You may not realize it, but we’re living in a golden age of gaming controllers. The gamepads on the market now are higher quality, more versatile, and more customizable than anything from just a few console generations ago. If you’re gaming on an Xbox Series X or Series S (or a Windows PC), you now have a plethora of great third-party options from the likes of PowerA, Scuf, Nacon, and Turtle Beach, as well as high-quality first-party controllers. The days of the cheap “little sibling” controller that looked cool but barely worked are over.
Technology
The best Xbox controllers: Microsoft, Scuf, PowerA, and more
I’ve spent a ton of time playing all kinds of games (first-person shooters, fighters, third-person action-adventure, racing, indie roguelikes, etc.) to test a wide swath of Xbox controllers, and it may be unsurprising that the standard Xbox Wireless Controller is the best Xbox controller for most. It makes a great PC controller, too.
But while the de facto Xbox gamepad strikes the right balance of quality, comfort, versatility, and price, there are several alternatives worth cross-shopping if you have specific needs — ranging from high-end options like the Xbox Elite Series 2 and Scuf Instinct Pro to quality budget picks like the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller.
The best Xbox controller for most people
Connectivity: Xbox wireless, Bluetooth, wired / Connector type: USB-C / Mappable rear buttons: No / Software customization: No / Power: AA batteries or add-on rechargeable
Okay, I already know what you’re thinking. “The best controller for Xbox is the one that comes with the Xbox?” That may seem like a no-brainer, but this “standard” controller truly does earn this title as the best option for most Xbox gamers. It may lack some of the extra features that we’ll go over on premium options, but this controller is the distillation of four generations and numerous first-party models before it — and it shows.
This is the only affordable wireless Xbox controller out there, thanks to Microsoft’s proprietary protocol. While some may hate that it comes with AA batteries instead of a built-in rechargeable cell, that also means it’s flexible, allowing for rechargeable AAs or a battery pack. It also works as a wired accessory with a USB-C cable, and user-replaceable batteries mean you’re not stuck with a controller that doesn’t hold its charge after years of use.
But the standard-issue Xbox pad isn’t just great because of its connectivity. The hardware itself is excellent for the controller’s $60 asking price. The sticks, buttons, triggers, and the sunken dish-shaped D-pad all feel impeccably tight, with the latter having a satisfying clickiness to it. If you’re a hardcore fighting game fan, you may be better served by an arcade stick or a controller geared toward that genre — one with an impeccable D-pad like Hori’s Horipad Pro — but the Xbox Wireless Controller is an exceptional jack-of-all-trades.
The only things it really lacks compared to pricier options are extra, customizable buttons and software tuning for things like stick sensitivity, though Microsoft does offer cosmetic customization through its Xbox Design Lab, which ranges from $69.99 to $99.94 depending on the configuration. There’s a lot to love about these controllers, whether you make your own or pick out one from the various colors Microsoft continues to offer.
The best cheap Xbox controller
Connectivity: Wired / Connector type: Micro USB / Mappable rear buttons: Two / Software customization: No / Power: Wired
If you’re looking for a great controller but don’t have a lot of money to spend — and you don’t mind a cable — PowerA’s Enhanced Wired Controller offers an impeccable value without sacrificing too much. Its full retail price is $37.99, but some color schemes can dip as low as around $25. Speaking of colors, the Enhanced Wired Controller comes in a wide variety of hues and designs, including licensed ones from game franchises like Mass Effect and Fallout. Some of these designs may make you suspect these are cheap, cringe-inducing knockoffs, but the quality of the controller may surprise you when you use it.
First off, let’s get its biggest downside out of the way: it uses a microUSB connection (gross, I know). You at least get a lengthy, detachable cable with it, but not having a reversible connector is annoying. Thankfully, nothing else about this controller feels so outdated. Its build quality is just fine, and it even has two mappable rear buttons built into the grips — which is great to have at such a low price.
