Dell Technologies and Institute of Technical Education establish hybrid cloud VDI Center

ITE has worked with Dell to establish a hybrid cloud Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Centre, powered by Dell VxRail.

Dell Technologies has signed a MoU with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to establish a hybrid cloud Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Centre at ITE. The VDI center is aimed at enhancing digital skills development and accelerating AI adoption for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

With the capability to support up to 80 virtual machines accessible using any web browser, the VDI Center allows students to learn from anywhere without worrying about hardware specifications, supporting more flexible teaching methods.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional classroom has evolved, with a focus more on digital learning. Yet, one of the biggest challenges faced, even in a post-pandemic era, is the lack of desktops and IT hardware to support the demand.

VDI eliminates the need for desktops and IT hardware to be physically located in the same space. It allows users to connect to a remote data centre over the Internet or local network, providing a fast and efficient experience wherever the student is and empowers ITE to offer more flexible teaching methods.

Built on Dell VxRail hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), the VDI Center delivers agility and performance through automated lifecycle management. Using the virtual machines within the VDI Centre, students can gain access to advanced AI tools like GenAI animation and 3D modelling for experimentation and prototyping, enhancing their learning experience.

Additionally, the VDI Centre’s flexibility fosters collaboration with SME industry partners such as Convergent Systems (S) Pte Ltd, PilotPulse Pte Ltd, Ninety One Branding & Marketing Pte Ltd and Alteredverse Pte Ltd on AI-focused projects, bridging the gap between education and real-world applications.

As part of establishing the VDI Centre, ITE also aims to deliver a Universal Omniverse Experience (UOX). The UOX entails equipping staff and students with essential digital skills through training, upskilling and certification in key areas such as cloud computing, virtualization and AI.

Closing the skills gap

While the VDI Center reduces the need for hardware, the main goal of the center will be to close the AI skills gap as it looks to foster innovation and accelerate digital transformation. ITE staff and students will be trained, upskilled and certified to be an AI-ready workforce.

Specifically, Dell will provide expertise in IT infrastructure virtualization and hybrid cloud, essential building blocks that power AI deployment, to enhance ITE's curriculum and train its staff and students. For skilling, Dell will deliver state-of-the-art technology infrastructure while collaborating with ITE to develop skill-building programs that equip students with in-demand tech skills.

To strengthen industry collaboration, ITE and Dell will host visitors at the VDI Centre, offering support to SMEs incubating industry projects that take advantage of VDI technology. Additionally, ITE will conduct workshops designed to help enterprises adopt and implement VDI solutions, driving cross-industry innovation and growth.

And finally, ITE and Dell are collaborating to offer short courses to SMEs focused on gaining technical certification in areas like AI and Data Centre virtualization using the VDI Centre. Participants will receive a Certificate of Competency (CoC) from ITE upon completion of the course.

According to Andy Sim, vice president and managing director, Singapore, Dell Technologies, accelerating AI adoption for all is a purpose Dell and Singapore’s National AI Strategy share as enabled by the Singapore FY2025 budget’s Enterprise Compute Initiative dependent on reliable, local access to high-performance computing for AI development.

“Our collaboration with ITE aims to nurture AI-savvy talent and enhance tech curricula, supporting enterprises and communities in building an AI-ready workforce,” said Sim.

For Low Khah Gek, chief executive officer, ITE , the partnership with Dell Technologies not only enables learners to acquire new skills related to AI and virtualisation technologies but also prepares them for the future of work.

“The hybrid cloud VDI Centre empowers learners to access advanced tools and resources from anywhere, ensuring that our training remains flexible and impactful. Together, we are shaping an AI-ready workforce that will drive innovation and digital transformation in Singapore,” said Low.