The company that monetizes the data exhaust created by 5G through AI/ML-powered feedback loops will become the next Google.

Recently, I was part of a panel hosted by Chetan Sharma about 5G discussing the impact of AI/ML in closing feedback loops within the enterprise. Other panels pondered how 5G will impact edge computing and IoT ecosystems under the continued threat of OTT (over the top) players. After reflecting on the event, let me make a contrarian statement: 5G will make the cloud-edge boundary porous at best and disappear eventually. The emergence of the real-time data cloud will bring about the death of edge compute for analytics as we know it. Let me explain why.

The Cloudy (Stateless) Edge

The potential of analytics at the edge has been discussed for a decade, but credible value creation remains out of reach. Solutions such as GE Predix, which were supposed to empower the next Google, have since faded into the sidelines. In the meantime, we are experiencing massive adoption of devices by consumers. Edge’s value is being realized by sensors embedded into these devices as they interact with the cloud. The value of analytics at the edge, however, remains a distant promise.

#cloud #edge computing #machine learning #5g #real-time data