The rest of the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is a whole lot of table stakes, but it executes everything quite well for a ridiculously affordable price. There’s no impulse trigger rumble, but if there’s any feature to cheap out on, I’d say that’s the right choice. On the flip side, the Enhanced Wired Controller comes with a two-year warranty, which is twice as long as pricey options like Microsoft’s Elite Series 2 offer.
PowerA offers a whole lot of bang for your buck with the Enhanced Wired Controller if you’re on a tight budget. It also sells the Advantage Wired Controller, which is essentially a newer version of the Enhanced Wired Controller with USB-C and hair-trigger lockouts. The Advantage could be a shoo-in to dethrone the Enhanced Wired as the best budget controller, but at $37.99, it doesn’t match the Enhanced Wired frequently-discounted price of around $25.
If you have Elite controller tastes but a standard controller budget, the PowerA Fusion Pro 3 is a fine alternative if you don’t mind that it’s wired. It looks a bit like the Microsoft Elite Series 2, complete with four rear buttons, trigger lockouts, and rubberized grips, but costs much less. The Fusion Pro 3 is significantly lighter than its predecessor, plus it has a more compact case and is $10 cheaper — offering quite the value for $79.99 (especially if it starts going on sale). The older Fusion Pro 2 is still fine, especially if you prefer detachable rear paddles to built-in buttons, but at this point, it’s only worth it for that preference or if it’s heavily discounted.
The best premium Xbox controller
$180
The Xbox Elite Series 2 is easily one of our favorite controllers at The Verge. It’s an improvement on the already excellent Elite controller, with deep customization, optional rear paddle buttons, a swappable D-pad, and analog sticks that allow you to tailor its layout to suit your play style.
Connectivity: Xbox wireless, Bluetooth, wired / Connector type: USB-C / Mappable rear buttons: Up to four / Software customization: Yes / Power: Built-in rechargeable
The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is Microsoft’s fancied-up, premium version of the stock controller. It’s also older, having been released a year before the Xbox Series X / S consoles arrived. So while it does sport a USB-C port and wireless support, it lacks the convenient Share button found on the latest Xbox Wireless Controller. However, it makes up for that in droves with exceptional build quality, extra buttons, user-swappable sticks and D-pad, and lots of customization.
If you pick up an Xbox Elite controller, you instantly recognize the quality of materials put into it. Where the standard controller uses an unassuming plastic build, the Elite mixes higher-quality plastic with rubberized grips and bits of metal. Combine this with its built-in rechargeable battery, and the Elite is noticeably heavier than its cheaper brethren. It also comes with a charging dock and zip-up case with passthrough charging.
As excellent as the fit and finish are, the key components that may give you a competitive edge are the hair-trigger locks and rear paddle buttons. In theory, the hair trigger gets shots off faster when playing shooters, and the rear paddles allow you to jump, crouch, reload, etc., without taking your thumb off the right stick for aiming. However, using that many buttons on the back of the controller definitely takes some adjustment. You have to train new muscle memory, and since it requires dexterity with more fingers, they’re not for everyone.
These premium features come at a steep cost, too. The Elite Series 2 is normally priced at $179.99, and even though it’s dropped as low as $139.99, it’s still more than twice as expensive as a regular Xbox controller. You have to really want its extra features and user customization, and if you’re not using its rear paddles or the software adjustments for stick sensitivity, you’re not getting your money’s worth. (And if you want to customize the colors, you’re looking at $209.99 for the Design Lab “Elite Package.”)
Microsoft also has a stripped-down Elite Series 2 “Core” version with an MSRP of $129.99, which is the same controller in white-and-black, red-and-black, or blue-and-black finishes without the rear paddles, accessory charging case, or extra stick toppers and D-pad. You can get all of those in a $30 accessories pack, which turns the Elite Series 2 Core back into a standard Elite Series 2 and actually makes it a slightly better deal if the full package isn’t on sale.
