VoiceBase, the leading provider of speech analytics for the cloud, is utilising Verne Global's HPC-optimised bare-metal infrastructure – hpcDIRECT – to accelerate the development of new artificial intelligence (AI) powered voice analytics services.
California-based VoiceBase – which provides Speech Analytics services to customers including Amazon Web Services, Nasdaq and Twilio – selected Verne Global’s HPC infrastructure to speed up the training phase of deep learning neural networks, which underpins its rapidly expanding range of speech-to-text services, voice analytics and predictive analytics capabilities. This training phase – when the neutral network ‘learns’ by processing vast quantities of speech data, adjusting its algorithm and improving its accuracy as it goes – is incredibly compute intensive. By using Verne Global’s HPC-optimised data center campus in Iceland, Voicebase has witnessed a significant increase in the performance of these operations.
VoiceBase, which recently took part in an AI and HPC Field Trip to Iceland organised by Verne Global, began the hpcDIRECT platform after a rigorous trial. Leveraging Verne Global’s blueprints for bare-metal orchestration, this trial delivered immediate performance benefits. With VoiceBase planning to expand its services to include new languages and dialects, as well as to extend its predictive analytics capabilities, it quickly reached the decision to extend its R&D compute capabilities to Verne Global’s facility.
“We were very impressed by the results of our trial of Verne Global’s HPC platform – the increased performance of our neural network training is a complete game-changer for us,” said Jeff Shukis, CTO of VoiceBase. “Not only does this mean we can reduce the time to market for new languages, it also enables us to speed up the development of our predictive analytics capabilities, which allows organisations to analyse conversations in the contact center and beyond.”
Available on an as-a-service basis, hpcDIRECT provides VoiceBase with access to scalable, cost-effective compute power that would be prohibitively expensive to deploy and manage on-premise. A TrueHPC platform, hpcDIRECT comprises dedicated bare-metal servers in a highly optimised environment and is supported by a team of HPC specialists. VoiceBase will utilise the latest Intel Xeon Gold Skylake architecture together with Nvidia GPUs.
“VoiceBase’s growing team of data science experts stands at the very forefront of voice innovation and has been quick to recognise the enormous potential of deep learning neural networks. However, like many other fast-growing AI pioneers, the cost of on-premise compute, as well as a requirement to continually upgrade its infrastructure, was in danger of deflecting resources away from its core business,” said Bob Fletcher, VP Strategy, Verne Global. “We’re delighted to be partnering with VoiceBase to help accelerate their innovation in what is already a tremendously exciting field. For compute-intensive workloads such as voice AI, all training roads lead to Iceland.”
