Running the Edge AI Marathon

The week prior to APEC I attended the Embedded World trade show in Nuremberg/Germany and, according to the show’s name, embedded computers, computer boards, displays etc. were the focus. Of course, there were the classic embedded solutions which are more or less stand-alone applications, but the number of edge solutions has significantly grown compared to the previous year. Some intelligence at the edge was a hot topic, and every edge device needs to be connected to a central unit, which can (but doesn’t have to) be located in the cloud. At many booths the companies talked about artificial intelligence at the edge (buzzword “Edge AI”). Despite the very interesting approaches in terms of Edge AI, I personally consider the current solutions to only be the first and small steps, but more than the previous “baby steps”. It won’t take long, and a lot of companies will be participating in the Edge AI marathon.

However, running a marathon means preparing yourself, respectively: your designs, in many ways from pure training (muscles and bones) up to mental preconditioning and discipline. Adequate permanent high-quality nutrition intake during the training phase as well as during the actual marathon run is an absolute must. Running the Edge AI marathon requires excellent juicing and excellent energy intake of reliable high-quality “calories”, Joules, kWh. That’s why so many power companies exhibited in Nuremberg. Edge devices must be (relatively) small, and AI devices require a lot of power. Even though WBG semiconductors were ubiquitous in the power solutions there is still increasing demand for even higher-efficient power supplies.

Bodo’s magazine is delivered by postal service to all places in the world. It is the only magazine that spreads technical information on power electronics globally. We have EETech as a partner serving our clients in North America. If you speak the language, or just want to have a look, don’t miss our Chinese version at bodospowerchina.com. An archive, of every issue of the magazine, is available for free at our website bodospower.com.

My green tip of the month:
Live, eat and act energy-conscious; think about how many calories were needed to produce your food. Enjoy your food! And by avoiding food waste we can significantly increase food efficiency, which is good for the planet as well.

Kind regards,
Alfred