Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - How Viasat uses AWS AI to customize algorithms for satellite customers (AES203)

Summary

• Andre Kearns, marketing director for AWS Aerospace and Satellite, introduces the session on Viasat's use of AWS AI to customize algorithms for satellite customers.
• The session covers the challenges of managing massive satellite data and the role of data science in the space industry.
• AWS provides innovative solutions tailored to the space industry, including cloud-based AI/ML, edge computing in space, and automation of space data workflows.
• Claire Zou Price, Customer Solutions Manager for AWS Aerospace and Satellite, explains her role in supporting customer success and details Viasat's use of AWS services.
• Viasat, a strategic AWS customer, is a vertically integrated company that operates satellite communications equipment and services globally.
• Sumit Singh, Chief Development and Data Officer for Viasat, discusses the company's challenges with machine learning operations and their partnership with AWS to overcome these challenges.
• Viasat's use of AWS services includes EC2, RDS, storage, EKS, Lambda, and SageMaker.
• The company has over 125 data scientists and uses machine learning across various business units.
• Viasat and AWS co-designed a serverless ML platform based on SageMaker, which significantly improved model training and deployment times.
• The partnership with AWS led to the creation of a standardized and scalable MLOps environment, enabling Viasat to productionize models efficiently.
• Future goals include evolving data platforms to real-time, improving large-scale ML, and exploring generative AI for field use cases.

Insights

• The space industry is facing a significant challenge with the projected 52 exabytes of space data by 2029, highlighting the importance of data science and AI/ML in managing and extracting insights from this data.
• AWS's role in the space industry is not just about providing cloud services but also about innovating specific solutions to overcome industry challenges such as latency, bandwidth limitations, and scalable data infrastructure.
• Viasat's early move to the cloud and its extensive use of AWS services demonstrate the company's commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.
• The partnership between Viasat and AWS, particularly in co-designing a serverless ML platform, showcases the potential for cloud providers to offer tailored solutions that address specific operational challenges in data science.
• The success story of Viasat's MLOps transformation emphasizes the importance of having a standardized environment, repeatable processes, and the ability to cater to diverse data science needs within a company.
• Viasat's focus on future developments, such as real-time data platforms and generative AI, indicates the ongoing evolution of the space industry and the need for continuous adaptation and learning in technology applications.