Dell Technologies Forum 2024 Focuses on AI Innovation

Dell Technologies hosted the inaugural chapter of their highly anticipated flagship event - Dell Technologies Forum 2024: AI Edition in Mumbai and Bangalore. This year’s Dell Technologies Forum in India, centered around the theme “Accelerate from Ideas to Innovation with AI,” saw over 1000+ attendees and brought together 230+ CIOs and partners, alongside customers, and innovators to explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI).

The sessions explored a dynamic conversation on the concept "The Next is Now," where Alok Ohrie, President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies India; Peter Marrs, President, Asia Pacific & Japan, Dell Technologies; and Matt Dunfee, SVP, Global Presales, Dell Technologies shared insights with a particular focus on the NVIDIA AI Factory and how it addresses the needs of today, tomorrow, and the future. Hosted by the accomplished actor, Mandira Bedi, the Forum also shed light on how Dell Technologies is enabling businesses to leverage cloud, edge and data for their success in the future of work. 

“Dell Technologies Forum 2024 underscores the profound impact AI can have on accelerating innovation across industries. In the current Indian landscape, this event has provided an exceptional platform for exploring how AI can turn ambitious ideas into actionable outcomes. We're excited to keep supporting organizations in India as they use these technologies to drive digital transformation for their customers and partners,” said, Alok Ohrie, President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies India. 

“AI is not just about technology; it’s about unlocking new possibilities and accelerating the pace of innovation. The Dell Technologies Forum 2024: AI Edition has been a remarkable gathering of minds and ideas, and it highlights our ongoing commitment to driving progress, delivering cutting-edge AI solutions and witnessing Dell Technologies' vision for the AI-powered future,” said Peter Marrs, President, Asia Pacific & Japan, Dell Technologies. 

“With the Dell AI Factory, businesses can right-size their AI investments, leveraging an optimized solution stack to accelerate their AI initiatives. The Dell AI Factory represents our strategy for embracing and implementing AI, ensuring successful and consistent deployment at any scale and location,” said, Matt Dunfee, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Systems Engineering at Dell Technologies. 

The panel discussion on ‘The AI Transformation: Navigating Challenges, Embracing Opportunities,’ brought together industry leaders from Dell Technologies, HDFC Bank, RBL Bank, Reliance Jio, Axis Asset Management, Technicolor India, and Karnataka Bank. They provided a candid discussion around how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing their sectors, from banking to media, and shared the opportunities and challenges presented by this emerging technology.

The event also saw participation from 100 schools across India, with many eager to explore the current AI buzz. A key moment of the Forum was the felicitation of the top 3 winners as a part of ‘Next Gen Innovators in India’. The Forum provided a dynamic platform for discussions on the latest advancements in AI technology, and the security considerations shaping its deployment. 

The Forum had organized an ‘Upskilling with Certification’ program, where a GenAI Certification course was provided on-site to attendees from the Dell GenAI Foundation through the Proven Professional Program. Through this initiative, 250+ attendees who have been certified in this program, had the opportunity to develop critical AI skills and earn a certification badge, giving them a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

The Beyond the Billion Brunch highlighted Dell Technologies' support for female-led innovation, with a discussion between former captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket team - Mithali Raj and Karinne Brannigan, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Dell Technologies, around challenges for women in male-dominated fields.

Other highlights were a session on AI’s role in cybersecurity, insights into the Dell Data Lakehouse, and the Partner Summit in Mumbai and Bangalore, discussing AI's potential and the balance between technology and people in transformation projects.

Microsoft also presented on enhancing IT environments with the APEX Cloud Platform for Azure. The event provided valuable networking and explored real-world tech innovations.

Through the sustainability initiatives at Dell Technologies Forum such as the Zero waste event and the Sustainability Tracking Board, we encouraged attendees to adopt sustainable practices at the event. Through this we were able to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the event. For every 100 kg of carbon offset, we pledged to plant 100 trees, focused on enhancing tree diversity in urban areas. By tying the four principles - reduce, reuse, recycle, and regenerate, to this initiative, we created a powerful feedback loop between individual actions and real-world environmental benefits. The outcome of the initiative is to create a Dell Micro Forest by adopting the Miyawaki Method - a technique that ensures forests grow quickly and sustainably. This initiative is about more than just planting trees. It’s about restoring ecosystems, creating habitats, and building a sustainable future for urban areas.

The goal is to plant 10,000 trees in vital Hubs such as Bangalore and Mumbai. This dense plantation not only promises substantial volume but also ensures exceptional quality via juvenile phase maintenance cycle, thereby significantly augmenting the urban landscape's ecological resilience.