You must also be aware that the Elite has a bit of a reputation for lackluster quality control, with horror stories from users about going through multiple replacements under warranty. Microsoft extended the controller’s warranty from 90 days to a year in late 2020 to help address concerns, but buying an Elite Series 2 may still feel like a slightly risky proposition. However, when you nail that perfect sequence — switching to your pistol and landing a headshot with a quick pop-pop of the hair trigger while your thumbs stay firmly planted on the sticks — it can feel worth it.
A formidable alternative to the Elite
$220
Scuf’s Instinct Pro is its top-tier controller for Xbox consoles and PC. It’s one of the only third-party wireless options around, and for its very high price, you get rubberized grips, built-in mappable rear paddle buttons, hair-trigger locks, swappable sticks, and user-configurable cosmetics.
Connectivity: Xbox wireless, Bluetooth, wired / Connector type: USB-C / Mappable rear buttons: Four / Software customization: No / Power: AA batteries or add-on rechargeable
The Scuf Instinct Pro finds itself in a bit of a weird spot. It’s one of the only wireless options currently available from a third party — Razer’s new Wolverine V3 Pro is another — but it’s also one of the most expensive Xbox controllers around (it starts at $199.99). The one I tested clocked in at $263.91 with a special faceplate and added color accents. That’s more than the Xbox Series S occasionally sells for, which is an entire console. Still, you’re in for a treat if you’re okay with spending that kind of money, as the Instinct Pro is arguably better than Microsoft’s Elite in some very specific ways — primarily, its comfort and implementation of rear buttons and hair triggers.
The Instinct Pro has very unique rear buttons, and I actually prefer them. Instead of paddles, there are four rocker-like buttons built into the controller’s body that you push toward or away from your hand with a middle finger. It still requires training your brain a bit to get accustomed to it, but I found them more intuitive.
Rear buttons aside, the Scuf’s other big feature is its hair triggers, which have the quickest response of all the controllers tested here. Just flick a switch on the back, and the left and right triggers feel like you’re clicking a mouse — it’s incredibly satisfying. The hair triggers, rear buttons, and the excellent textured grip material on the controller’s underside make this controller a joy to use.
The Instinct Pro feels like Scuf essentially hot-rodded a stock Xbox controller, but like any boutique item, it comes with a massive cost. Meanwhile, it still uses AA batteries and lacks software customization, so as much as I enjoy using it, I’d only advise getting one if you’re super passionate about its very specific qualities or you absolutely love the colorful accents and magnetically swappable faceplates on Scuf’s configurator.
The best customizable controller
Connectivity: Wired / Connector type: USB-C / Mappable rear buttons: Four / Software customization: Yes / Power: Wired
RIG’s Nacon Revolution X may be worthy of an award for terrible naming, but its real strengths are in its deep customization. If you’re the type that likes to endlessly tinker with lots of detailed settings, this is the controller for you. Normally priced at $99.99, the wired Revolution X and its added features don’t come cheap, but the price is a little fairer when you consider the competition it squares up against.
When you first pick up the Revolution X, it seems very unassuming — and borderline cheap. While it’s not a looker, it’s a form-follows-function type of controller. It’s comfy to use, and its four rear buttons built into the grips are large and nicely contoured. The real stars of this show, however, are the analog sticks and their software customizations, as well as the expansive custom options for other inner workings of the controller.
While other user-customizable controllers have three user profiles you can swap between on the fly, the Revolution X has four — plus a “classic” mode with basic settings and a ring of RGB light around the right stick to remind you what mode you’re in. The software app is not the most user-friendly, but the controls go very in-depth. Thankfully, there are helpful starting points with presets for arcade fighting games, racing, FPS games, and even sniping, which makes the options much easier to understand. Add the ability to customize and remap every button on the controller, as well as a Dolby Atmos for Headphones app license, and you’ve got a lot of customization options.
The customization doesn’t stop with software, audio, or lighting, however. The Revolution X comes with ring spacers to adjust the range of the analog sticks, too, as well as a series of small weights ranging from 10g to 16g, which you can insert into its grips to give them an additional amount of heft.
