High Tech corporations have invested a lot in technologies that produce large amounts of revenue, and with the increasing rapid advancements in technology, these corporations must invest even more in order to protect their rich revenue streams. A good example of a corporation reaching further and further into the future is Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Search engine and advertising are the cornerstones of Google revenue, and they want it to keep flowing, so Google / Alphabet has identified several areas they consider to be important in securing a high revenue future for themselves and their investors. Alphabet has spread projects and initiatives throughout Google and their other entities, and many of these initiatives point to the important role of AI in their future, and by extension, our future too.
At the heart of their strategy is the idea of being AI Centric . With this approach, they anticipate maintaining a leading role with their core business (search and advertising), as well as delving into areas where they see opportunities for improvement or disruption using an AI approach. Here is a brief overview of some of the newer areas Google / Alphabet hopes to fully capitalize on in future.
- Cloud Computing Services : Google wants to grow their share of the cloud market. They currently rank third, after Amazon and Microsoft, however they have been expanding their presence through a number of strategic investments, acquisitions, and internal initiatives, to better compete with rivals in this space. Currently, Google cloud business is growing at a faster pace than the competition. Products and services to watch are G Suite, a new chip called the EDGE TPU that can carry out machine learning processes on Internet of Things devices, and they have some cloud supported Blockchain projects on the go with strategic partners. An important aspect of Cloud computing is Security, and this too is a new area of focus for Google. As of January 2018 Google spun off Chronicle, to be the cybersecurity arm and work towards a 'digital immune system ". Businesses are generating more and more information every day and will require more complex computers, and incremental computing infrastructure. Google believes this can be handled through the AI machine learning capabilities they are developing.
- Transportation and Logistics : Google / Alphabet anticipate opportunities to continue the disruption in this sector. Investments include LIME, a scooter company, as well as UBER, LYFT, and a few other ride hailing services. This sector also includes autonomous vehicles, causing serious disruption in the trucking industry, as well as with people moving vehicles. Alphabet has their WAYMO business arm, and their autonomous vehicle miles driven are the most in the world (8 million miles). WAYMO has said that they intend to use semi-autonomous trucks to deliver freight to its data centers in Atlanta. Google's drone delivery company, Project Wing, has become an independent company under the Alphabet umbrella, and has completed some drone deliveries in Australia. Products and services like these all make use of AI technologies that Google / Alphabet are developing rapidly.
- Emerging Markets : Google continues to expand in India and SE Asia, two regions experiencing fast growth in internet usage. Google has participated in funding for an Indonesian ride-hailing company giant called GO-JEK, which is similar to UBER, but also provides food delivery services and a mobile payment platform. In India, Google has invested in a personal concierge and delivery service platform, and TEZ, a free mobile wallet that allows users to make payments directly from their bank account. This is all a big part of Google's attempt to become an integral part of commerce in India. Despite historic setbacks and tensions, Google is also focused on China, making more investments in that country, such as com, China's second largest e-commerce platform, and Chushou, a China-based gaming firm.
- Healthcare : Alphabet intends to advance healthcare effectiveness through better data processing using AI. Alphabet's life science subsidiary, VERILY, concentrates on disease detection, a crucial part of effective health care. Google is leveraging its' abilities in AI to improve healthcare data management, and their AI focused subsidiary, DeepMind, has an app called "STREAMS" that helps to detect kidney injuries based on lab results, so doctors can be alerted quickly via the mobile app and promptly escalate urgent cases.
AI is critical to Alphabet's long-term outlook as it is the thread that runs through search and advertising, cloud computing, autonomous driving, healthcare, and many of the company other endeavors. This includes the exploding market for digital assistants and Smart Home products. Consumers can already choose among big competition, like Apple (SIRI) and Amazon (Alexa). Google wants to win this market, and every other market it delves into. We see that Google / Alphabet is on the leading edge of AI technology, making more and more investments to protect and expand their revenue streams. Many other industries will be affected by AI developments, and many will be in ways we have not yet imagined. The breadth and pace of tech change will continue to increase. Let Crypto Trend be your guide to the future, as we continue to identify technology investment opportunities that can lead to financial success.
Stay Tuned!
Martin Straith