the company saying it involves “reimagined existing assets” integrated into Verizon’s network of fiber, Edge, and data center assets, combining its metro and long-haul fiber, ILEC and Fios footprint, 71-city One Fiber metro network build-out, lit and dark fiber services, and 5G network.
In the company’s most recent earnings call, the company noted it has a $1bn sales funnel for its AI Connect offerings, based on its existing fiber and network assets.
“Major players such as Google and Meta have purchased capacity in our network with the intent of using it for their AI workloads,” said Kyle Malady, CEO of Verizon Business.
During the earnings call, the company noted it has available land and power to potentially expand its data center footprint to serve AI infrastructure.
“As we look across our assets, take inventory, and compare against other players in the market, we believe that we are in a leadership position when it comes to usable power and space,” Malady added. “We have facilities across the United States that either have spare power, space, and cooling or can be retrofitted. As we sit here today, we have 2-10MW+ of usable power across many of our sites.”
“As we move through our network transformation work, we will continue to free up more resources that could be made available for AI Connect,” he continued. “In addition, we have between 100 and 200 acres of undeveloped land, some currently zoned for data center build and much of it in prime data center-friendly areas.”
As part of the announcement, Verizon is partnering with hosting firm Vultr, which will be expanding its cloud footprint and GPU availability through Verizon's connectivity infrastructure.
In the earnings call, Maladay said Vultr will initially deploy its GPU-as-a-Service infrastructure in one of the telco’s data centers and tap into the company’s fiber network for distribution.
“GPUs play a crucial role in powering AI workloads, and rapidly growing demand for real-time inference is driving the need for AI infrastructure at the Edge,” said J.J. Kardwell, CEO of Vultr. “With demand for data centers and GPU processing power outpacing supply, Verizon’s connectivity infrastructure is uniquely positioned to support our growth. Through Verizon AI Connect, we can extend our global cloud footprint and bring cutting-edge AI solutions to Verizon Business’ global customers.”
Meta will also partner with Verizon on AI Connect, expanding their existing relationship into network infrastructure.
“As we continue to deliver critical infrastructure for our apps and technologies, we’re strengthening our network with AI and the future in mind. This means partnering with Verizon to build and operate networks that support our existing services, while accelerating more intelligent and predictive capabilities that will serve the people that use our products,” said Gaya Nagarajan, VP of network infrastructure at Meta.
Late last year, Verizon partnered with Nvidia to launch a new 5G private network with private Mobile Edge Compute (MEC) solution. The offering includes Nvidia’s GPU hardware and software that can bring plug-and-play AI capabilities on-premise for enterprises. Verizon engineers will begin demonstrations of this solution in early 2025.