Adding up all these features, you see why the Nacon is such a great controller for tinkering. It took me time to warm up to it, but upon setting it up the way I preferred, it made for a very compelling controller in a variety of game types.
The best controller for shooters
Connectivity: Wired / Connector type: USB-C / Mappable rear buttons: Two / Software customization: No / Power: Wired
Turtle Beach is known for its headsets, so it makes sense that its Recon wired controller features some robust audio controls. Its strengths really come into focus when playing first-person shooters, where its Superhuman Hearing mode tweaks the audio of any wired headset to draw out footsteps and distant gunfire in the mix. At its regular price of around $60, and once selling as low as $39.95, the Recon is a fairly affordable way to gain a slight competitive edge in multiplayer games without spending well over $100 on a controller.
This pad isn’t going to win any beauty contests thanks to all those awkward buttons located smack-dab in the middle of its forehead, but each one has a valid purpose. There are four levels of microphone monitoring, overall game volume controls, game chat volume mix, four EQ presets, four programmable modes for mapping the two rear buttons, and four levels of optional right-stick sensitivity adjustments. That last feature, dubbed Pro Aim by Turtle Beach, lowers the sensitivity of the right analog stick while you hold the right-hand rear button, allowing for very small movements like sniping, though it’s a bit clumsy to use.
Learning to use all these controls may sound daunting, but the controller’s quick-start guide makes it easier. Superhuman Hearing is very helpful for shooters and worth using extensively for games like Halo Infinite — just be aware that it’s going to muddy up the soundtrack a little, so you may want to leave it off during story-driven, single-player games.
Audio controls aside, the Recon lacks fancy features like hair triggers and swappable thumbsticks, and the D-pad looks like the standard Xbox Wireless Controller but pales in comparison. The controller’s plastic build feels cheap, but the rubbery grips redeem it with a nice and comfy feel. As for the sticks, triggers, and additional rear buttons, they all feel tight and snappy. Combine that with Superhuman Hearing, and you’ve got a great recipe for shooters. The Recon has a bit of a learning curve, but if you play ranked matches and value a fairly priced wired controller with extra buttons and helpful audio functions, you can’t go wrong here.
Other controllers worth knowing about
- The GameSir G7 is a terrific wired controller with a textured grip that feels a tiny bit like a Scuf, clicky face buttons like a Razer, and two programmable rear buttons. Its D-pad is a little too stiff, but what makes this gamepad unique is it comes with two magnetic face plates — one black, one white — that are primed for personalization with spray paint or markers.
- The more interesting GameSir controller is the G7 SE, which is nearly the same as the G7 but with drift-free Hall effect thumbsticks. If you’ve ever been jilted by stick drift on any of your Xbox controllers before, the GameSir G7 SE is well worth its $49.99 asking price to ease your concerns.
- 8BitDo’s Ultimate Wired Controller for Xbox and PC is a quality, affordable gamepad with two rear buttons and software customization, though the lengthy USB cable is not detachable. It costs $44.99 but is often discounted to as low as $35.99. We once saw it dip to $24.99, and if that started happening with regularity, it could dethrone the PowerA Enhanced Wired as the best budget option.
- Turtle Beach’s React-R is a stripped-down Recon that maintains Superhuman Hearing and rear buttons but omits EQ presets, mic monitoring, and Pro-Aim for a lower $39 price. It’s a good value, especially if you find it on sale for as low as $29.99, maintaining some of the best features of the Recon for cheaper.
- Razer’s Wolverine V2 Chroma is a feast for the ears and eyes, thanks to very clicky buttons and a strip of RGB lighting along the grips. It has more customizable buttons than any other controller (six total), though their positioning requires reaching, and it’s a bit pricey.
