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TECHx
5 days ago
- Business
- TECHx
Vik Malyala Talks AI, Efficiency, and Sustainability
Home » Interview Of The Week » Vik Malyala Talks AI, Efficiency, and Sustainability We caught up with Vik Malyala, President and Managing Director of Supermicro for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, during COMPUTEX 2025 to discuss the evolving technology landscape, Supermicro's competitive edge, and the company's strong commitment to sustainability in data centers. TECHx Media: Supermicro has been a regular exhibitor at Computex over the years. What's different this time around? Vik Malyala: This year, the biggest theme we see across every booth and every corner of the show is AI-first. While the industry has traditionally showcased a broad mix of solutions, the profile of customers and applications is clearly shifting. There's a major focus on AI, whether it's training or inferencing workloads. Even outside enterprise AI, there's a buzz around gaming and workstation improvements that enhance user experiences. What's encouraging is the quality of conversations, people are genuinely engaged, eager to understand the technology deeply. It feels like no one wants to miss out on the opportunities AI is creating. Computex continues to be an excellent platform for us to connect with customers, understand their needs, and showcase how Supermicro fits into their AI journeys. TECHx Media: What would you say is Supermicro's competitive advantage over other global players? Vik Malyala: One key differentiator is our time to market, and that's not as simple as it sounds. What really enables us is our fully vertically integrated approach. We design, develop, manufacture, integrate, test, and support everything under one roof. We call this the 'building block' approach. This approach allows us to keep pace with rapid technology transitions and bring fully vetted platforms and solutions to customers faster than others. The second big focus is energy efficiency. Data centers and customers are often constrained by power availability, so optimizing deployments within a power budget is critical. For over 16 years, Supermicro has prioritized energy-efficient designs, helping customers adopt green technology at scale. If you don't embrace energy efficiency, you risk falling behind. In summary: rapid development, energy-efficient customization, and application-optimized solutions are the pillars of our differentiation. TECHx Media: AI is a huge reality right now. How has Supermicro integrated AI into its product portfolio, and what real-world impacts are you seeing? Vik Malyala: That's a complex but fascinating question. To improve human experience through AI, huge computational power is needed, especially for developing massive large language models, some with over a trillion parameters, and growing. A handful of companies develop these models, and efficiency is critical. We look closely at power usage effectiveness (PUE), and one way to improve PUE is liquid cooling, which is far more efficient at removing heat than traditional air cooling. Supermicro has pioneered large-scale liquid-cooled compute infrastructure. Just recently, we announced the Supermicro DLC2 system, which can remove up to 98% of heat using liquid cooling. This drastically improves data center efficiency, lowers power consumption, and supports sustainability goals. On the inferencing side, the real-time application of AI models, we offer over 20 different solutions integrating accelerators from Nvidia, Intel, AMD, and others. These come in various form factors to meet the diverse needs of data center cores and edge deployments. Our goal is to deliver the right-sized, optimized solution for each customer, always aligned with energy efficiency and performance. TECHx Media: Sustainability and green computing seem integral to Supermicro's strategy. How important is this focus? Vik Malyala: Sustainability is core to everything we do. Data centers today consume 2-3% of global power, and with ever-growing data center sizes, moving from tens of megawatts to gigawatts, power consumption is skyrocketing. Through our data center building block solutions (DCBS), we optimize every element of data center design and operation. This holistic approach ensures we manage sustainability in a meaningful, measurable way. It's not just a buzzword for us, it's embedded deeply in our culture and operations. Given the scale of deployment we're seeing now, our commitment to green technology is more visible and more critical than ever. Watch full video interview on TECHx TV.
