Advanced Data Solutions for Our AI Future

Editor's note: AI demand has ushered in a data boom. And according to Rob Spivey from our corporate affiliate Altimetry, our current infrastructure isn't prepared for what's coming. In this essay, originally published in the free Altimetry Daily Authority e-letter, Rob explains why the companies solving the data problem will be big winners of the AI race.

First, Woody's hat vanished... then his boots...

Then the rest of Toy Story 2 was gone.

Pixar was just weeks away from finishing the sequel to its animated blockbuster when the unthinkable happened...

In 1998, as the animation team was finalizing the film, disaster struck. A simple command entered into the studio's servers began erasing it. And not just bits and pieces. Almost the entire movie disappeared.

The warning signs started slowly. Larry Cutler, a technical director at Pixar, recalls seeing Woody's hat and boots fade away. Soon, Buzz Lightyear's iconic spacesuit began disappearing. Within minutes, Andy's room dissolved into nothingness.

"Woody's gone," a stunned Cutler reportedly said.

The team erupted into chaos. They realized 90% of the film had been lost. This was no minor glitch... It was catastrophic.

As you'll see today, this story shows the fragility of our digital data – and why solving this problem will lead to big money for investors...

The Next Dominant AI Companies Are Solving This Problem

The Pixar team shut down the servers in a desperate attempt to stop the deletion process. But it was too late. Months of work had been erased in mere seconds.

The crew faced a nightmare. They'd already sunk millions of dollars into the project. With a looming release deadline, restarting from scratch was unimaginable.

And worse still, the odds of recovering what was lost were slim.

But just as they braced for the worst, they got a lifeline...

Galyn Susman, one of the project's supervising technical directors, had been working from home after giving birth to her child. In an incredible stroke of luck, Susman had requested a complete copy of the film's files.

That backup – stored on a workstation carefully transported to her home – was the only existing copy of the film.

Pixar rallied a team to retrieve Susman's work computer. They drove the backup to the studio... with someone riding shotgun to keep the machine stable during the journey.

And it worked. Toy Story 2 was saved.

The film went on to gross nearly $500 million globally. It's considered one of the most beloved animated films of all time. And without Susman's backup, the film may not have made it to theaters.

The history of Toy Story 2's near loss is now Pixar legend... And it points to the growing need for reliable data storage solutions to keep up with the demand of AI.

When it comes to data storage, the world has moved toward faster and smaller. But cheaper, slower, and more reliable still have their place.

As the AI arms race intensifies, the amount of data out there has skyrocketed. We're creating, storing, and processing more than ever before.

In 2016, the world generated 18 zettabytes of data. (A zettabyte is equal to 1 trillion gigabytes.)

That number reached 149 zettabytes last year. By 2028, thanks to the growth of AI and 5G, we're expected to generate 394 zettabytes.

That's why storage has become the quiet battleground for the next wave of AI dominance.

And while the spotlight shines on chips and algorithms... the companies that handle reliable data storage are cementing their place.

Regards,

Rob Spivey

Editor's note: Joel Litman, founder and chief investment officer at Altimetry, has just unveiled a historic discovery to help you profit from the massive rally he sees coming. He's calling it the "single greatest moneymaking anomaly in the U.S. stock market today"... and it could help investors see gains of 200%, 500%, or even 800% by this time next year. But to take full advantage, you have to position yourself before time runs out.