In 2025 and beyond, semiconductor sales—along with employment opportunities for engineers in the dynamic chip industry—are expected to rise precipitously.

Semiconductor sales are projected to hit nearly US$700 billion in 2025, grow to US$1 trillion by 2030, and potentially reach US$2 trillion by 2040, according to a Deloitte Insights report.

A number of trends are driving the semiconductor industry forward. First, post-pandemic sales of computers, tablets, smartphones, and other wireless and wired communications devices—which collectively accounted for nearly 60% of global semiconductor sales as of 2023-2024—are forecasted to experience strong growth during the next five to ten years. Additionally, demand for high-tech “generative AI chips” is on the rise. These chips enable computers’ central processing units (CPUs) to execute machine learning algorithms for everything from facial recognition applications to customer service-related chatbots, language processing for voice assistants, and more. 

On the design side, growth of the semiconductor market is supported by an increasingly popular chip manufacturing strategy known as “shift left,” which enables tasks that were once performed sequentially to be done concurrently for greater efficiency and cost savings.

Working to Meet Demand

To keep pace with projected growth, manufacturers are expanding capacity worldwide:

For example, after investing US$65 billion into chip fabrication facilities in Phoenix, Arizona in 2020, industry leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) recently announced additional investment of US$100 billion in order to double that location’s manufacturing capacity. Supported by almost US$8 billion in funding from the U.S. CHIPS (“Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors”) and Science Act of August 2022, key player Intel recently announced its plans to invest US$100 billion to expand its U.S-based domestic chip manufacturing capacity and capabilities in Arizona and Ohio. 

Elsewhere around the world, STMicroelectronics recently announced its intention to build a new, high-volume manufacturing facility in France. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) is working to expand three of its existing Chinese facilities in Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin. Manufacturers Nvidia, AMD, and Micron have all announced plans to establish new operations in India.

A Skills Gap Persists

While worldwide sales of semiconductors, as well as manufacturing capacity to meet demand, are all on the uptick, one major challenge stands to potentially derail production: a global shortage of skilled workers.

“Because semiconductors are foundational to virtually all critical technologies of today and the future,” the SIA study confirmed, “closing the talent gap in the chip industry will be central to the promotion of growth and innovation throughout the economy.”

Experts from Deloitte agreed, noting that the semiconductor field will need “electrical engineers to design chips and the tools that make the chips,” while “digital skills, such as cloud, AI, and analytics, are needed in design and manufacturing more than ever.”

Positioning Engineers for Success in Semiconductors and AI

To support workforce development, IEEE offers online learning programs that equip semiconductor professionals with cutting-edge AI and chip design skills. These include:

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Chip Design:
  Offered by IEEE Educational Activities in partnership with IEEE Future Directions and IEEE Global Semiconductors, this course program discusses the significance of artificial intelligence and machine learning. It provides an overview of how these technologies are shaping the future of chip design as well as key applications in design automation, relevant technologies, deployment considerations, and future prospects.
• Integrating Edge AI and Advanced Nanotechnology in Semiconductor Applications:
  This five-course program created in partnership with the IEEE Computer Society helps learners understand the intersection of artificial intelligence, edge computing, and nanotechnology with real-life applications and future trends.
  
• Semiconductor Manufacturing: Impact and Effectiveness of AI
  This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the evolving landscape of semiconductor manufacturing with special emphasis on the integration of artificial intelligence into this critical industry.

Upon successfully completing the programs, participants earn professional development credits, including Professional Development Hours (PDHs) and Continuing Education Units (CEUs). They’ll also receive a digital badge highlighting their proficiency in the technology area which can be showcased on social media.

For institutional access, contact an IEEE Content Specialist. Individuals can explore and enroll directly via the IEEE Learning Network.

 

Recent advances in edge computing and edge artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing a broad range of industries and enabling a new age in predictive analysis and operational performance—so what exactly is edge AI and how is it changing the way businesses operate?

Edge AI refers to AI computations that are performed near the user at the “edge” of a network and close to where the data is located—which could be a retail store, a workplace, or an actual device such as a phone or a traffic light—rather than long distances away in a central cloud computing facility or private data center. Recent advances in machine learning and high-speed computing, along with the ongoing worldwide adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices that continue to deliver faster and more reliable connectivity, have led to the growing deployment of AI models at the edge.

