Arab Daily

Core42, a G42 company specializing in sovereign cloud, AI infrastructure, and digital services, today announced the global launch of its Inference-as-a-Service offering, powered by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.’s comprehensive platform. Available through all Core42 data centers worldwide, the service enhances AI deployment and performance for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers and generative AI developers by providing immediate access to essential models while simplifying the complexities of infrastructure management.

The rapid rise of generative AI applications—from image and code generation to chatbots and text summarization—is creating complexity for customers trying to stay ahead when it comes to the optimal infrastructure options to leverage. Scaling API calls while ensuring high performance has become increasingly challenging for users requiring robust computing power and AI expertise to streamline their AI pipelines and develop new applications.

Qualcomm Technologies’ platform, which powers Core42’s Inference-as-a-Service offering, addresses these challenges by combining AI inference accelerators, standardized APIs, and pre-built generative AI applications into an innovative, seamless service. This platform provides effortless access to the latest AI models and applications, ensuring optimal performance and significantly reducing operational costs.

“Our Inference-as-a-Service offering, already powered by the Core42 Compass API, is now further enhanced with Qualcomm Technologies’ end-to-end advanced inference-as-a-service platform,” said Raghu Chakravarthi, EVP of Engineering and GM Americas at Core42. “We are optimizing AI inference at scale to drive sustainability and deliver transformative outcomes across industries. This collaboration not only strengthens our technological capabilities but also accelerates our global expansion plans. By providing advanced AI solutions through our worldwide data centers, we are empowering businesses across the globe to innovate faster and more efficiently, positioning Core42 as a leader in the AI infrastructure space.”

Core42’s Inference-as-a-Service allows seamless integration of new AI models, enabling users to stay current with the latest advancements and easily expand their AI capabilities. The platform enables users to choose from optimized inference containers compatible with any orchestration platform, accelerated APIs, or a user-friendly UI. With high-availability containers that support autoscaling at both the server and model levels, the platform adapts to varying performance requirements seamlessly.

The offering also empowers developers at every level with pre-built generative AI applications for chat, image, and code generation, as well as tools to create custom applications using familiar frameworks. Powered by Qualcomm Cloud AI 100 Ultra inference accelerators, the platform delivers best-in-class performance per total cost of ownership dollar. Additionally, the solution’s programmability supports diverse data formats and advanced AI optimization techniques, ensuring cloud services remain at the front-end of AI innovation.

“We are proud to support Core42 with a seamless, scalable solution for delivering powerful generative AI capabilities and making AI accessible – both easy to use and optimized performance per TCO,” said Rashid Attar, VP, Cloud Computing, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “At less than half the cost of alternatives, and all the convenience of a full-service solution, developers can stay ahead of the curve, positioning their businesses for the AI innovations of tomorrow without the burden of complex infrastructure management.”  SaaS providers and AI developers are invited to explore Core42’s platform and transform their AI capabilities. For more information and to access a free trial, visit https://bit.ly/Qualcomm-Core42-Playground

AppsFlyer’s 17th Performance Index Reveals Increase in App Install Ad Spend, Boosting Spending for Top Media Sources

AppsFlyer has released the 17th edition of its Performance Index, ranking the top media sources in mobile advertising across 5 regions and 6 app categories. The latest version of the Index, which originated in 2015, revealed that non-gaming media investment led to market growth, in which app install ad spend increased 18% year-over-year, with 80% of the top 5 media sources and nearly 60% of the top 20 enjoying a rise in spend.

“In light of recent trends, the split between gaming and non-gaming has never been bigger,” said Shani Rosenfelder, Director of Content Strategy and Market Insights, AppsFlyer. “Gaming continues to have varying trends for marketers, as genres like casual gaming show growth, while hyper casual and midcore categories experience a decline. Gaming studios continue to face challenges in securing investments, although some improvement has been seen. Marketers need to navigate wisely, capitalizing on the rebounding non-gaming sector while cautiously considering amplified investments in gaming opportunities.”

Google extends lead in Android non-gaming, while Apple Search Ads continues to gain ground in iOS non-gaming

Google Ads dominates globally in Android non-gaming with top power, the organic remarketing revenue per user, and volume rankings in nearly every sector, commanding the share of the install market and expanding its ad spend influence. In global rankings, Meta ads maintained its second position, outranking the top five competitors Despite a slight uptick in global retention fueled by growth in India and Eastern Europe, Meta ads witnessed a decline in segment share.

For Android non-gaming, Xiamoi surged to third, rising in the power ranking and holding onto fourth in volume. This included a 22% jump in retention rates driven by India, Eastern Europe, and North America. Meanwhile, Vivo and Oppo experienced a volume drop but climbed in the power rankings to fifth and sixth, respectively, due to enhanced retention scores.

In iOS non-gaming, Apple Search Ads (ASA) continues its control and leads both power and volume segments significantly. Witnessing a surge in North America and Western Europe, ASA experienced growth in its share of wallet while also noting a modest upturn in retention scores. Meta ads held its second global power and volume rankings, trailing only ASA in the number of clients and attributed installs. It gained one spot in the global Utility Group power ranking, and ranked a strong second in Shopping North America. However, its share of wallet decreased in the non-gaming iOS index.

Google dominates across genres amid improved quality in Android Gaming while Apple Search Ads maintains first but competitors gain ground in iOS gaming

Google Ads maintains its stronghold in Android gaming rankings, reigning supreme with top positions in both power and volume across all genres, except for Hypercasual where it secured second place. The search giant continued to widen its lead in the power ranking from second place, bolstered by a 6% improvement in quality measured by the retention score, which attributed to a solid 12% surge in North America.

AppLovin accelerated its ascent in the gaming realm, clinching second and third spots in the power and volume rankings, respectively. Notably, the network also expanded its share of wallet while witnessing a modest 2% uptick in retention score. Unity Ads slipped to third in the global power ranking, backed by strong second positions in Match, Shooting, Strategy, and Tabletop games. Despite this, a decline in its share of wallet was observed within this group. Meanwhile, Meta ads secured the fourth spot in the global power ranking, driven by top-tier placements in Casino, Midcore, and Sports & Racing categories.

ASA maintained its leadership position in the global iOS SSOT index, an new index launched last year that combines SKAdNetwork and traditional attribution, and accurately deduplicates between the two data sources, topping the power ranking due to its exceptional retention score and securing first place across all categories, except for Hypercasual. While commanding the volume ranking at first position, ASA faced competition from AppLovin in the number of attributed installs. Despite a slight dip in share of wallet in H1 2024 compared to the previous year, Apple Search Ads continued to assert its dominance.

AppLovin surged three spots to claim 2nd place in the power ranking and retained its third spot in volume rankings. Witnessing an increase in market share alongside enhanced retention scores in Midcore and Sports games, AppLovin showcased steady progress, although its retention score trailed behind ASA. Meanwhile, Google Ads made a notable jump, ascending four positions to clinch third in the power ranking, propelled by a remarkable enhancement in its retention score. Despite this achievement, Google Ads experienced a decrease in share of wallet during the first half of 2024.