Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), there are more connected devices than ever around us. Wearable fitness trackers, smart home appliances, and industrial control equipment are some common examples of connected devices making a sizable impact in our lives.
What used to be simple, self-contained machines are turning into intelligent devices that can talk with other devices and act in real-time. Known as Edge AI, the convergence of on-device intelligence with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities, has the potential to unlock new use cases and applications.
In this article, we will breakdown edge devices, why they need to be smart, and the benefits of Edge AI for your organization.
Edge devices, Explained
The term “edge” describes a remote computing device at the end of a communication network. Edge Devices are made up of devices such as desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, servers, workstations, and the Internet-of-things (IoT) devices.
Edge devices that are continually plugged into an AC outlet can perform many types of applications and functions, as they are not limited by the amount of power they can use. In contrast, edge devices deployed out in the field are designed to perform very specific and limited functions.
To handle various applications, IoT edge devices require a microcontroller-based processing device that can be programmed to execute a desired computational functionality, such as temperature or moisture sensing. Because these edge devices are battery-powered, the microcontroller unit responsible for processing various applications must run on ultra-low power.
IoT edge devices are useful for monitoring services, processes, or machines, by regularly collecting data and sending it to other parts of the IoT network. From our home and healthcare, to smart cities, industrial, and retail spaces, IoT is enriching and transforming our daily lives.
The Need for Edge Intelligence
New IoT applications in various industries are generating tons of data, and to extract actionable value from it, we can no longer rely on sending all the data back to cloud servers. As the number of IoT devices increase, so does the amount of data needing to be transmitted. Unfortunately, sending massive amounts of data to the cloud is unsustainable.
There are some significant costs that come up when transferring data from edge devices to the cloud, including data transmission energy, longer latency, bandwidth, and server capacity which are all factors that can wipe out the value of any use case. IoT applications rely heavily on data analytics and real-time decision making at the lowest latency possible.
Some edge devices are deployed in remote locations and may only have limited or periodic connectivity. Because of this, the right processing capabilities must be made available in the right place. In other words, intelligence must be available across the network all the way to the edge at the source of the data. By increasing the on-device compute capabilities, we can better unlock real-time data analytics in IoT edge devices.
The Benefits of Edge AI
IoT edge devices are generating massive amounts of sensor data and real-time information. Without an Edge AI to process this data, much of it would be discarded because it costs too much in terms of energy and bandwidth to transmit it.
Through edge computing, Edge AI allows your business analytics to be performed on devices at the edge of the network, where the data is collected from IoT devices like sensors and on-machine applications.
The ability to perform advanced localized processing closer to where data is collected results in faster and more accurate responses, which allows you to maximize any data insights. Other benefits include an improved performance across the overall system, reduced power budget, and reduced reliance on cloud processing.
How Ambiq is Helping
Ambiq’s ultra-low-power wireless SoCs are accelerating edge inference in devices limited by size and power. Our products enable IoT companies to deliver solutions with a much longer battery life and more complex, faster, and advanced ML algorithms right at the edge.
Built on our patented Subthreshold Power Optimized Technology (SPOT®) platform, Ambiq’s products reduce the total system power consumption on the order of nanoamps for all battery-powered edge devices. Simply put, our solutions can enable intelligence everywhere.
