A future where artificial intelligence runs directly on personal devices could significantly disrupt the global data centre industry, according to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. Speaking during a podcast conversation, he said the shift from central servers to local chips could change how AI systems are built and used.
Srinivas explained that the current AI model relies heavily on large, centralised data centres to process and deliver intelligence. However, that could change if powerful AI systems begin running locally on devices. “The biggest threat to a data centre is if the intelligence can be packed locally on a chip that’s running on the device, and then there’s no need to run inference on all of it on one centralised data centre,” he said.
He shared these views while discussing possible hardware advances that could bring a major leap in AI capabilities. According to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, if AI models can handle inference directly on devices, the need for massive investments in data centre infrastructure may reduce. This could reshape the economics behind billions of dollars spent globally on building and maintaining such facilities, leading to a more decentralised AI ecosystem.
Beyond infrastructure, Srinivas also compared artificial intelligence with human intelligence. He pointed out that the human brain is far more energy efficient than large scale data centres when measured per watt. He described human intelligence as being driven by curiosity and the ability to question familiar ideas, traits that current AI systems do not naturally possess.
He also spoke about how AI could affect work and daily assistance in the future. Srinivas said that widely available and personalised AI tools could help individuals compete more effectively with large organisations. He compared this potential shift to the impact of smartphones, which placed powerful tools in the hands of everyday users.
According to him, age is not a barrier to adopting AI technologies. Instead, he stressed that curiosity and openness to learning are essential for using AI effectively. As AI continues to evolve, Srinivas believes its true impact will depend on how thoughtfully it is integrated into both technology and society.
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