AI Proving Ground Podcast: Exploring Artificial Intelligence & Enterprise AI with World Wide Technology

Many organizations are chasing artificial intelligence's promise. But who's actually delivering results? In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, we take you inside WWT's AI Day STL, where real-world success stories meet tactical, boots-on-the-ground guidance for enterprise AI transformation. It's what we call "Practical AI." This episode explores the four phases of AI maturity, why clear use cases are more valuable than code, and how agentic AI and data readiness are reshaping the enterprise landscape.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As enterprise artificial intelligence strategies mature, the user interface is evolving beyond chatbots. Enter the digital human — real-time, emotionally aware, multilingual AI avatars designed to mimic human interaction with uncanny realism. In this episode of AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT Chief Technology Advisor Ruben Ambrose and Area Director of Strategy an Innovation Eric Jones unpack their journey building WWT’s own avatar, “Ellie,” and offer a revealing look at the infrastructure, latency tradeoffs and feedback loops driving this frontier.Learn more about this week's guests:Ruben Ambrose is an AI Product Manager at World Wide Technology with over 25 years of experience in corporate IT. His background spans application development, IT operations, enterprise architecture, and sales advisory. Today, he leads teams focused on prototyping AI solutions that drive innovation and business value.Ruben's top pick: The Making of Ellie: How WWT Built its Cutting-Edge Digital Human in 5 Weeks Using NVIDIA AI PlatformsEric Jones is an Area Director of Strategy and Innovation at World Wide Technology. He has been in the software industry for over twelve years. For the last two years, he has been focused on Generative AI and its application to enterprise workflows. This research helps World Wide Technology provide industry-leading services in building Generative AI solutions for customers around the globe.Eric's top pick: Join WWT in the AI and Digital Revolution at NVIDIA GTC 2025!The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artifical intelligence isn't just evolving — it's accelerating into every corner of business and society. But while innovation surges ahead, AI policy and regulation is playing catch-up. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, two of WWT's foremost AI and cyber experts — Kate Kuehn and Bryan Fite — dive deep into the fragmented and fast-changing world of AI policy, regulation and governance. Plus, what every enterprise should be doing right now to stay ahead of regulatory change while building AI systems that are secure, inclusive and future-proof.For more on this week's guests:Kate Kuehn joined WWT in early 2024. She brings more than 25 years of experience leading and advising cyber security, technology, innovative AI strategies and teams to help shape the industry with better business security and risk decisions. Kate is a trusted advisor, thought leader, speaker, published author, and mentor. Currently, her main area of expertise focuses on the collaboration of Risk Executives and Boards to achieve a successful and secure integrated cyber risk management program in this new normal of ever-changing regulations in this elevated threat landscape. Kate also has expertise in the correlation between security, traditional IT initiatives and the implications of AI.Kate's top pick: Trustworthy and Responsible AI at the Global ScaleBryan Fite is a committed security practitioner and serial entrepreneur who uses Facilitated Innovation to solve "Wicked Business Problems". Having spent over 25 years in mission-critical environments, Bryan is uniquely qualified to advise organizations on what works and what doesn't. Bryan has worked with organizations in every major vertical throughout the world and has established himself as a trusted advisor. "The challenges facing organizations today require a business reasonable approach to managing risk, trust and limited resources, while protecting what matters.Bryan's top pick: Shadow AI: The Threat You Didn't See ComingThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Can artificial intelligence help solve the healthcare crisis? In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, frontline healthcare executives Dr. Sanaz Cordes and Dr. Eric Quinones — both Chief Digital Advisors at WWT — share how AI is transforming clinical care and hospital operations. From ambient scribing and inbox management to predictive analytics and automation, they reveal how healthcare CIOs and clinicians are scaling AI responsibly to restore physician focus, improve efficiency and shape the future of healthcare delivery.More about this week's guests:Sanaz Cordes is a physician executive with 20 years of healthcare and healthtech experience. Serial entrepreneur, investor, venture advisor, and industry expert on healthcare innovation and clinical