Why is the Future of Computing on Edge?

Edge computing helps overcome the curse of network latency. The origin of edge computing can be traced back to the nineties, when Akamai introduced Content Delivery Networks (CDN). A CDN usually uses edge nodes closer to users to prefetch and cache web content. These edge nodes can also perform some content customization, such as adding location-relevant advertising, and more importantly, CDNs save bandwidth through caching. In edge computing, the data gathering and processing occur at the application source or device, or at least nearby. This proximity could range between the hand-held or local devices & appliances, to point-of-sale or physical units distributed across locations. In fact, the concept of CDN is generalized by edge computing by leveraging the cloud computing infrastructure. 64 www.dqindia.com

The 5th generation of cellular network technology or 5G is expected to have 10x higher bandwidth than the current 4G technology. However, even with 5G, sending data across vast distances will involve network latency unless the 5G connected end-devices have higher computing power. This is exactly why edge computing is the key to realising the profoundly transformative potential of 5G, as both computing power and network bandwidth are mandatory to reach the 10x speed.

Moreover, Gartner predicts that by 2020, about 5.8 billion IoT sensors will be used in the enterprise sectors, including automotive. However, with the growing number of IoT sensors generating terabytes of data, there is a felt need for fast, reliable, secure, and cost-effective data processing within or nearby these sensors or edge