In a pioneering move, two brothers from Stockport, who helm a prominent IT firm, have launched a ‘try-before-you-buy’ artificial intelligence (AI) laboratory to enable businesses to evaluate the latest Nvidia technologies.
Vesper Technologies, widely recognised as Vespertec, has inaugurated this innovative AI lab within its Heaton Mersey facility. Founded by Allan and Phil Kaye, the company maintains a close partnership with Nvidia, reflected in their recent accolade as Nvidia’s Rising Star for Northern Europe. Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs), initially designed for gaming, have evolved to underpin AI models, including those developed by Open AI. Allan and Phil Kaye have already deployed approximately 100 NVIDIA Grace Hopper systems in their new lab, the first in Europe to feature this advanced technology, allowing clients to test their applications on state-of-the-art Nvidia infrastructure.
Allan Kaye highlighted the lab’s dual role in supporting AI adoption and providing a pre-sales testing environment: ‘We’ve brought this environment into the business to support the adoption of AI essentially and to help customers in a number of ways. On the pre-sales side it’s really a ‘try before you buy’ environment.’ He further elaborated on the current challenges associated with AI, noting its high cost and the uncertainties surrounding its implementation: ‘AI is obviously a big topic at the minute. But what goes with that is that there’s a lot of uncertainty around how to deliver it, and how to use it within enterprises. It’s also fairly expensive, and so it’s a little bit prohibitive to experiment with on your own.’
The investment in the AI lab underscores Vespertec’s commitment to innovation, a principle that has been central to the company’s strategy. Allan Kaye explained, ‘The heritage of this business is in innovation. When we first started we were joining a very crowded market… Over the course of our history we have learned that bringing innovation to customers and looking at the latest and greatest ways of doing things is one way to get noticed, to open doors and generate conversations with people.’ The lab facilitates proof of concept activities, enabling clients to evaluate new infrastructure before committing to a purchase. This pragmatic approach ensures that the solutions provided meet their performance, feature, and security requirements.
Nvidia remains a global leader in AI technology. Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, recently told broadcaster CNBC, ‘we’re at the beginning of a new industrial revolution.’ In June, despite a temporary 25% drop in share price driven by concerns over AI firms and a potential US recession, Nvidia’s valuation has rebounded. The company’s recent financial performance highlights its market strength, recording a record second-quarter revenue of £22.7bn, a 15% increase from the previous quarter, and up 122% year-on-year.
AI’s applications extend far beyond popular perceptions, which focus predominantly on text and image generation systems like Chat GPT and Midjourney. According to Phil Kaye, AI is leveraged in diverse areas such as image recognition, drug discovery, chatbots, and voice translation services. He commented on Nvidia’s strategic approach: ‘Where Nvidia has been really smart is they have written applications to support those businesses, to use the GPUs to be able to do that. That’s why they’re the market leaders. Other people are making impressive hardware, but it’s just difficult to be able to match their dominance in the software area as well.’
With the launch of this AI lab, Vespertec is poised to play a pivotal role in the AI industry, facilitating the integration of cutting-edge technology into various business applications.