Ultimately, one of the reasons why AI has been so successful when paired with edge computing is because modern-day AI algorithms have become increasingly sensitive to real-world issues and conditions. From the field of healthcare to agriculture and everything in between, AI has become more capable than ever of recognizing patterns and trends within the wide range of different circumstances that are present in real life. As a result, artificial intelligence is highly effective in edge applications and would be far less feasible, and, in some cases, even impossible to deploy in a centralized cloud or private data center. This is due to issues related to latency (delays in network communication), bandwidth (the amount of data that can be transmitted over a network in a specified amount of time), and privacy (the ability to control how personal data is collected, stored, and used).

Because edge technology performs analyses on data locally through decentralized capabilities, it can respond to user needs much quicker while also significantly reducing networking costs for an organization because it requires less internet bandwidth. Furthermore, the processing of data isn’t reliant on internet access, so mission-critical and time-sensitive AI applications can enjoy greater access and reliability. These edge computing benefits combined with the expanding flexibility and “intelligence” of AI neural networks are allowing organizations to capitalize on real-time insights at a lower cost and with greater security and privacy.

Edge AI Use Cases

Edge AI is being recognized as a pivotal technology that will continue to have a major impact on new product development, the streamlining of processes, and the user experience across a broad range of industries.

In the utility industry, for example, edge AI models are combining historical data, weather patterns, and other inputs to more efficiently generate and distribute energy to customers. 

In manufacturing, sensor data analyzed by edge AI technology is helping to predict when machines will fail and help factories avoid costly downtime.

Edge AI-enabled surgical tools in the healthcare field are helping doctors make real-time assessments in the operating room that improve surgical outcomes.

In the retail world, edge AI is working to enhance customer service by enabling the convenience of voice-based ordering by customers via smart speakers or other intelligent devices.

In the transportation sector, where real-time decisions can be the difference between life and death, edge AI is being used to adjust traffic lights to regulate traffic flow and reduce congestion.

And in the field of security across numerous organizations, edge AI’s real-time analysis of video footage can identify unwarranted activity and immediately inform authorities.

The Power of Edge AI and Nanotechnology in Semiconductor Applications

According to the authors of Artificial Intelligence in Nanotechnology, an academic white paper on the significant role AI can play in the development of nanotechnology, the incorporation of AI into nanotechnology—defined as the study and control of materials at the nano (molecular, atomic, or subatomic) level to create new, stronger, and more conductive materials and devices—has led to an exciting new vein of research and development called “AI-nanotechnology.”

Thanks to the big data that AI is able to analyze, semiconductors—made up of a wealth of nanoparticles—are immediately benefiting from the combination of edge AI and nanotechnology to design more efficient chips and bring them to market sooner.

Semiconductors, or chips, are components used to conduct or block electric current. They drive a bevy of modern-age devices, including mobile phones, computers, TVs, washing machines, LED bulbs, medical equipment, and more.

The use of edge AI is enabling semiconductor manufacturers to optimize their product’s power, performance, and area (or “PPA,” the three goals of chip design). It benefits PPA by helping engineers to design advanced new chips as well as to efficiently and cheaply overhaul and shrink many older-technology chip designs without needing to update fabrication equipment. By further integrating nanotechnology into this process and being able to design with new and existing materials at nano scales, manufacturers can cost-effectively create more robust semiconductors with improved functionality.

While both of these cutting-edge fields currently face a range of hurdles—ethics, privacy, and bias are issues for artificial intelligence, while nanotechnology struggles with regulatory, environmental, and safety concerns—experts contend that the integration of edge AI and nanotechnology “have the potential to work in concert to spur innovation and solve difficult problems….and [they] hold immense promise for revolutionizing various aspects of science, technology, and everyday life.”

Stay on the Cutting Edge of Continuing Education

A new five-course course program from IEEE, Integrating Edge AI and Advanced Nanotechnology in Semiconductor Applications, explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, edge computing, and nanotechnology through real-life applications and future trends. From the fundamentals of AI nanoinformatics to the specifics of semiconductor design, learners who complete the program will acquire a broad skill set enabling them to navigate the complexities of modern computing.

To learn more about accessing these courses for your organization, contact an IEEE Content Specialist today.

Interested in the course program for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network.

 

Resources

Yeung, Tiffany. (17 February 2022). What is Edge AI and How Does It Work? NVIDIA.

(16 November 2023). Bringing AI to the Edge: How Edge AI is Revolutionizing Industries. Sintrones.

Agrawal, Radheyshree, Tilak Paras, Devand, Aryan, Bhatnagar, Archana, and Gupta, Piyush. (17 March 2024). Artificial Intelligence in Nanotechnology. Springer Nature.

