Edge computing: Why is it the hottest upcoming tech?
At the beginning of 2022, tech forums, reports, websites, blogs and magazines are busy as usual talking about trending tech and upcoming trends. Edge computing is one such catchword doing the rounds this time. Let’s figure out what it is all about, and what makes it important.
What is edge computing?
This is a relatively new paradigm aimed at bringing computational power in close proximity of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, smartphones, and connected technologies. The chief market-related reason for the emergence of edge computing in 2021 was the boom in smart IoT applications. From autonomous vehicles to smart speakers, we saw how computational powers expanded to objects not associated with computers previously.
How does edge computing work?
Edge computing processes sensor data away from centralized nodes, close to the logical and physical edge of the network, and within individual sources of data. Instead of sending data to cloud data centres, edge computing decentralised processing for mobiles, improving speed, and reducing the need to keep storing data in network centres.
Where is edge computing used
The importance of edge computing clearly comes from its usage. Apart from our smartphones and tablets, let’s see what else emerged strongly in 2021 to make edge computing so important for 2022.
Autonomous vehicles: Robot driven cars are not so common on our roads, but they will be within a decade. To enable the car driving robot to take decisions on the move, edge computing will have to be implemented. Right now, most smart car service drivers are already using mapping assistant to navigate roads real time.
Fleet management: Logistics service providers are leveraging on this new tech to manage fleet out on the road. Drivers rely on vehicle-to-vehicle communication and transmitted information from backend control towers to make quick decisions. We all know how important GPS and connectivity is for delivery services.
Voice assistants: We all know the importance of Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple Siri, among others. This is one of the fastest growing consumer tech sectors and it depends on edge computing to keep running.