- Razer also recently introduced the $199.99 Wolverine V3 Pro, which is the company’s first fully wireless controller for Xbox consoles and the first Razer gamepad to sport drift-free Hall effect sticks. The premium controller also features hair-trigger lockouts, RGB accent lighting, and six remappable buttons (including four customizable paddles and two extra shoulder buttons). It remains to be seen whether it can go toe-to-toe with the Xbox Elite Series 2 and Scuf Instinct Pro, but we’ll be sharing our impressions soon.
- Briefly mentioned above, the Horipad Pro has one of the best D-pads around. It also offers a lot of software customization at an affordable price, but its shoulder buttons are a bit stiff.
- PowerA’s Nano Enhanced Wired Controller is an adorably small guy for people with tinier hands or children. Unlike most kid-centric gamepads, it looks just like a full-size model, and unlike our budget pick from PowerA above, it ditches microUSB for USB-C (hallelujah!).
- The Nacon Pro Compact Controller has some of the Revolution X’s excellent software customization at a much lower price. It’s also one of the smaller options around, though the ergonomics may feel hit or miss depending on your hand size.
- One of the dumbest yet most endearing controllers is the Hyperkin Duke. This reissue of the original Xbox pad is a love letter to the salad days of 2001. It’s just not great to use for modern games. Thankfully it comes with a display stand, as it’s more of a collector piece.
- Unlike the Duke, the Hyperkin Xenon is a reissued gamepad that’s actually worth using, especially if you have an affinity for the mid-aughts Xbox 360 design. The original 360 controller’s biggest innovation was its intuitive wireless system, which is sadly absent from this wired reincarnation. But hey, at least Hyperkin improved on the Xbox 360 controller’s awful D-pad and included some cool color-matched USB-C cables.
- I also tested the Turtle Beach Recon Cloud and PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra. While the latter is noteworthy for being the first third-party wireless Xbox controller, neither made the cut due to high costs and niche use cases. The recommendations above present better alternatives unless you really want to use a controller with an Android phone — which, frankly, you can do with a standard Xbox controller and a cheap phone clip.
- The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is an interesting controller. It has a 1.5-inch display for adjusting audio settings (and checking social media, apparently), swappable Hall effect sticks, microswitches, hair triggers, remappable rear buttons, and customizable RGB lighting. It’s the brand’s first fully wireless Xbox controller, too, and comes with Bluetooth to allow compatibility with other platforms. All of these features contribute to the controller’s $199.99 price tag, which puts it in the ultra-premium territory that Turtle Beach hasn’t dabbled in until now.
- Modular controllers are getting a little funkier with the release of Thrustmaster’s eSwap X2 Pro. We haven’t tested it and thus can’t recommend the wired Xbox / PC gamepad, but we’re putting it on the radar for those who might appreciate having hot-swappable analog sticks, triggers, grips, and D-pad. It’s one of the only customizable controllers we’ve seen that lets you rearrange the positioning of D-pads and sticks however you want, and you can even buy a racing module that’s meant to simulate a steering wheel. Unfortunately, none of the analog stick modules feature Hall effect sensors, and there are quite a few reports that the standard mini-stock modules are prone to degrading after a short time.
- PDP’s Victrix Pro BFG (wireless) and Victrix Gambit Prime (wired) are another pair of modular controllers getting decent reception right now, though we haven’t tested them yet. Both allow you to remove modules and swap in others, including alternate D-pad designs, taller thumb sticks, hexagonal gates for the analog sticks, and even a fighting pad that gives you six frontal face buttons. The controllers also have programmable rear buttons and customizable hair triggers (the Gambit Prime uniquely lets you customize the back paddle to give you access to two or four extra buttons), but their lack of rumble may be a nonstarter for some.
Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
Update, September 26th: Adjusted pricing and links. Brandon Widder also contributed to this post.
Technology
Samsung unboxes the all-new Galaxy S24 FE: Video
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE was announced yesterday, and the company has just unboxed it. This unboxing was presented in the form of a promo video which surfaced on the company’s official YouTube channel.