Nanotechnology. National Geographic.

Brode, Bernie. (21 March 2022). AI and Nanotechnology are Working Together to Solve Real-World Problems. Stack Overflow Blog.

2023 Edge AI Technology Report. Chapter I: Overview of Industries & Application Use Cases. Wevolver.

Cloud technology is entering the era of the multi-cloud. When using multiple clouds supported by various cloud providers, organizations can reap the best features of each, thereby making their cloud infrastructure far more flexible.

During his opening keynote at Dell Technologies World Conference in May, CEO Michael Dell expressed his views on multi-clouds as the future of cloud technology. According to Dell, multi-cloud ecosystems will harness the combined power of edge computing with artificial intelligence (AI) to “process and deliver data across 5G networks in highly automated environments.” 

Multi-cloud technology is already expanding rapidly. According to Dell, 90 percent of his company’s customers currently have both on-premise and public cloud environments, while 75 percent are using three to four different clouds. However, he also noted that multi-cloud technology is creating larger amounts of data and security challenges in the process.

“Anything you want to do in today’s world, from [decentralized finance] to blockchain to metaverse, and autonomous vehicles, and robotics, smart everythings, based exploration, AI, disaster recovery, AR/VR — all these things consume and create tremendous amounts of distributed data and distributed computing power,” he said. “And because workloads follow data, the distributed future will be much bigger than you can imagine, and so will the attack surface. Ransomware attacks are the No. 1 threat for most organizations, and are occurring every 11 seconds, with an average cost of $13 million per occurrence.”

Despite some challenges, multi-cloud technology holds huge promises for organizations. When paired with hybrid cloud, in which an organization splits its data between a cloud and an on-premise datacenter, multi-cloud infrastructure can create a truly decentralized cloud platform. This allows an organization to not depend on any singular data center or provider. According to Entrepreneur, this approach allows organizations to customize their technological environment to their specific needs.

How Cloud Technology Is Already Advancing Health Care

One industry that is already gaining benefits from cloud technology is health care. According to Forbes, these benefits include expanding access to telehealth, which has already begun under the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth is working to make it possible for more people in both rural and urban areas to access physicians. 

Other benefits include faster drug testing and manufacturing. For example, vaccine maker Moderna was able to speed approval for its COVID-19 vaccines with support from cloud computing through Amazon Web Services. By using cloud computing, the company was able to build a technology to rapidly test vaccines. 

“Moderna runs its Drug Design Studio on AWS’s highly scalable compute and storage infrastructure to quickly design mRNA sequences for protein targets. It then uses analytics and machine learning to optimize those sequences for production so that the company’s automated manufacturing platform can successfully convert them into physical mRNA for testing,” state Moderna and AWS.

Understanding Challenges of the Cloud

Organizations are only beginning to realize the benefits of cloud computing. However, before they adopt the cloud, they must first understand the challenges that come with embracing this rapidly advancing technology.

To learn more about the benefits and challenges of cloud computing and how it pertains to your organization, check out Cloud Computing on the IEEE Learning Network. This online course program includes 25 self-paced courses focused on various aspects of cloud computing technologies.

Interested in getting access for your organization? Contact an IEEE Content Specialist for more details.

Resource

Kuehne, Joe. (9 May 2022). Dell Tech World: Michael Dell Proclaims That the Future Is Multicloud. BizTech.

Montoya, Sergio Ramos. (10 May 2022). This is how cloud computing advances, a valuable resource for companies. Entrepreneur.

Schnitfink, Theo. (10 May 2022). How Technology Puts The ‘Care’ In Healthcare: The Role Of The Cloud During The Pandemic. Forbes.

Press Release. AWS Powers Moderna’s Digital Biotechnology Platform to Develop New Class of Vaccines and Therapeutics. Businesswire.

As COVID-19 continues to keep many offices closed, some organizations have digitally transformed their workforces to improve the flow of business, a change that for many will be permanent. By the time the pandemic is over, a number of organizations will have embraced a hybrid in-person/virtual workforce, while also having shifted to multiple cloud and hybrid cloud services.

Many organizations in the early steps of adoption may find themselves at a crossroads between different cloud providers whose offerings range from software-as-a-service (SaaS), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), and platform-as-a-service (PaaS). With a number of third parties hosting their data, organizations will need to consider the security risks and take steps to mitigate them. One way to get ahead of the problem is to create a single cloud strategy that will ensure streamlined governance over cloud platforms.

