RBCT Chapter 163 Cloud Computing
Chapter 163 Cloud Computing
Chapter 163 Cloud Computing
The marble floor reflected the dazzling light of the crystal chandelier. When Ernst walked out from the relatively quiet corner of the banquet hall, the people who were talking to each other seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, and dozens of eyes were cast towards him, seemingly without being noticed.
Some people subconsciously straightened their ties, some tightened their grip on their wine glasses, and others moved their feet imperceptibly.
These people were all waiting for an opportunity, a chance to speak with this rising star who had recently made a name for himself in Silicon Valley and the entire American business world.
However, Ernst seemed completely indifferent to the self-satisfied gazes around him, whether they were eager, inquisitive, or clearly utilitarian.
His gaze swept straight through the crowd and landed on a figure slightly to the left of the center of the banquet hall. His steps were firm, and his goal was clear to the point of being almost blatant.
The man Ernst had his eye on was a middle-aged man in his forties, who was dressed in a suit and exuded the composure and sophistication typical of successful people.
But unlike those pure businessmen, he unconsciously exudes a focused academic temperament, or rather, a scholarly air, between his brows.
This scholarly demeanor is like the blank space in a traditional Chinese ink painting; even if he tries hard to blend into this business atmosphere, it is difficult to completely conceal.
"Who is that man?" John Reed turned his head slightly and waved to his secretary who was not far behind him.
The secretary quickly stepped forward and whispered in his ear, "His exact identity is not yet clear, but I can confirm that he works for Amazon."
The secretary's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. As the chief secretary of a top investment bank, he felt somewhat derelict in his duty that he did not fully understand today's guests.
However, he was also thinking to himself that Ernst was really unpredictable. He remembered 80% of the important people in the room, while the rest were just small fry who were not worth paying attention to.
But this tycoon chose such a nobody, I wonder if he's playing us secretaries for a fool.
At almost the same time, in another corner of the banquet hall, Henry Paulson was making a similar inquiry.
This key figure at Goldman Sachs had just finished entertaining Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and was about to catch his breath when he caught a glimpse of Ernst's movements out of the corner of his eye.
He calmly let Bezos continue chatting and laughing with the guests around him, while he quietly pulled his assistant aside and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Find out that person's background and what position he holds at Amazon."
He recognized this person; he was a member of Bezos's team.
"Yes, Mr. Paulson."
Just as the assistant was about to turn around, Henry Paulson called out to him, "Wait."
Henry Paulson's gaze swept over Jeff Bezos, who was raising his glass and smiling not far away, his eyes deep. "This needs to be done quietly. Don't let Jeff know."
A hint of confusion flashed across the assistant's face. Jeff Bezos was not far away. Ernst's interaction with that Amazon employee was not exactly secretive. The other person wasn't blind, so how could he not see it?
But he didn't ask any more questions. He simply replied respectfully that he understood, and then turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Henry Paulson picked up his glass and took a sip of whiskey, the amber liquid swirling gently in the glass.
He certainly knew Jeff Bezos wasn't blind, but he had his own considerations.
Years of experience in the business world had honed his keen observation skills. Judging from Ernst's posture as he approached the man and the slightly reserved expressions during their initial conversation, they were clearly not familiar with each other, and even seemed a bit awkward at first.
Ernst is a man who doesn't act without a reason; his approach to an unknown Amazon employee must mean that the person has something he wants.
Whatever he wants to achieve, the fewer people who know about it before things are settled, the better.
In fact, John Reed and Henry Paulson were not the only ones to do the same thing.
Those truly at the top of the business pyramid in the banquet hall almost simultaneously issued similar instructions to their assistants or confidants.
They came to the party but stayed in a corner without striking up a conversation. It would be worthwhile for them to take the initiative to approach a nobody and explore their potential.
These people's guesses were not wrong; Ernst did indeed have his own plans, and his ambitions were considerable.
This could even be described as his planned third hand to control the entire internet industry.
Google focuses on interfaces, whether it's browsers, email, music streaming, movies, social media, videos, etc. What Google aims to do is directly face the first line of defense for users and control the source of traffic.
PayPay is a payment interface, serving as a link connecting all internet services.
The ultimate goal of the Internet is to make money. Money and finance are always intertwined, and that's what PayPay does.
So, what is this third hand? Ernst points directly to the underlying architecture of the Internet.
He wants global internet services to rely on the infrastructure he builds, just as Microsoft's operating system controls personal computers.
"Mr. Cassio Lake," Ernst's voice was gentle, with just the right amount of politeness, neither deliberately ingratiating nor condescendingly arrogant, "I'm a little curious, given your focus on distributed computing research and your previous position at the renowned MAC Institute, why did you choose to join Amazon?"
Cassio Lake looked at the other person with a sense of flattery. He could feel countless gazes from all around him, mixed with envy and even a bit of jealousy.
