The past two years or so have been all about ground breaking technologies. The technological progress and evolution that we have seen during the Covid-19 pandemic is phenomenal. This journey continues full speed ahead, even as we write this post.
According to the top executives of tech giant Intel, Edge Computing is all set to assume a much more central role in the lives of billions of people. The Edge is actually a continuation of Cloud Computing, which has already brought a tech revolution across the globe.
So, where exactly does the Edge fit into this bigger picture? With every passing day, we are increasingly moving towards a data driven world. But how to manage this vast amounts of data effectively and efficiently is a question to which Edge Computing holds the answer.
By deploying Edge Computing infrastructures across entire cities, managing vast amounts of data and extracting actionable insights from this data in real time will become a tangible reality. So far, this has remained an elusive goal due to the issue of latency.
The in-ability to process data nearest to its source results in a major drawback, which is latency or lag. This issue becomes much more pronounced in the case of time sensitive workloads and processes, such as self driving or autonomous vehicles.
In order to manage and process vast amounts of data at the Edge, you need a super fast communications platform in the form of 5G. For this very reason, the success of Edge Computing hinges on our ability to fast track the implementation of 5G technology.
The first step towards the realization of this goal is virtualization of the existing 4G networks, which is already a work in progress. Another related aspect of developing 5G technology is investing in the development of large edge networks.
With the rapid virtualization of 4G technology and the development of Edge Computing infrastructure at a mass scale, we will find ourselves at the doorstep of yet another technology revolution.
Down the line, we are talking of entire smart cities, which are being powered by Edge Computing. Processes like traffic management, garbage disposal, water and power supply, and a lot more will be handled by smart infrastructure powered by the Edge.
For all intents and purposes, Edge Computing is in fact an extension of Cloud Computing. However, where the Cloud lacks in the form of some degree of latency, the Edge fills this gap by nearly eliminating latency.
Therefore, Edge Computing is all set to take a much more central role in the day to day lives of billions of people on the face of this planet, and this will be a change for the better.