The Galaxy S24 FE unboxing video is now live on YouTube
The unboxing video has a duration of around a minute and a half, and it’s embedded at the very end of the article. It not only shows you what sits in the box, but you get to see all the colors of the device. On top of that, some features are highlighted here too.
In addition to the phone itself, and some paperwork, a SIM ejection pin is included, and a charging cable. That’s a USB-C to USB-C charging cable if you were wondering. No, the charger is not included in the box.
The phone comes in Blue, Graphite, Gray, Mint, and Yellow colors, in case you missed the memo yesterday. This video will show you the device from all angles. That way you’ll see its flat sides, which is a change from last year’s model. The device is also larger this time around, as it has a larger display.
Samsung claims this phone offers “stunning low-light portraits”
Samsung says that the Galaxy S24 FE can provide “stunning low-light portraits” thanks to ProVisual Engine. The cameras are highlighted in the video in general, and the same goes for the SoC. This phone is fueled by the Exynos 2400e chip.
A 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate is used this time around, instead of a 6.4-inch panel. It’s also brighter now, as it has a peak brightness of 1,900 nits. Gorilla Glass Victus+ protects that display, by the way.
The device is also water and dust-resistant, and so on. If you’d like to know more about the Galaxy S24 FE, check out our original announcement. You can also pre-order the device as we speak, if you’re interested.
Science & Environment
WTI heads for weekly loss as supplies rise
U.S. crude oil on Friday was on pace for its first weekly loss in three weeks, as the prospect of growing oil supplies from Saudi Arabia overshadowed China’s efforts to stimulate its economy.
The U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate is down nearly 6% this week, while global benchmark Brent has pulled back nearly 4%. Prices have fallen even as conflict in the Middle East escalates, with Israel and Hezbollah trading blows in Lebanon.
“It is amazing to see that … war doesn’t affect the price, and that’s because there’s been no disruption,” Dan Yergin, vice chairman of S&P Global, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Friday.
“There’s still over 5 million barrels a day of shut in capacity in the Middle East,” Yergin said.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
- West Texas Intermediate November contract: $67.51 per barrel, down 16 cents, or 0.24%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil is down more than 5%.
- Brent November contract: $71.37 per barrel, off 23 cents, or 0.32%. Year to date, the global benchmark is down about 7%.
- RBOB Gasoline October contract: $1.9596 per gallon, little changed. Year to date, gasoline is down about 7%.
- Natural Gas November contract: $2.774 per thousand cubic feet, up 0.76%. Year to date, gas is up about 10%.
Oil sold off Thursday on a report that Saudi Arabia is committed to increasing production later this year, even if it results in lower prices for a pro-longed period.
OPEC+ recently postponed planned output hikes from October to December, but analysts have speculated that the group might delay the hikes again because oil prices are so low.
The oil selloff erased gains from earlier in the week after China unveiled a new round of economic stimulus measures. Soft demand in China has been weighing on the oil market for months.
“The thing that’s dominated the market is the weakness in China. Half the growth in world oil demand over a number of years has simply been in China, and it hasn’t been happening,” Yergin said.
“The big question is, stimulus, will you see a recovery in China,” he said. “That’s what the market is struggling with.”
Servers computers
42U Adjustable Depth Open Frame 4 Post Server Rack Cabinet – 4POSTRACK42 | StarTech.com
The 4POSTRACK42 42U Server Rack lets you store your servers, network and telecommunications equipment in a sturdy, adjustable depth open-frame rack.
Designed with ease of use in mind, this 42U rack offers easy-to-read markings for both rack units (U) and depth, with a wide range of mounting depth adjustments (22 – 40in) that make it easy to adapt the rack to fit your equipment.
This durable 4-post rack supports a static loading capacity of up to 1320lbs (600kg), and offers compliance with several industry rack standards (EIA/ECA-310, IEC 60297, DIN 41494) for a universal design that’s compatible with most rack equipment.
