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By Tony Bartlett, Director Data Center Compute

Locations seeking to drive recovery from the impacts of the pandemic are turning to digital transformation in their quest to ensure economic growth and accelerate the transition to carbon-neutral societies.

This is where the concept of edge technology will find itself - right at the heart of our recovery pathway. Edge is revolutionising how we collect, store and process data, all central facets on our global digital transformation journey.

Edge computing is done by placing localised data centres at the ‘edge’ of a network, eliminating latency. Instead of transiting through a dozen centralised data centers, data generated from all the cameras, sensors, and other Internet of Things (IoT) tools powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning can be processed directly at or near the source.

At Dell Technologies we believe edge computing will support post-crisis recovery efforts, creating new opportunities for businesses, while helping them operate in more efficient and adaptable ways.

By providing instant processing and analysis, with greater analytical speed, edge allows organisations to automate operations, improve experiences, reduce energy usage and waste, and enhance safety measures.

Edge, combined with IoT and 5G, will vastly improve remote work and will enhance manufacturing and industrial applications.

Real-time data analytics is already enabling new levels of innovation and the rise of smarter factories, where workers don’t go looking for parts, parts find workers, and where machines are able to predict potential problems and schedule their own repairs.

Edge accelerates digital transformation

COVID-19’s impact on how we work and the ways in which public and private organisations have had to adapt, has accelerated the need for digital transformation. The need for high performance, low latency and network connectivity has never been greater and will only increase. By 2024, IDC estimates there will be an 800 percent growth in the number of applications being launched at the edge.

Edge plays a key role in this digital transformation journey, providing network and technology optimisation. The full potential of 5G speeds can only be realised if network latency is reduced by processing data close to the end user. In addition, by improving the performance of applications and facilitating huge amounts of data to be processed in real-time, edge enables other next generation technologies such as IoT, AI and wearables.

There are benefits to real-time services across industries, ranging from manufacturing to healthcare, retail and more including vehicle automation, precision medical and robotics, cyber security and mobile virtual reality.

Connected public transportation systems which have embraced edge are now able to reduce passenger wait time by 30%, and public bus operators can improve service levels through fleet tracking, smart fare collection, and live video monitoring.

Driving sustainability with edge

New advances in technologies like edge are generally targeted at improving human welfare, but any improvement will fall short if it fails to help us address climate change and protect the environment.

The outcomes enabled by the combination of edge computing and 5G promises to yield more energy-efficient solutions than current technologies, and by improving operational and infrastructural efficiency, and boosting decarbonisation initiatives, it can play a leading role in helping countries shift to carbon neutrality. The real-time analysis of data monitoring the health of trees, for example, contributes to forest preservation, alerting to dangers from pollution, disease or water shortages.

With the number of cars now set to reach 2 billion by 2040, countries around the world are investing in smart technologies like edge to manage increased traffic flows and reduce travel time, reducing up to 30 minutes off the daily commute.

Finally, edge is enabling more efficient and sustainable energy production and distribution systems. Improving the two-way communication between utility and customer with edge technologies creates modern grid platforms able to deliver accurate real-time forecasting of energy demand and affordable and reliable service. Delivering analytics at the edge also means energy companies can predict and prevent problems in real time, cost-effectively deploy resources in real-time, and increase grid optimisation & reliability.

Realising the potential of edge technologies

Revolutionising where and how fast we can process and analyse data, edge technology offers enormous opportunities for countries moving beyond the recovery phase and in search of long-term growth and sustainability.

To realise the full potential of edge computing, government, industry, and academia will need to work together. Achieving scalable and reliable infrastructure to deal with huge volumes and complexity of data demands the development of new approaches to balancing transparency, trust and security and will require investments to foster significant public-private collaborations.