How Edge computing is fast becoming a base for most IoT devices

Intel’s research on self-driving cars or autonomous vehicles highlighted that a car would generate 1GB of data every second and would require computation of this data in fraction of a second for decision making. But are cloud networks fast enough to receive 1GB of data within a second, compute possibilities and relay it back. Otherwise, between the time you ask your car to switch on the light and the time it crashes into a pole, there would be little left. Systems, no doubt, are getting faster, but a new technology is becoming pervasive. Edge computing is fast becoming a base for most IoT devices. So, as users send more data to the cloud, companies are trying to put more computing power in devices.

Artificial intelligence on edge is gaining momentum. While the concept is not new, given the focus on privacy and security, it may become more critical as privacy scandals get uncovered. The most straightforward calculation of computation on edge is your mobile phone. With certain compute capacity, your phone stores specific data which it does not even share with the central server—fingerprints and face scan. The earliest fears about these technologies were that companies would get a hold of personal data and may be able to build elaborate profiles. The next time you enter a store and the cashier knows your name, you would dread Samsung or Apple.