AI hardware

This letter refers to the article ‘The AI frontier at WGS’ (March 1, 2024) by Dr Ayesha Razzaque. Being a hardware engineer myself and having moved onto AI, I can feel the lack of focus on AI hardware. Currently, a lot of focus is on the software side of things, especially in countries like Pakistan where it is easier to invest in as compared to the more capital intensive hardware side. A deeper understanding of what entails advancement in AI, especially in terms of hardware requirements, is needed on the part of policymakers and the higher echelons of our political elite.

One has witnessed a lot of emphasis on the development of AI-based solutions both in the public as well as the private sector. However, many are not ready to walk the talk by investing in it. They mostly hallucinate about AI systems working in perfect harmony with their legacy systems with almost zero investment. Their imagination is likely chained by the non-provision of financial resources, which they have little control over. As long as our public and private sectors stay away from investing in AI and the associated hardware resources, making a mark in AI at the international level will remain a pipedream.

Engr Ahmad Raza Shahid

Islamabad