Even though machine learning is used extensively and successfully in numerous distinct areas, the idea to apply it to hardcore (fast) datapaths may seem farfetched. Which is also why I’m currently looking at the distributed storage use case where storage nodes employ different I/O load balancing strategies. Some of these nodes run neural networks, others – maybe a more conventional logic. Some of these strategies perform better than others, but only when they compete against their deterministic counterparts. The text below is only scratching the surface, of course:

Neural Networks for Storage Games (pdf)