LONDON, UK, Jan 24, 2025 – Stelia has announced the appointment of David Hughes as VP of engineering. David brings experience in developing and scaling high-traffic, low-latency and big-data platforms and software engineering with a focus on network and storage appliances.
David will lead Stelia’s platform strategy, guide the creation of AI-driven networking technologies, and scale the engineering team up to meet the company’s goals. His experience includes building large-scale networks, reliable platforms, and robust infrastructure. He will help Stelia improve data movement, connect diverse AI resources, and simplify distributed AI operations.
This leadership appointment comes at a crucial time, as AI infrastructure faces significant challenges. With NVIDIA’s flagship H100 chip priced at $25,000 each and 8 chips per server chassis, efficient utilization is critical.
AI systems rely on large amounts of data, with global data center storage expected to increase from 10.1 zettabytes in 2023 to 21 zettabytes by 2027. Experts estimate that by 2025, AI will account for most network application traffic, with about 75% of all network traffic involving AI by 2030. Managing these changes requires engineering leaders who understand the growing demands of AI technology.
“We are thrilled to welcome David to the team,” said Tobias Hooton, CEO, Stelia. “His expertise as a technologist spanning multiple domains, coupled with a deep involvement and commitment to open source technology and communities, will be invaluable as we continue to push the boundaries of AI innovation and empower enterprises to drive transformative change.”
Prior to joining Stelia, David served as CTO at Genesis Cloud, where he led engineering and technology, product development and infrastructure operations. More importantly, David managed the transition from being a consumer/enthusiast-centric GPU cloud service provider to an accelerated compute platform for enterprise. He also brings experience in cloud computing, big data, HPC, web hosting and lots more across a range of markets. Recently, David was part of the unicorn startup Adjust GmbH.
“I’m excited to join Stelia at such a pivotal time,” said Hughes. “The opportunity to expand and lead a world-class engineering team and drive AI acceleration aligns perfectly with my passion for being at the coalface of the industry and solving problems that unlock massive opportunity for the wider industry. More importantly the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on computing, similar to Scott McNealy’s “change computing forever” mentality. I look forward to working with the talented team at Stelia to build and scale AI solutions that make a lasting impact.”
About Stelia
Stelia.io, founded in 2021 and headquartered in London, UK, is a global connectivity company that supports emerging technology businesses and enables innovation. The company specializes in developing ultra-fast, flexible, and scalable data mobility platforms tailored for AI applications. Stelia’s mission is to empower AI builders with the infrastructure and connections essential for widespread AI adoption. Their platform offers ultra-low latency of less than 1 millisecond and terabit-scale bandwidth, ensuring seamless access to cutting-edge AI and machine learning resources, including AI storage platforms, GPU clouds, and public clouds. This enables businesses to accelerate AI innovation, enhance infrastructure, and connect distributed systems across various industries. The company is funded by venture capital, securing seed funding in 2024.
