Are you ready for AI at the Edge? ????

Edge Computing: a Revolution in the Making?

Do you recall when Cloud Computing was the latest buzzword? Now, the spotlight is on AI and soon will be on "The Edge". I remember of a (true) story about a gas company that had to dispatch employees to manually plug a USB keyboard and press Enter to discard a popup message about daylight saving time change on each fuel dispenser in the country. Quite the inconvenience! At the time "the Edge" was not connected and not that smart. It has dramatically evolved since then and I predict 2025 will see even faster growth with AI landing on it.

Dive into the topic watching and listening to the last #IoTShow episode with Scott Gerard, PhD :

Also available on your favorite podcast platform: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, and more (just search for The IoT Show).

2025: The Dawning of the Edge Era

The tech landscape of 2025 is a hot topic of speculation. AI is front and center for sure, but in its shadow, there are other key points that are expected to emerge or finally become mainstream:

• ???? Distributed Systems: Intelligence (AI) will be more and more disseminated across devices, reducing the dependency on cloud-based solutions. It's like having a team of experts deployed onsite rather than relying on a remote single genius. This will also address the concern about having a single point of failure with a single "brain" or connection point in complex and critical systems.
• ???? Sustainable Resilience: Systems will be engineered to function even in the absence of consistent connectivity. It's like a tech version of a camel, surviving long periods without water.
• ???? AI Optimization: The focus is pivoting towards optimizing AI to function efficiently on edge devices. It’s not just about owning a racehorse; it’s about having the right jockey to ride it.

Harnessing the Power of Edge Technology

In order to harness the promise of the rising Edge, and squeeze every single drop of its benefits, you will need to consider the following:

1. Think disconnected and plan for offline functionality: The conversation around IoT/Edge has revolved a lot around connectivity in the past (and continues today), but the reality is that you should never count on a continuous connectivity, nor on a high bandwidth availability. This realization is one of the reasons for the rise of the Edge. You need to design systems with the capability to operate autonomously when required.
2. Pick the right AI capability for your needs: Not all AIs are equal, and while Generative AI is all the buzz today, AI is a very broad term that includes many different types of AI addressing different needs, like Vision AI, Predictive AI. Each of these AI technologies are also available in a broad range of forms and sizes. You need to pick and deploy AI where it can truly bring value for you.
3. Stay Abreast with Regulations: Keep updated with new legislation that could impact your tech deployments. Data privacy, security norms and regulations, certifications necessary for deployment in certain industries, these are all considerations that should never come as an after thought.

Edge Tech in real life

This sounds all good and well, but you might wonder: "What are the real life use cases? Which industries will embrace Edge AI first?". Here are some examples of real examples most often already in production today:

• Manufacturing: Utilization of on-site edge devices running anomaly detection models or vision AI models for quality inspection to oversee factory operations, reducing the constant dependence on the cloud.
• Home and Building Automation: Intelligent homes and offices that function flawlessly even when the internet decides to take a break.
• Agtech: cameras and sensors monitoring livestock health, or irrigation systems that adapt to local conditions in real time in farms with no Internet connection
• Mining: systems that will analyze drilling cores in real time onsite reducing decision cycles on drilling locations from weeks to hours, saving time and money
• Asset tracking: asset tracking sensors powered by small batteries that not only can track the physical location of objects and goods but can also detect with a simple accelerometer the type of transport, falls, and more.
• Retail: customers counting and flow analysis without data privacy breaches risks
• and more...

The Promise of Edge Technology

Envision a world where your devices preempt problems before they occur. In our IoT Show conversation, Scott quipped, "A smart hedgehog is equivalent to peace of mind." That’s the philosophy behind edge technology. It’s about making technology smarter, more dependable, and less reliant on the cloud.

Are you geared up to delve into the world of edge technology?