“A best practice is to ensure that for all requested cloud services, [the services] are subjected to proper architecture and security reviews on any IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS vendor platforms, before being approved for use in the enterprise,” Ryan Smith, Chief Information Officer at healthcare provider Intermountain Healthcare, told CIO. “Guidance and guardrails must be established before any public cloud vendor tools can be provided to the organization, including ongoing monitoring of all usage.”

How to Create a Digital Transformation Cloud Strategy

Before you take your organization down the digital transformation path, you’ll want to make sure you have a strong strategy in place that will allow for easier adaption to a multi-cloud model. Here are three things organizations should consider, according to The Enterprise Project:  

Revise your strategy:
Revamp your strategy to take into account the integration of enhanced security systems, data center providers, voice technology updates, and other necessary changes. You should also document everything as you proceed, and be sure to involve your senior leadership.

Prioritize security:
Make network security your top priority by embedding it into the digital transformation process and establishing protocols that ensure all steps are taken. Consider public versus private cloud solutions (each of which carries its own data risks); establish a robust Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) platform; and train your staff on how to identify common scams such as phishing, which is the number-one way hackers break into data centers. A good strategy is to implement a multi-layered security strategy with routine testing, assessments, and training. 

Define what “cloud” means to your organization:
Before you execute your digital transformation, decide exactly what utilizing the cloud means to your organization, as well as what your cloud strategy will entail. Consider questions such as: 

• How should the cloud be defined in a work-from-home environment?
• What do we need cloud computing to accomplish?

By asking questions like these, you will be able to avoid unnecessary cloud projects that could waste your organization’s time and money.  

Digital transformation will come with many risks and rewards. However, organizations that adopt an appropriate cloud strategy will be able to quickly identify and solve problems in advance, and enjoy a much easier transition in the process.

Prepare Your Organization for Digital Transformation

Get your organization ready for Digital Transformation. The IEEE five-course program, Digital Transformation: Moving Toward a Digital Society, is aimed to foster a discussion around how digital transformation can transform various industries and provide the background knowledge needed to smartly implement digital tools into organizations.

Contact an IEEE Account Specialist to get access for your organization.

Interested in the course for yourself? Check out the courses below on the IEEE Learning Network.

• Understanding Digital Transformation: The Key Concepts
• Forecasting Digital Transformation: Tools and Methods
• Drivers of Digital Transformation: Communications, Big Data, and AI

Resources

Demetrius, Jim. (25 March 2021). Digital transformation: 3 ways to get infrastructure updates back on track. The Enterprise Project.

Violins, Bob. (8 March 2021). Mitigating the hidden risks of digital transformation. CIO.

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing organizations all over the world to digitally transform their operations as more employees work from home. As remote work becomes the new normal, many organizations are transitioning data storage not only to the cloud, but to the “edge” in a major shift towards digital transformation. Edge computing, a form of cloud computing where data is stored along the “edge” of the cloud, brings data closest to where it’s produced and consumed, and as a result, reduces latency while boosting speed. Digital transformation through edge computing is allowing organizations around the globe to operate faster and more efficiently, while reducing costs.

Two-Thirds of Organizations in Global Survey Are Adopting Edge Computing

According to a recent global survey from the International Data Corporation (IDC), two-thirds of IT leaders who participated in the survey have begun to adopt edge computing, with 40% planning to adopt new edge technology in under a year. Motivating factors include edge computing’s improved bandwidth and reduced latency and costs. 

“Enterprises around the world are being confronted by a basic law of physics—distance neutralizes speed, causing latency or a delay between an action and an application’s response,” survey sponsor Lumen Technologies stated in a blog post about the survey. “Controlling latency has never been more important, whether data flows to a distributed workforce or a multitude of smart gadgets that make up the Internet of Things.”

How Organizations Will Use Edge Computing this Year

According to a recent TechRepublic survey, 70% of organizations surveyed transitioned to edge computing to deliver enhanced experience for customers and 46% said they use or intend to use the technology to minimize operational costs. 

Among the main applications for which organizations are currently using or intend to use edge computing include laptops and mobile devices (54%), remote networks and servers (50%), locally deployed software and systems (37%), monitoring of remote assets (27%), virtual mobile networks (12%), other IoT applications (8%), and autonomous vehicles (5%). When asked what edge computing technologies they want to roll out over 6 months, remote servers and networks, as well as laptops and remote mobile devices, ranked equally at 42%. Locally deployed software and systems, ranked at 33%, followed.  