For a complete rack solution that saves you time and hassle, the rack includes optional accessories such as casters, leveling feet and cable management hooks. The base is also pre-drilled for securing the rack to the floor if needed, providing you with many options to customize the rack to fit your environment.
Backed by a StarTech.com 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.
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Technology
Intel reportedly rebuffed an offer from ARM to buy its product unit
Intel’s fortunes have declined so rapidly over the past year that chip designer ARM made a “high level inquiry” about buying its crown jewel product unit, Bloomberg reported. However, Intel said the division wasn’t for sale and turned down the offer, according to an unnamed insider.
There are two main units inside Intel, the product group that sells PC, server and networking chips and a chip manufacturing foundry. ARM had no interest in Intel’s foundry division, according to Bloomberg‘s sources. ARM and Intel representatives declined to comment.
Intel’s fortunes have been on the wane for years, but the decline over the last 12 months has been especially dramatic. Following a net $1.6 billion loss in Q2 2024, the company announced that it was laying off 15,000 employees as part of a $10 billion cost reduction plan. Last week, the company also revealed plans to transform its ailing foundry business into an independent subsidiary. Intel lost half its market value last year and is now worth $102.3 billion.
ARM sells its processor designs to Qualcomm, Apple and other manufacturers (mostly for mobile phones) but doesn’t build any chips itself. Purchasing Intel’s product division would completely transform its business model, though that scenario seems highly improbable.
With Intel wounded at the moment, rivals have been circling. Qualcomm also expressed interest in taking over Intel recently, according to a report from last week. Any mergers related to ARM and Qualcomm would be regulatory nightmares, but the fact that the offers exist at all shows Intel’s vulnerability.
Intel has other avenues to boost investment. Apollo Global Management (the owner of Yahoo and Engadget) has offered to invest as much as $5 billion in the company, according to a recent Bloomberg report. Intel also plans to sell part of its stake in chip-maker Altera to private equity investors.
Servers computers
Wallmount Rack Server 9U/Rak Server Ukuran 9U Single Glass Door #servers #komputer
Wallmount Rack Server 9U/Rak Server Ukuran 9U Single Glass Door Di rakit oleh siswa dan siswi jurusan teknik komputer jarngan .
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Technology
From cost center to competitive edge: The strategic value of custom AI Infrastructure
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This article is part of a VB Special Issue called “Fit for Purpose: Tailoring AI Infrastructure.” Catch all the other stories here.
AI is no longer just a buzzword — it’s a business imperative. As enterprises across industries continue to adopt AI, the conversation around AI infrastructure has evolved dramatically. Once viewed as a necessary but costly investment, custom AI infrastructure is now seen as a strategic asset that can provide a critical competitive edge.
Mike Gualtieri, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, emphasizes the strategic importance of AI infrastructure. “Enterprises must invest in an enterprise AI/ML platform from a vendor that at least keeps pace with, and ideally pushes the envelope of, enterprise AI technology,” Gualtieri said. “The technology must also serve a reimagined enterprise operating in a world of abundant intelligence.” This perspective underscores the shift from viewing AI as a peripheral experiment to recognizing it as a core component of future business strategy.
The infrastructure revolution
The AI revolution has been fueled by breakthroughs in AI models and applications, but those innovations have also created new challenges. Today’s AI workloads, especially around training and inference for large language models (LLMs), require unprecedented levels of computing power. This is where custom AI infrastructure comes into play.
>>Don’t miss our special issue: Fit for Purpose: Tailoring AI Infrastructure.<<
“AI infrastructure is not one-size-fits-all,” says Gualtieri. “There are three key workloads: data preparation, model training and inference.” Each of these tasks has different infrastructure requirements, and getting it wrong can be costly, according to Gualtieri. For example, while data preparation often relies on traditional computing resources, training massive AI models like GPT-4o or LLaMA 3.1 necessitates specialized chips such as Nvidia’s GPUs, Amazon’s Trainium or Google’s TPUs.