workflow. She is a speaker, blogger, and clinical thought leader that has built and helped scale healthcare companies from idea to acquisition. A pediatrician, Dr. Cordes began her career as a medical director for Providence Health and Services.Dr. Cordes's top pick: Patient Experience Landscape in 2025Eric Quinones is a disciplined physician leader driven by the Quintuple Aim; enhancing the patient experience, improving population health, reducing cost of care, improving the work-life of clinicians, and focusing on SDoH through the successful use of digital & data transformational tools, that support clinical and business objectives.Dr. Quinones's top pick: Key Highlights from HIMSS 2025: A Transformative Year for Digital HealthThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond predictive analytics into real-time, autonomous decision-making — and enterprises must scale securely and efficiently to keep up. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT VP of Networking and AI Solutions Neil Anderson, NVIDIA SVP of Networking Kevin Deierling and Cisco SVP of Networking Kevin Wollenweber unpack the biggest takeaways from NVIDIA GTC. They explore the evolving Cisco–NVIDIA partnership, the critical role of AI infrastructure and how innovations in networking, security and compute are shaping the future of AI-powered enterprises.More about this weeks guests:Neil Anderson has over 30 years of experience in software development, wireless, and networking technologies. At WWT Neil is the Area VP for our Cloud & Infrastructure Solutions global practice, with responsibility for Cloud, Data Center, Networking, AI, and Automation Solutions, representing over $15B in revenue. Neil works daily across WWT's customer segments, which include Global Enterprise, Global Service Provider, and Public Sector.Neil's top pick: Building for Success: A CTO's Guide to Generative AIKevin Deierling is the senior vice president of Networking at NVIDIA. He has been a founder or senior executive at five startups that have achieved positive outcomes. Combining both technical and business expertise, Deierling has variously served as the chief officer of technology, architecture, and marketing at these companies, where he led the development of strategy and products across a broad range of disciplines including networking, security, cloud, big data, virtualization, storage, smart energy, and DNA sequencing. Deierling has contributed to multiple technology standards and has over 25 patents. Kevin Wollenweber is Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Cisco Networking – Data Center and Provider Connectivity organization. In this role, he leads a portfolio that transforms how our customers build and manage their network architectures. He has worked with the world's largest Service Provider, Enterprise, and Web Companies for the last three decades and has been with Cisco since 1997. As the leader for Cisco's Data Center and Provider Connectivity portfolio, Kevin is focused on how the industry and technologies are transforming and continuously evolving Cisco's products and solutions.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Jensen Huang’s keynote at NVIDIA GTC 2025 made one thing clear: artificial intelligence is entering a new era of enterprise transformation. No longer just a supporting tool, AI is evolving into a decision-making and autonomous agent. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT experts on the ground at GTC 2025 share quick-hit reactions and insights on what this shift means for business and technology leaders.More AI Proving Ground Podcast: https://www.wwt.com/events/ai-proving-ground-podcast/overviewThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence is transforming enterprises — but are organizations really using it effectively? In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, experts Jon Duren and Jay Custard unpack the toughest challenges of enterprise AI adoption, from underutilized AI tools and shadow AI risks to the ongoing struggle of proving real ROI.Learn more about this weeks guest:Jay Custard has deep experience helping companies harness the power of digital technologies to drive meaningful customer experiences. An experienced digital marketing and ecommerce executive, he has worked across multiple disciplines with both large and small companies to enable integrated transformational retail experiences on a global scale. He has been fortunate to serve the customers of Crocs, New Balance, FinishLine, Southeastern Grocers, and Cabela's with a focus on user experience, analytics, marketing, merchandising, and technology transformations.Jay's top pick: 4 Key Principles for Reimagining Retail with Science and VisionJon Duren is an accomplished technology professional with over 25 years of experience in service-provider, data center, cloud and AI solutions. He is driven by a passion for applying technical solutions to achieve business outcomes and is currently working to expand the WWT AI Solutions practice. Jon actively seeks out the best strategies to create customer value. He is constantly monitoring marketing trends, innovative and disruptive technologies, and significant market transitions to identify opportunities for driving customer growth and success. With a talent for breaking down complex topics into easy-to-understand concepts, Jon is able to develop and share a vision of where business and technology intersect to create better outcomes.Jon's top pick: Agentic AI Sounds New—But Haven't We Been Doing This Already?The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

