Snowflake Unveils Exciting New Features at BUILD Conference
At this year’s highly anticipated BUILD conference, data architecture powerhouse Snowflake unveiled a suite of innovative capabilities aimed at empowering businesses to harness their data and create powerful AI applications. With a focus on simplifying the integration of AI into enterprise operations, Snowflake showcased several groundbreaking features that promise to enhance users’ ability to mobilize their datasets effectively.
A Leap Forward with Cortex AI
Snowflake kicked things off by highlighting upgrades to its Cortex AI platform, which has been revolutionizing the way developers build and operate AI applications since its launch last year. The new enhancements include:
- Multimodal Input Support: Developers can now create applications that utilize multiple types of data inputs, enhancing the functionality of their AI apps.
- Managed Connectors: This feature allows for seamless integration of internal knowledge bases into applications, providing richer data for AI models.
- Knowledge Extensions: Third-party documents, such as news articles, can be linked to services, making AI applications more informed and relevant.
Additionally, Snowflake introduced the Cortex Chat API, which allows developers to combine structured and unstructured data into a single REST API call, speeding up the development process for applications that require quick and diverse data access. With support for SQL Joins and multi-turn conversations in Cortex Analyst, the platform continues to evolve, enabling developers to glean deeper insights from their structured data.
Introducing Snowflake Intelligence
Building on the advancements of Cortex AI, Snowflake has rolled out Snowflake Intelligence, a platform designed for creating ‘data agents.’ These intelligent agents leverage Snowflake-hosted business intelligence data and information from third-party platforms to provide immediate answers to users’ pressing business questions.
What’s more exciting is that these agents are not just informative; they can act on the insights they generate. Whether it’s creating a collaborative form in Google Workspace or updating entries in Salesforce CRM, Snowflake Intelligence aims to streamline workflows and enhance productivity across various applications.
Enhancements to Open Catalog and Document AI
In an effort to further organize and enhance data management, Snowflake introduced the Snowflake Open Catalog, a fully managed version of its indexing and organizing tool, previously open-sourced to the Apache Foundation. This catalog helps enterprises grow and adapt by integrating emerging engines while maintaining consistent governance.
Moreover, the much-anticipated Document AI tool now enables users to extract valuable data from unstructured documents—such as invoices and reports—on popular platforms like AWS and Microsoft Azure, making it easier for businesses to glean insights from their documentation.
Prioritizing Security and Threat Prevention
In light of increasing concerns surrounding data security, particularly following recent customer data breaches, Snowflake has taken proactive measures to bolster its security framework. The company introduced features such as:
- Default Multi-Factor Authentication: This adds an essential layer of security for all users.
- Leaked Password Protection: This new feature automatically detects if Snowflake credentials have been compromised on the dark web and alerts users, potentially even disabling at-risk accounts.
With the new Threat Intelligence Scanner Package integrated into the Snowflake Trust Center, users can view risky account activity and receive guidance on how to manage potential security threats more effectively. The Trust Center is also becoming more extensible, allowing third-party partners to add additional checks and balances.
The Road Ahead: Snowflake BUILD 2024
As the BUILD conference runs from November 12 to November 15, 2024, Snowflake is clearly committed to leading the charge in the data architecture landscape by continuously innovating and enhancing its offerings.
The AI Buzz Hub team is excited to see where these breakthroughs take us. Want to stay in the loop on all things AI? Subscribe to our newsletter or share this article with your fellow enthusiasts!