As a relatively inconspicuous technical researcher at Amazon, he never imagined that he would be approached and talked to by such a big shot as Ernst.
He composed himself and looked at the excessively young business tycoon in front of him. The other man's goodwill made him relax a little, but his doubts remained. Nevertheless, he told the truth.
"It's actually very realistic," Cassio Lake said with a frank smile, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "because I need to achieve financial freedom."
Seeing Ernst's slightly furrowed brow, he continued to explain, "You're right, the MAC Institute is indeed a great place to do research, with top-notch equipment and an academic atmosphere. But in recent years, the institute's research direction has gradually changed, starting to cater more to market demands and deviating from its original intention of focusing on distributed computing when it was founded."
A determined glint flashed in his eyes: "I want to continue to delve deeper into the field of distributed computing, which requires substantial financial support. The construction of the laboratory, the upgrading of equipment, and the formation of the team—everything requires money."
"Mr. Bezos promised that once Amazon went public and grew, he would provide me with enough funding to support me in building an independent research team, so I chose to come to Amazon."
"So, that means," Ernst's eyes suddenly lit up, his tone filled with barely suppressed excitement, "you still intend to continue your research into distributed computing?"
Distributed computing is a complex term that covers a wide range of topics.
But one of its applications, which many people have heard of, is cloud computing.
Cloud computing, big data, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence are the four core trends in the future development of the Internet.
Of these four, cloud computing is the foundation of the other three.
The storage and analysis of big data, the connection and management of IoT devices, and the training and operation of artificial intelligence models all rely on the powerful computing and storage capabilities provided by cloud computing.
It can be said that cloud computing is the cornerstone of technology, and whoever dominates this field will have the initiative in the development of the Internet.
Many people have heard of the term cloud computing, but may not truly understand its meaning.
In fact, it can be explained with a simple analogy: cloud computing is like a water tap in our home, an IT service model that is used on demand and paid for as needed.
In the traditional hardware model, when a company buys a computer or server, the configuration of its CPU, memory, storage, etc., is already fixed.
If the business requires stronger performance later on, new hardware must be purchased separately for replacement, which is not only troublesome but also incurs additional costs.
Based on cloud computing, enterprises can directly purchase cloud servers for remote access.
More importantly, if one server is not enough, thousands of virtual servers can be created within a minute through a cloud computing platform to meet the demand.
In addition to server resources, cloud computing can also provide a full range of resources such as storage, databases, middleware, big data processing, and networks.
In theory, a startup can build a massive data center on par with internet giants using only a regular computer through a cloud computing platform, saving the huge investment required for building a physical data center.
Nowadays, almost all internet companies need to build their own data centers.
This means investing a lot of money to purchase land and build sites, as well as ensuring a 24-hour uninterrupted power supply and air conditioning system.
In addition, a professional security team must be provided to prevent data leaks or physical damage.
Moreover, in order to cope with the demand during peak business periods, companies often configure equipment according to peak demand. However, for most Internet companies, peak business periods are temporary and short-lived. Most of the time, these devices are idle, resulting in a huge waste of resources.
In addition, the regular upgrading of equipment and the salary expenses of a large number of maintenance engineers, these costs are constantly consuming the company's funds like flowing water.
But the situation is completely different after using cloud computing services.
A company only needs one person and one internet-connected computer to complete all IT deployment and management through the cloud, which greatly reduces capital, time and labor costs.
Even if you are a complete novice in the internet industry, you can start an internet company with a good idea.
"I'll provide the funding," Ernst's voice held a seductive quality. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Cassio Lake. "How about we work together to continue this research?"
Cassio Lake's eyes widened in surprise; he hadn't expected the other party's purpose in coming was this 0.
Ernst ignored his surprise and continued, "You should understand that this is not a small project. To truly achieve a breakthrough in distributed computing, the investment will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and that's the minimum and most ideal scenario."
Ernst paused, a slightly sarcastic smile playing on his lips. "Amazon? Even though it's already a public company, do you really think Jeff Bezos would put that much money in your pocket to build an independent R&D team?"
"When will he be able to wait for Amazon to grow and become stronger?"
Cassio Lake fell silent, his fingers trembling slightly as he held the wine glass. Ernst's words were like a sharp knife, piercing through his long-held self-comfort.
But Jeff Bezos had treated him well and had indeed promised to support his research. Based on his understanding of Jeff Bezos over this period of time, he believed that the other party would keep his word.
But as Ernst said, when will this promise be fulfilled?
Ernst keenly caught the wavering in his eyes and immediately added fuel to the fire: "Moreover, I can invite Professor John McCarthy to serve as a senior advisor for this project."
"What?" Cassio Lake's eyes widened in disbelief, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "You—you're sure?"
Ernst met his gaze and nodded slowly but firmly, his eyes filled with affirmation.