The expectation before the arrival of 5G in our lives is maximum. We are insisted that, with this ultra-fast connection, we have ahead of us a future populated by autonomous cars, remote-controlled surgical operations and hours and hours of online video without the slightest interruption. However, what many forget is that this will not be possible without the help of a shadow ally. An invaluable driver of real-time data processing that will enable the true emergence of Industry 4.0: edge computing.
Edge computing is a decentralized data storage and processing system that provides the technical architecture necessary for processes to be carried out as close as possible to the devices that collect the information, that is at the edge, at the very end of the network. This prevents data from traveling to a central server for analysis, thereby speeding up the response to captured stimuli.
Edge computing, in alliance with 5G, saves bandwidth in operations, reduces the latency period and enables the long-awaited decision-making in real time, vital in sectors such as telecommunications, health and, of course, the industry.
Grand View Research estimates that by 2025 the edge computing market will move around $ 28.8 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 54%.
Edge computing is the premise for the development of the IoT (Internet of Things), that is, for there to be a true interconnection between the sensors and for them to have autonomy in decisions regarding the central node of the network. It is a critical technology for harnessing the activity of the more than 150 billion devices that Seagate and IDC's The Digitization of the World - From Edge to Core study predicts will be connected to the Internet around the world by 2025 .
Compared to edge computing, cloud computing is defined as a paradigm for storing and processing data on remote servers accessible to users from anywhere and on any device, if an Internet connection is available. Edge computing does not replace this architecture, but rather complements it, since, given the saturation experienced by some cloud data centers, edge computing performs a filtering task that discards irrelevant information and selects what is important to long-term storage.
Fog computing or computing in the fog can be considered an intermediate step between the cloud and edge computing. In this case, the analysis of the data takes place in a layer midway between the cloud and the devices at the edge of the network. However, the delimitation of this fog zone is diffuse, and there are experts who prefer to call anything other than the cloud fog computing and consider edge computing as part of fog computing.
Edge computing, supported by 5G, has the following advantages over data processing in the cloud:
On a practical level, edge computing has a wide range of uses in the industrial world. Let's see some of them:
Edge computing will soon be the norm within Industry 4.0. If you dedicate yourself to engineering, dozens of companies need you. Check the job offers in your sector that we have active in BETWEEN, and start leading the technological change at the same time as you boost your professional career!