The Data Center Evolution: GenAI is Here, and It’s Already Making Money
Understanding GenAI Use Cases in the Real World

The Data Center Evolution: GenAI is Here, and It’s Already Making Money

The data center industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace. As an industry, we’ve adapted to shifting demands, changing technologies, and new operational requirements. Today, the conversation is dominated by one major theme: Artificial Intelligence (AI). While AI might not be solving all the world’s problems yet (give it time), we’re still trying to figure out its real-world value. What is AI actually good at, and why should businesses invest in it?

For many, the conversation around AI in data centers has centered on infrastructure: power, density, liquid cooling, and new data center architectures. Don’t get me wrong—these are critical topics. Data centers are evolving to handle the immense power needs of AI workloads, often involving complex GPU configurations and more efficient cooling systems like liquid cooling. And yes, policy discussions around sustainability and carbon footprints are vital too.

But while we focus on the physical infrastructure, we sometimes overlook a crucial element: Who is using this infrastructure, and more importantly, how is it making them money?

Let’s face it—data centers and AI infrastructure are expensive. So, why should a data center partner invest in AI-ready architecture if there’s no clear return on investment (ROI)? Today, I want to take a step beyond the physical nuts and bolts of AI infrastructure and talk about the real-world use cases. Because the truth is, there are companies right now that are making tangible business gains using AI. At Apolo.us, we get a very unique view into the hardware and software supporting today’s pioneering AI use cases. With our data center partners (Scott Data Center, NovoServe, iMHPC, Cato.Digital, WWT, and others) and the industry’s only true multitenant data center and telco MLOps platform (Apolo), we get to see these AI workloads in action every day. And believe me, AI is already generating real revenue for some companies.

So let me share two exciting use cases with you.

Use Case #1: A Community Bank Leverages AI to Revolutionize HR

One client, a community bank, faced a common dilemma for a regulated company: the cloud wasn’t an option. For privacy reasons and to avoid excessive costs, this bank needed to keep its operations on-premises. Enter Scott Data Center’s GPUaaS (GPU as a Service) architecture, wrapped entirely in managed services and powered by the Apolo MLOps platform. This gave the bank a private, secure AI-ready infrastructure to build and deploy advanced AI models.

But what did they use it for? Their HR department.

Traditionally, HR processes—like onboarding and retrieving documents—were tedious and time-consuming. Let’s say an employee wanted to know their current PTO hours. They would have to log into an internal portal, navigate through several steps, and hope they clicked on the right link. Or maybe an employee needed a benefits document—they’d search the company portal and hope for the best. It was inefficient, and it certainly wasn’t creating an enjoyable user experience.

So, the bank decided to implement a PrivateGPT architecture using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). By integrating AI into their HR processes, they completely revolutionized the employee experience. Now, when an employee needs to check their PTO, they don’t navigate a portal—they simply ask their HR AI engine, which gives them the answer immediately. If they need a specific document, the AI finds the exact file and provides a direct link.

This wasn’t just about improving efficiency—it was about transforming an entire department. HR moved from being a manual, process-heavy function to one that felt responsive and intelligent. Employees could focus more on their work and less on tedious administrative tasks, boosting productivity and employee satisfaction.

This use case is a perfect example of how AI, when implemented correctly, can directly improve business processes, even in areas you wouldn’t traditionally expect. And it’s happening now, not in some distant future.

Use Case #2: An Agricultural Giant Spots Herd Diseases in Hours, Not Weeks

Another client—a large agricultural company in Nebraska—showed us just how powerful AI can be when it’s applied to real-world challenges. Agriculture is a high-stakes industry. In some cases, a single cow can be worth between $2,000 and $5,000. Now, imagine you have tens of thousands of cattle to manage, and disease can spread fast. The ability to identify issues early could literally save a company millions.

This agricultural client already had camera systems and data collection tools to monitor their herds. The problem? It would take them weeks to run their disease detection models, which is far too long when managing the health of a large herd.

This is where the power of doing AI "where the data lives" comes in. By shifting part of their data set and AI models to Scott Data Center, and leveraging GPUaaS for accelerated processing, they reduced their model run time from weeks to mere hours. This gave them the ability to detect diseases much faster, allowing them to respond almost immediately.

The financial impact was massive. Instead of waiting weeks to detect a potential outbreak, they could act within hours, saving not only the health of their herds but also preventing potentially catastrophic financial losses. This same approach is now being applied to their potato crops. With AI-driven models, they can monitor crop health and growth in real-time and respond quickly to any issues.

Again, this wasn’t a "nice-to-have" AI experiment. This was mission-critical technology that directly impacted their bottom line.

AI in Action: Real-World Revenue, Real-World Impact

These are just two examples of many use cases we’re seeing today. What’s exciting about these stories is that these companies aren’t simply dabbling in AI—they’re using it to solve real problems and drive revenue. From revolutionizing HR to saving entire herds of cattle, AI is becoming a critical tool in the modern business toolkit.

And these are just the beginning. At Apolo.us, we see more and more clients applying AI to practical, revenue-generating workloads. Whether it’s manufacturing, healthcare, finance, or agriculture, AI is finding its place in industries of all kinds. Apolo.us plays a pivotal role in helping data centers capture the growing AI market. As the industry’s only true multi-tenant MLOps platform, we provide the necessary tools for data scientists to efficiently manage and scale their AI workloads. By enabling data centers to support real, revenue-generating AI applications, Apolo.us ensures that infrastructure investments are maximized, turning AI potential into actionable and profitable outcomes.

The bottom line is this: AI isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s already here, and businesses are using it to gain real competitive advantages. If you’re in the data center or AI infrastructure space, or if you’re simply curious about how AI can impact your business, now is the time to pay attention.

I’m excited to see where this journey takes us. If you’re curious about what we’re building, or if you want to learn more about how enterprise clients are using AI, don’t be shy. Let’s connect!

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Apolo , Scott Data Center , iMHPC.ai , Cato Digital , NovoServe , Ken Moreano , Bill Torson , Traci Williams Hancock , Dominic Romeo , Dean Nelson , Karimulla Shaikh , Herke Plantenga , Tom Elowson , Chad M. , Sheila Menges , Scott Easterwood , Cullen Hayes , Borys Harmaty

Tom Welke

Putting the 'Human' back in HR | C Suite Strategy Administrator | The Good Karma Guy

3mo

Bill Kleyman 🇺🇦 is at the forefront of actual use cases that actually solve business problems...so, if anyone out there is looking for someone to speak to AI from the perspective of what is actual, tangible and real...he is a true leader in that space

Dmitri Plotnikov

M365 & PowerPlatform guy | Sophisticated IT system integrations in M365 and Azure

3mo

This sounds fascinating! It's impressive to see how AI is making such a tangible impact across different industries right now. I’m eager to read the article and learn more about those real-world applications!

Ralph Rodriguez, LEED AP OM

𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 | 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 | 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 | 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗶𝘂 𝗝𝗶𝘁𝘀𝘂 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝘁

3mo

Excellent examples, Bill Kleyman 🇺🇦!

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