How Digital Transformation for Edge Computing Will Accelerate The Internet of Things

The digital transformation to edge computing technology will also give organizations a greater ability to embrace the Internet of Things. This will empower them to solve problems in revolutionary ways. For example, edge computing combined with Internet of Things technology, such as sensors, will allow businesses to roll out super-efficient “smart factories.” Featuring highly connected equipment, employees will be able to quickly spot and fix problems in production lines more easily.

“The industry will continue to move toward more decentralized compute environments, and the edge will add significant value to digital transformation initiatives,” writes Keith Higgins in RFID Journal.  

Digital transformation will continue well beyond 2021, and there’s little doubt that edge computing will continue to play a major role. 

Bring Your Organization to the Edge

Many organizations don’t fully understand edge computing and the impact it can have on their business. From providing real-time data analysis to reducing system malfunctions, edge computing can be customized to meet an organization’s specific needs.

Prepare your organization for edge computing integration. Designed to train your entire team to support edge computing, IEEE Introduction to Edge Computing is an online five-course program. To learn more about getting access to these courses for your organization, connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today.

Contact an IEEE Content Specialist to learn more about how this program can benefit your organization.

Interested in getting access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) today!

Resources

Vigilarolo, Brandon. (29 January 2021). Business leaders want low latency, not speed, study finds. TechRepublic.

(28 January 2021). Global Business Leaders Rate Latency Higher Priority Than Speed. Multivu.com. 

Higgins, Keith.  (10 January 2021). Trendspotting: Industrial Digital Transformation Matures. RFID Journal.

Edge computing adoption to increase through 2026; organizations cautious about adding 5G to the mix. Tech Republic.

Edge computing is a decentralized alternative to cloud computing that uses a number of smart devices around the “edge” of a network to store data. With the rise of 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing is expected to provide numerous benefits to organizations. Such benefits include shorter latencies, improved security, more affordable costs, and responsive data collection. According to a recent report from the research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, 90% of industrial enterprises will be using edge computing by 2022.

“To remain competitive in the post-cloud era, innovative companies are adopting edge computing due to its endless breakthrough capabilities that are not available at the core,” David Williams, managing principal at AHEAD, told the Enterprisers Project.“Such benefits include unparalleled local interactivity, reduced impact from service interruptions, improved privacy and security, and reduced latency.”

The Benefits of Edge Computing

Of all the benefits that edge computing can provide to organizations, lightning fast speed and reduced latency will be the most transformative. Moving large amounts of data across a network is time consuming. Edge computing brings computation closer to the user, making data transfer speeds much faster and less cumbersome.

“With edge computing, data is scrutinized and analysed at the site of production, with only relevant data being sent to the cloud for storage. This means much less data is being sent to the cloud, reducing bandwidth use, privacy and security breaches are more likely at the site of the device making ‘hacking’ a device much harder, and the speed of interaction with data increases dramatically,” writes Mark Seddon, CEO of Pact Global, in Information Age.

How will Edge Computing Transform Industries?

Edge computing is expected to pave the way for a number of technological revolutions, such as virtual and augmented reality for smartphone users, and smart cities with interconnected roadways and autonomous vehicles. Edge computing can also transform the industrial sector. Use cases include preventing equipment malfunction and reducing energy expenditure. Another potential application is “smart farming,” in which large sectors of agricultural production can be automated. This in turn could support farmers in boosting crop yields and reducing waste.

The film and gaming industries may be the first to be transformed by edge computing. Film producers must be able to transfer huge video files shot in high resolution. This process is often impossible to do over the internet. In fact, video files are so massive that most are still delivered by vehicle after shoots, rather than digitally. Slow speeds also make computer animation and rendering for film and games difficult.

To help solve this, Amazon Web Services is developing edge computing infrastructure in Los Angeles—a city home to numerous film and gaming companies. There, the tech giant has established the first of what it calls “AWS Local Zones,” an edge computing initiative that delivers low-latency access to Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing platform, in “colocation centers,” rather than solely in Amazon’s vast cloud. These “local zones” provide distributed infrastructure that delivers edge computing and low-latency applications to clients. In each AWS Local Zone is an “AWS Outpost,” a rack that contains AWS cloud infrastructure. So far, Amazon has set up two Local Zones in Los Angeles, and aims to ease operations for the film and gaming industries.

Get Close to the Edge

Many organizations don’t fully understand edge computing and the impact it can have on their business. From providing real-time data analysis to reducing system malfunctions, edge computing can be customized to meet an organization’s specific needs.

