SAS, a global leader in analytics and AI solutions, has announced the general availability of SAS Viya Workbench, a developer environment tailored for building AI models. Unveiled at SAS Innovate in Las Vegas, this innovative platform expands the capabilities of the SAS Viya flagship data and AI platform, aiming to meet the diverse needs of developers and modelers.
Designed as a self-service, on-demand computing environment, SAS Viya Workbench facilitates data preparation, exploratory data analysis, and the development of analytical and machine learning models. It offers a lightweight developer canvas, enabling rapid coding in either SAS or Python within a cloud-native, scalable environment.
According to Kathy Lange, Research Director for AI Software at IDC, SAS is strategically evolving its portfolio to enhance productivity, performance, and trust among AI developers. The introduction of SAS Viya Workbench aligns with this vision, providing developers with the tools they need to accelerate model development and drive innovation.
Key features of SAS Viya Workbench include:
- Language Flexibility: Developers can work in their language of choice, initially supporting SAS and Python, with R support anticipated by the end of 2024.
- Development Environment Options: Viya Workbench offers two development environment options - Jupyter Notebook/JupyterLab and Visual Studio Code, providing an intuitive and flexible interface for experimentation and exploration.
- Integration with Powerful SAS Analytical Procedures: Developers can leverage SAS analytical procedures (PROCs) and native Python APIs to expedite the development of high-performance AI models.
- Custom Python Libraries: Viya Workbench offers state-of-the-art custom Python libraries designed to improve speed and performance with minimal changes to existing Python programs.
- Scalability and Efficiency: The platform is flexible, scalable, and efficient, featuring on-demand, self-provisioning, and self-terminating capabilities with minimal IT support required. Customizable CPU/GPU compute power ensures optimal performance for each project.
Initially available through the Amazon AWS Marketplace in Q2, SAS plans to expand support to additional cloud providers and offer a software-as-a-service deployment option in the future.
Jared Peterson, who is the Senior Vice President of Engineering at SAS, emphasizes the significance of Viya Workbench in empowering developers to work faster, be more creative, and take risks. By providing maximum flexibility and efficiency, Viya Workbench enables developers to focus on innovation and drive AI advancements.
Key Takeaways:
- SAS announces the general availability of SAS Viya Workbench, a developer environment for building AI models.
- Viya Workbench offers language flexibility, development environment options, integration with powerful analytical procedures, and scalability.
- The platform aims to increase developer productivity, accelerate AI innovation, and streamline model development and deployment.
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