TECHx
14-04-2025
- Business
- TECHx
Exclusive: Saif Mashat on Scaling ServiceNow's Vision Across MEA
Saif Mashat has taken on a new role as Area Vice President for ServiceNow in the Middle East and Africa, effective April 1, 2025. In addition to continuing his leadership in Saudi Arabia, he will now oversee operations and strategy across the broader region. In a conversation with TECHx Media, he shared his outlook and priorities for the journey ahead. Congratulations on your appointment as Area Vice President for ServiceNow in the Middle East and Africa. What key priorities will you focus on as you step into this role? As I step into this role, my key priority will be to build on the strong momentum we've already established and scale that success across the broader Middle East and Africa. This means deepening our relationships with customers, delivering tangible business outcomes, and continuing to invest in the incredible local talent and strategic partnerships that fuel our growth. ServiceNow is uniquely positioned to support transformation across the public sector, private enterprise, and banking industry, three pillars of economic progress in this region. With the Now Platform at the core, we bring an unmatched ability to unify experiences, streamline operations, and accelerate innovation at scale. Our leadership in generative AI is a game changer. By embedding intelligence natively across our workflows, and by providing businesses with what is essentially an AI control tower, we're enabling organizations to move faster, operate smarter, and create real competitive advantage. In the MEA region, our ambition is clear: to be the trusted digital transformation partner for the region's most forward-thinking institutions. You bring a wealth of experience from your roles at companies like VMware, IBM, and Microsoft. How will these experiences shape your strategy for ServiceNow in the MEA region? I've had the privilege of working with some of the world's most respected technology companies, supporting customers across industries and stages of growth on their transformation journeys. These experiences have taught me a fundamental truth: technology alone is not enough. Real impact comes when cutting-edge innovation is delivered with a deep understanding of business priorities, overlaid with local context. At ServiceNow, this perspective will continue to guide my strategy. I will lead with a customer-first mindset—listening carefully, learning continuously, and ensuring we deliver solutions that don't just address immediate challenges, but also enable organizations across MEA to transform how they deliver employee and customer experiences. In a region as diverse and fast-moving as MEA, success demands both global vision and local execution. My focus will be on bridging those worlds, pairing ServiceNow's industry-leading Now Platform with the unique needs of our local customers, and driving sustained value across every engagement. ServiceNow's appointment of local leadership reflects a commitment to regional growth. How do you plan to engage with local customers and stakeholders to ensure ServiceNow's solutions meet their unique needs? Having led ServiceNow in Saudi Arabia for the past year and a half, I've seen firsthand the importance of being deeply embedded in the region, leading with cultural understanding, trust, and an unwavering commitment to partnership. As we accelerate our growth across the Middle East and Africa, my approach will remain simple and focused: stay close to our customers and stakeholders, foster open and transparent dialogue, and work collaboratively to co-create solutions that align with their unique priorities and national visions. We're not here to offer one-size-fits-all technology. We're here to build long-term partnerships grounded in shared success and measurable impact. The Now Platform is powerful, but its real value lies in how we apply it, together with our partners and customers, to solve the challenges that matter most and enable them to lead in a rapidly changing world. In your opinion, what are the most significant digital transformation challenges businesses in MEA face today, and how can ServiceNow help address them? Across the Middle East and Africa, organizations are under immense pressure to modernize at speed, while contending with fragmented systems, talent shortages, and rapidly evolving customer expectations. These are not small challenges; they strike at the core of operational resilience and future readiness. What many leaders are seeking is clarity, a clear, executable path to operational excellence and service innovation. And this is precisely where ServiceNow delivers. The Now Platform serves as a powerful unifying layer, breaking down silos, connecting workflows, and embedding intelligence at every step. By enabling AI-driven automation and end-to-end visibility, we empower organizations to move with agility, scale with confidence, and focus their talent on what matters most. Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve in the next 12 months, and how will you measure success in your new role? The next 12 months will be focused on scaling our impact. This means deepening our presence across key markets in the MEA region, expanding platform adoption across priority industries, and elevating the success stories that demonstrate the transformative power of the Now Platform. I will be particularly focused on four measures of success: Growth for our customers—measured by the tangible outcomes we help them achieve through workflow digitization and AI-driven innovation. Support for our partner ecosystem—measured through partner-led new business opportunities and revenue growth. Trust in our brand—built through consistent delivery, strategic partnership, and a customer-first approach. Momentum for the region's broader digital ambitions—supported by initiatives like the ServiceNow Academy, which will help cultivate the next generation of digital talent. Ultimately, for me, success in this role means being a catalyst—for our customers, our partners, and our people. Interview by – Rabab Zehra, Executive Editor at TECHx Media
TECHx
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- TECHx
How Oracle NetSuite Helped Streamline eZhire's Operations - TECHx Media How Oracle NetSuite Helped Streamline eZhire's Operations
How Oracle NetSuite Helped Streamline eZhire's Operations eZhire, a car rental startup founded in 2016, is transforming the mobility industry by simplifying the car rental experience. Hassan J. Saduzai, CEO and Co-Founder of eZhire, shared insights into the company's journey, challenges, and how Oracle NetSuite is driving its growth strategy across the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia in an exclusive interview with Rabab Zehra, Executive Editor at TECHx Media, during the Oracle CloudWorld Tour Dubai 2025. Hassan reflects on eZhire's origins as a 'garage startup.' Despite coming from a background in rental car mobility and tech, he and his co-founder initially had no plans to build a full-fledged company. Instead, they wanted to create an app for fun. It wasn't until they identified key pain points in the rental car industry—such as the need for on-demand service, eliminating security deposits, and offering a wide variety of vehicles—that the idea for eZhire truly took shape. Their goal was to make car rentals as simple and accessible as ordering a taxi. 'We wanted to simplify the car rental process just like Uber simplified taxis,' said Hassan. By focusing on delivering cars directly to customers at any time, eZhire quickly gained traction. Drawing from personal experience, Hassan described his frustration with the traditional car rental process. 'Even as a diamond card holder with a major car rental company in New York, I had to wait in line for 45 minutes to get my car,' he explained. eZhire's approach removes such hassles by delivering the car to the customer at any hour, even at 5 a.m., and picking it up once the customer is done. eZhire also offers unique services, such as giving free cars to new drivers in partnership with the Galadari Driving Center, differentiating itself from larger companies that often impose age restrictions or additional requirements. Before implementing Oracle NetSuite, eZhire faced operational challenges, particularly in financial reconciliation. Manual processes resulted in discrepancies in payments, causing conflicts with suppliers and customers. With multiple rental companies in different countries, eZhire struggled to maintain accurate, synchronized data. Hassan and his team would spend days manually reconciling transactions, leading to inefficiencies and miscommunication. To solve this, eZhire sought an automated solution that could streamline the process and sync data across its operations. The implementation of Oracle NetSuite has enabled eZhire to consolidate financial information from multiple regions into a single platform, improving operational efficiency and transparency. Now, suppliers can access live payment data and view transaction details, ensuring smooth communication and reducing errors. As eZhire looks to expand into new markets, Oracle NetSuite is playing a key role in managing operations across multiple countries. With different software systems for each region, eZhire previously faced challenges in consolidating financial data. NetSuite has unified the company's operations, providing a centralized platform to view financials and performance at both individual company and group levels. The system's ability to handle the complexities of eZhire's multi-region operations allows for more informed decision-making, supporting the company's rapid growth. 'Previously, each country had its own login and system, but now, all countries are under one NetSuite, providing greater visibility,' Hassan explained. Looking forward, eZhire is focused on expanding its footprint and enhancing its offerings. As demand for vehicles in the UAE continues to grow, especially in the entry-level car segment, eZhire is also seeing a shift toward Chinese vehicles, which are offering more advanced features at competitive price points. The company is responding to these trends by diversifying its fleet and ensuring its platform is equipped to handle future growth. With the support of Oracle NetSuite, eZhire is poised to continue disrupting the car rental industry and solidifying its position as a leading provider of innovative mobility solutions.
