In an Artificial Intelligence (AI) era, the ‘edge’ is considered the new and improved cloud. In order to maximize savings and flexibility, businesses have shifted from on-site servers to the one and only cloud over the last decade.
In 2019, the global cloud computing market was worth upwards of $250 billion and continues to rise each year. A large number of profits fell into the pockets of large hyperscalers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. However, data is beginning to show a large shift of computing taking place outside concentrated data centers again.
According to industry experts, the rise of AI will continue to drastically shape the field. There’s still a need for a centralized cloud, but hyperscalers recognize that the cloud is coming to the edge. Instead of residing in some offsite data center, it might be in the trunk of your car or on the side of a building.
Some companies are saying their customers are finding new uses — everything from monitoring stock in a retail store to ensuring employees are wearing the appropriate attire in a warehouse. Together with 5G, edge computing is also bringing forth new augmented and Virtual Reality (VR) applications that would otherwise cease to exist. The shift to AI means companies have found themselves dealing with a new type of customer, including hyperscalers and anyone who wants to dive into the AI field.
There is also another side that companies should consider. Sustainable computing is the way of the future as many companies are committed to progressive carbon pledges as the race to decrease the carbon footprint is top of mind.
Edge computing will continue to make great strides in the future. As we look ahead, we look forward to the many technological and environmental advances.