Snowflake’s Data Cloud Summit 2024, set to take place in San Francisco from June 3-6, promises to be the biggest user conference yet. This year, the summit will gather the brightest minds in the sector to deliver insights on AI and cloud computing. Industry leaders from companies such as CDW, NVIDIA, Microsoft, J.P. Morgan, Meta, ServiceNow, CNN, and NBCUniversal will converge to learn about the latest innovations from Snowflake, used daily by nearly 10,000 customers to break down silos and develop and distribute modern applications.

The Scale of Snowflake Summit 2024

“This year promises to be our biggest user conference yet,” says Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy. The summit will introduce the newest generative AI solutions, Apache Iceberg systems, and services to improve next-generation cloud computing. Attendees can expect a plethora of sessions focused on making AI trustworthy and credible, enhancing data governance for generative AI, and synchronizing data across platforms and departments.

Making AI Trustworthy and Credible

One of the key themes of the summit is the need to make AI easy to use and trusted. “We want AI to become easy to use. We want it to become trusted,” says Ramaswamy. The challenge lies in ensuring that AI is not only ethical and unbiased but also tells an accurate story with data.

Wendi O’Neill, senior director of CDW’s data and analytics presales team, emphasizes that the accuracy of AI is critical: “If we’re making decisions based on AI, they better be accurate.” The summit will feature discussions on the relationship between data and AI, with Ramaswamy and Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, sharing insights on how IT leaders can turn data into actionable insights to build “data-centric” organizations.

Strategies to Reduce Errors in AI

Experts at the summit, including Tom Gray, principal of financial services and data collaboration at Snowflake; Balaram Keshri, vice president of architecture at Fidelity Investments; and Zach Lancaster, data engineer and information designer at WarnerMedia, will share strategies to reduce errors in AI. These strategies include data observability and deploying AI co-pilots for precise error identification.

A significant focus will be on building data pipelines that support business goals. This involves ensuring data integrity, enhancing data visualization, and maximizing data value to stakeholders. “It’s about being really methodical,” says Phil Andriyevsky, principal of wealth and access management, data, and analytics at EY. He stresses the importance of refactoring data correctly to ensure it is consumable and digestible by business stakeholders.

Synchronizing Data Across Platforms

The ability to synchronize data across different platforms and departments is another critical aspect discussed at the summit. According to O’Neill, this creates “a single source of truth,” fostering collaboration and partnership between companies. “Snowflake lets you stitch together the best tools with the capability you need, and then you can get an integrator like CDW to do the work,” she explains.

Reimagining Data Governance for Generative AI

Data governance, privacy, and security are also on the agenda. Too often, data governance is viewed solely as a set of privacy controls. However, O’Neill argues that it actually facilitates generative AI innovation. “In the era of AI, we should be looking at data governance with a new lens, and that is how to make our data more usable,” she says. The summit will explore how data governance can help organizations get more usability out of their data in the context of AI.

Managing Data Governance with Snowflake

CDW Data Quality Lead Ben Castleton and Chief Data Architect Rex Washburn will present on managing data governance with Snowflake Horizon and Snowflake Data Cloud. They will cover meeting compliance standards and leveraging data analytics for strategic decision-making.

The Future of AI

The summit will also delve into what the future holds for AI. With rapid advancements in AI technology, organizations must navigate the transition to more integrated and effective AI systems. The discussions will focus on how AI can be used not just for automation but as a strategic tool to drive business transformation.

Conclusion

Snowflake’s Data Cloud Summit 2024 is set to be a landmark event, bringing together leading experts to discuss the latest trends and innovations in AI and cloud computing. The summit will provide valuable insights into making AI trustworthy and credible, reimagining data governance, and synchronizing data across platforms to create a cohesive and efficient data ecosystem. As the era of AI continues to evolve, events like this are crucial for IT leaders to stay ahead of the curve and harness the full potential of data and AI technologies. As businesses increasingly rely on data and AI to drive decision-making and innovation, the importance of accurate, secure, and well-governed data cannot be overstated. Snowflake Summit 2024 will provide a comprehensive look at how organizations can achieve these goals, offering a platform for learning, collaboration, and inspiration. By adopting the strategies and solutions presented at the summit, companies can position themselves for success in the rapidly changing digital landscape.