The News: Red Hat unveils RHEL AI, an open-source AI platform aimed at simplifying AI integration for businesses. Learn more about RHEL AI on the Red Hat website.
Bridging the Gap Between Open Source AI and Mainstream Adoption
Analyst Take: The introduction of Red Hat’s RHEL AI represents a strategic move for Red Hat in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), especially regarding organizations that were previously hesitant to integrate AI due to its complex nature. Historically, open-source AI has been deemed too difficult for mainstream use because of its complex technological requirements and resource needs. Nevertheless, RHEL AI presents a deviation from this usual practice by providing a solution that aims to simplify the integration process and introduce opportunities for organizations of varying scales.
Impact on the Market
RHEL AI aims to solve challenges in AI development by bundling Red Hat’s RHEL operating system as a bootable container image and incorporating IBM Granite’s language models. The goal is to reduce training expenses, broaden deployment alternatives, and improve overall availability. By utilizing InstructLab AI alignment tools, developers could enhance the performance and adaptability of pre-trained models with the hope of improved efficiency and flexibility in their AI projects. Ideally, this will foster further innovation and competition in the market.
Developer Challenges
A major obstacle that developers in the field of AI encounter is the difficulty of getting started, especially due to the demanding resource requirements and concerns over data privacy. RHEL AI seeks to address these difficulties by providing a hybrid cloud deployment strategy that caters to enterprises with varied infrastructure requirements. In addition, RHEL AI has a mission of encouraging openness and cooperation through its open-source approach, encouraging developers to overcome challenges and expedite the use of AI in their fields.
Future Implications
The introduction of RHEL AI indicates a positive outlook for the widespread acceptance of AI technology in the future. As businesses become more aware of the strategic significance of AI in fostering growth and innovation, solutions such as RHEL AI will have a crucial role in making AI capabilities more accessible to everyone. RHEL AI and similar solutions can democratize access to AI capabilities, which can fundamentally transform industries, generate new opportunities, and stimulate unparalleled levels of creativity and revenue generation.
RHEL AI integrates the capabilities of InstructLab with the advanced open-source Granite language models developed by IBM Research. These components are bundled into a finely tuned, bootable RHEL image, primed for deployment across diverse hybrid cloud environments. Seamlessly integrated into OpenShift AI, Red Hat’s comprehensive platform for hybrid machine learning (ML) operations, RHEL AI empowers AI workloads to operate efficiently across data centers, public clouds, and edge computing infrastructures. By merging the open-source Granite models with InstructLab’s model alignment tools, grounded in the LAB (Large-scale Alignment for chatBots) methodology, RHEL AI streamlines the intricate process of optimizing AI models to align precisely with specific business requirements.
Looking Ahead
The image mode deployment mechanism of RHEL AI is another step forward in establishing new benchmarks in AI deployment by connecting AI runtimes with current IT infrastructure and facilitating hybrid cloud portability. This methodology not only streamlines the deployment process but also improves the ability to scale and adjust, enabling organizations to adapt to changing business requirements. Consequently, open-source AI is becoming a fundamental element of AI implementation plans in several industries, promoting widespread adoption and stimulating further developments in the field.
Open-source AI technologies will play a vital role in promoting collaboration and the exchange of data among organizations. This will create equal opportunities and stimulate innovation. RHEL AI helps organizations collaborate, exchange resources, and collaboratively advance the state of AI technology by adopting an open-source attitude. This cooperative methodology not only expedites the advancement of new ideas but also ensures that AI solutions are created with openness, responsibility, and inclusiveness in consideration, ultimately benefiting society as a whole.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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Author Information
At The Futurum Group, Paul Nashawaty, Practice Leader and Lead Principal Analyst, specializes in application modernization across build, release and operations. With a wealth of expertise in digital transformation initiatives spanning front-end and back-end systems, he also possesses comprehensive knowledge of the underlying infrastructure ecosystem crucial for supporting modernization endeavors. With over 25 years of experience, Paul has a proven track record in implementing effective go-to-market strategies, including the identification of new market channels, the growth and cultivation of partner ecosystems, and the successful execution of strategic plans resulting in positive business outcomes for his clients.
Dr. Bob Sutor has been a technical leader and executive in the IT industry for over 40 years. Bob’s industry role is to advance quantum and AI technologies by building strong business, partner, technical, and educational ecosystems. The singular goal is to evolve quantum and AI to help solve some of the critical computational problems facing society today. Bob is widely quoted in the press, delivers conference keynotes, and works with industry analysts and investors to accelerate understanding and adoption of quantum technologies. Bob is the Vice President and Practice Lead for Emerging Technologies at The Futurum Group. He helps clients understand sophisticated technologies in order to make the best use of them for success in their organizations and industries. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo, New York, USA. More than two decades of Bob’s career were spent in IBM Research in New York. During his time there, he worked on or led efforts in symbolic mathematical computation, optimization, AI, blockchain, and quantum computing. He was also an executive on the software side of the IBM business in areas including middleware, software on Linux, mobile, open source, and emerging industry standards. He was the Vice President of Corporate Development and, later, Chief Quantum Advocate, at Infleqtion, a quantum computing and quantum sensing company based in Boulder, Colorado USA. Bob is a theoretical mathematician by training, has a Ph.D. from Princeton University, and an undergraduate degree from Harvard College.
He’s the author of a book about quantum computing called Dancing with Qubits, which was published in 2019, with the Second Edition released in March 2024. He is also the author of the 2021 book Dancing with Python, an introduction to Python coding for classical and quantum computing. Areas in which he’s worked: quantum computing, AI, blockchain, mathematics and mathematical software, Linux, open source, standards management, product management and marketing, computer algebra, and web standards.
Bringing more than a decade of varying experience crossing multiple sectors such as legal, financial, and tech, Sam Holschuh is an accomplished professional that excels in ensuring success across various industries. Currently, Sam serves as an Industry Analyst at The Futurum Group, where collaborates closely with practice leads in the areas of application modernization, DevOps, storage, and infrastructure. With a keen eye for research, Sam produces valuable insights and custom content to support strategic initiatives and enhance market understanding.
Rooted in the fields of tech, law, finance operations and marketing, Sam provides a unique viewpoint to her position, fostering innovation and delivering impactful solutions within the industry.
Sam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems and Business Analytics from Colorado State University and is passionate about leveraging her diverse skill set to drive growth and empower clients to succeed in today's rapidly evolving landscape.