The artificial intelligence hype cycle pushed enterprises to stockpile GPUs — but how are they being used today? In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, Chris Braun and Andy Moser break down how organizations are maximizing their GPU investments, the rise of fractional GPUs and the new skills IT teams need to run AI workloads efficiently. They also explore GPU power and cooling challenges, what’s next in AI computing and whether GPUs will remain the backbone of artificial intelligence or if new architectures are set to take over.Learn more about this week's guests:Chris Braun brings over 20 years of IT experience across roles such as Helpdesk, Systems Administrator, and Technical Architect. Currently a Technical Solutions Architect at the ATC, he evaluates a wide range of technologies including hyper-converged infrastructure, SDDC, networking, and more.Chris's top pick: Hands-On Lab Workshop: Liqid Disaggregated Composable InfrastructureAndy Moser is a Solutions Architect with deep expertise in IT infrastructure, specializing in next-generation data center and cloud solutions for large enterprises. At World Wide Technology's Advanced Technology Center, he designs complex proof of concepts, leveraging his knowledge in compute, virtualization, and automation across leading OEM technologies to support customers and field sales teams.Andy's top pick: A Deep Dive into AWS and NVIDIA NIM IntegrationThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Many enterprises see the promise of artificial intelligence but stall when faced with risks, legacy infrastructure and data chaos. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT experts Mike Trojecki and Ina Poecher reveal how to overcome these barriers by starting with small, high-impact AI use cases, unlocking value from existing data and aligning technical capabilities with business strategy.For more about this week's guests:Ina Poecher is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology (WWT), and collaborates with customers and internal teams to design and validate innovative technology solutions. Working within WWT’s Advanced Technology Center, she leverages extensive experience across IT infrastructure, cloud, networking, and automation to develop and test complex architectures that drive business outcomes and support strategic initiatives.Ina's top pick: Data Maturity ModelMike Trojecki began his career in the U.S. Air Force supporting missions for the White House and Air Force One. He later led emerging tech practices at firms like ePlus and Logicalis, with expertise in security, networking, cloud, and AI. Now leading the AI Practice at WWT, he focuses on high-performance architectures, data management, and AI data center design, delivering innovative solutions that drive business transformation.Mike's top pick: Building for Success: A CTO's Guide to Generative AIThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI strategy without execution is just a dream — but execution without strategy is a nightmare. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT experts Jeff Fonke and Matt Halcomb break down what it really takes to build AI-ready infrastructure. From data centers to high-performance architecture, they explore how organizations can align strategy and execution to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence.Learn more about this week's guests:Jeff Fonke is a passionate technology leader who leads new and growth solutions areas at World Wide Technology, including High-Performance Architectures that support AI and Data. With over 25 years of experience in the tech industry at WWT, he has a proven track record of building scalable data center architecture solutions within WWT's own IT organization, WWT's Advanced Technology Center, leveraging those experiences to help advance customers along their journey to simplify the complex.Jeff's top pick: Pure Storage FlashBladeMatt Halcomb is a Data Center Principal Solutions Architect with over 25 years in IT, including 17+ at WWT. He is part of the Global Solutions Development Team, focused on creating and deploying innovative technologies in WWT’s Advanced Technology Center. His expertise spans compute, storage, hyperconverged, software-defined, and composable infrastructure, with an emphasis on next-gen solutions that incorporate ESG and sustainability principles.Matt's top pick: Enterprise-Ready Supercomputing: The HPE Cray XD Approach to Agile AI InfrastructureThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.