Nvidia, in particular, has taken the lead in AI infrastructure, thanks to its GPU dominance. “Nvidia’s success wasn’t planned, but it was well-earned,” Gualtieri explains. “They were in the right place at the right time, and once they saw the potential of GPUs for AI, they doubled down.” However, Gualtieri believes that competition is on the horizon, with companies like Intel and AMD looking to close the gap.
The cost of the cloud
Cloud computing has been a key enabler of AI, but as workloads scale, the costs associated with cloud services have become a point of concern for enterprises. According to Gualtieri, cloud services are ideal for “bursting workloads” — short-term, high-intensity tasks. However, for enterprises running AI models 24/7, the pay-as-you-go cloud model can become prohibitively expensive.
“Some enterprises are realizing they need a hybrid approach,” Gualtieri said. “They might use the cloud for certain tasks but invest in on-premises infrastructure for others. It’s about balancing flexibility and cost-efficiency.”
This sentiment was echoed by Ankur Mehrotra, general manager of Amazon SageMaker at AWS. In a recent interview, Mehrotra noted that AWS customers are increasingly looking for solutions that combine the flexibility of the cloud with the control and cost-efficiency of on-premise infrastructure. “What we’re hearing from our customers is that they want purpose-built capabilities for AI at scale,” Mehrotra explains. “Price performance is critical, and you can’t optimize for it with generic solutions.”
To meet these demands, AWS has been enhancing its SageMaker service, which offers managed AI infrastructure and integration with popular open-source tools like Kubernetes and PyTorch. “We want to give customers the best of both worlds,” says Mehrotra. “They get the flexibility and scalability of Kubernetes, but with the performance and resilience of our managed infrastructure.”
The role of open source
Open-source tools like PyTorch and TensorFlow have become foundational to AI development, and their role in building custom AI infrastructure cannot be overlooked. Mehrotra underscores the importance of supporting these frameworks while providing the underlying infrastructure needed to scale. “Open-source tools are table stakes,” he says. “But if you just give customers the framework without managing the infrastructure, it leads to a lot of undifferentiated heavy lifting.”
AWS’s strategy is to provide a customizable infrastructure that works seamlessly with open-source frameworks while minimizing the operational burden on customers. “We don’t want our customers spending time on managing infrastructure. We want them focused on building models,” says Mehrotra.
Gualtieri agrees, adding that while open-source frameworks are critical, they must be backed by robust infrastructure. “The open-source community has done amazing things for AI, but at the end of the day, you need hardware that can handle the scale and complexity of modern AI workloads,” he says.
The future of AI infrastructure
As enterprises continue to navigate the AI landscape, the demand for scalable, efficient and custom AI infrastructure will only grow. This is especially true as artificial general intelligence (AGI) — or agentic AI — becomes a reality. “AGI will fundamentally change the game,” Gualtieri said. “It’s not just about training models and making predictions anymore. Agentic AI will control entire processes, and that will require a lot more infrastructure.”
Mehrotra also sees the future of AI infrastructure evolving rapidly. “The pace of innovation in AI is staggering,” he says. “We’re seeing the emergence of industry-specific models, like BloombergGPT for financial services. As these niche models become more common, the need for custom infrastructure will grow.”
AWS, Nvidia and other major players are racing to meet this demand by offering more customizable solutions. But as Gualtieri points out, it’s not just about the technology. “It’s also about partnerships,” he says. “Enterprises can’t do this alone. They need to work closely with vendors to ensure their infrastructure is optimized for their specific needs.”
Custom AI infrastructure is no longer just a cost center — it’s a strategic investment that can provide a significant competitive edge. As enterprises scale their AI ambitions, they must carefully consider their infrastructure choices to ensure they are not only meeting today’s demands but also preparing for the future. Whether through cloud, on-premises, or hybrid solutions, the right infrastructure can make all the difference in turning AI from an experiment into a business driver
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