Prepare your organization for edge computing integration. Designed to train your entire team to support edge computing, IEEE Introduction to Edge Computing is an online five-course program. To learn more about getting access to these courses for your organization, connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today.

Contact an IEEE Content Specialist to learn more about how this program can benefit your organization.

Interested in getting access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) today!

Resources

Hughes, Matthew. (10 September 2020). What Is Edge Computing, and Why Does It Matter? How To Geek.

Miller, Rich. (4 September 2020). How AWS Cloud Customers Are Using Local Zones for Edge Computing. Data Center Frontier.

Seddon, Mark.(26 August 2020). How the edge and the cloud tackle latency, security and bandwidth issues. Information Age.

The COVID-19 pandemic is fueling reliance on remote work, thereby increasing the need for cloud computing in organizations.

The video conferencing platform Zoom has received a 300% day-to-day increase in use, according to a JPMorgan study. Additionally, Microsoft’s collaboration platform Teams saw a jump in 12 million daily users the week of March 18. In India, 64% of organizations are expected to transition to cloud computing amidst the pandemic. In Europe, a cloud computing project dubbed Gaia-X—a collaboration between the European Commission and the French and German governments—aims to create a European-based cloud environment that will lessen the continent’s dependence on private companies. 

“Cloud computing, which has been touted for its flexibility, reliability and security, has emerged as one of the few saving graces for businesses during this pandemic,” writes Evan Ellis, CEO and President of K2, in Forbes. “Its use is critical for companies to maintain operations, but even more critical for their ability to continue to service their customers. However, many organizations have lost sight of the original purpose of the cloud and are therefore failing to fully harness its potential.”

The Benefits of Transitioning to the Cloud

Without cloud computing, this large-scale dependence on remote work would not be possible. As the pandemic pushes more organizations to rely on the cloud, it will likely speed a shift from hybrid public-private cloud models to fully-integrated cloud models. According to David Linthicum, Chief Cloud Strategy Officer at Deloitte Consulting LLP, the benefits of fully transitioning to the cloud include:

1) Flexible storage: Because the public cloud is more flexible than physical storage, it offers benefits such as virtual servers that don’t need to be managed manually, quick access to on-demand storage with no limit to the amount you can store, and the ability to embed resiliency.
2) The ability to shift processes to different areas in the cloud and maneuver around disruptions.
3) Enhanced security features including identity advanced encryption in flight and at rest, multifactor authentication (MFA), access management (IAM), and biometrics.
4) Advanced remote control over assets in the public cloud in situations where physical assets cannot be accessed, such as the current situation of widespread business closures during the pandemic.

How to Adopt Fully to the Cloud

To transition fully to the cloud, Ellis recommends the following steps:

1) Have a plan: Make an assessment of your current infrastructure before moving forward.
2) Prepare your apps: Some apps may already be ready to move to the cloud, while you may need to be modernize or replace others.
3) Make the commitment to transition fully to the cloud: Enable and train your users to utilize apps in the cloud. Additionally, prepare to adapt to a cloud system that will require smaller and more frequent updates.

Understand the Challenges

Before moving forward, you’ll need to consider the challenges involved. First, inexperienced IT professionals may inadvertently expose private data when transitioning data to the public cloud—meaning it is vital to make sure they are properly trained before making the transition. Second, it’s important to have a good understanding of how much storage you will need to provision before you make the switch.

“The overall message here is that there is value in looking at potential cloud computing solutions,” writes Linthicum. “When the crisis passes and IT falls into a ‘new normal’ routine, enterprises should assess how well they fared through the event by checking in with their ops teams. If your ops teams have worked regular days during the crisis, chances are you had the right mix of cloud or noncloud technology. A stressed ops team could mean there is much that can be improved.”

Understand the Cloud

Learn more about the benefits and challenges of cloud computing and how it pertains to your organization. Check out the Cloud Computing Course Program, which offers 37 self-paced courses focused on various aspects of cloud computing technologies.

Contact an IEEE Content Specialist for more details about getting access to this program for your organization.

Interested in getting the program for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network today.

Resources

(3 June 2020). 64% Indian firms to adopt cloud computing amid COVID-19 pandemic: IDC. The News Minute.

Potoroaca, Adrian. (4 June 2020). France and Germany back plans to create a European cloud computing ecosystem dubbed Gaia-X. TECHSPOT.

Linthicum, David. (26 May 2020). Leveraging The Cloud During The Pandemic. Forbes.

Ellis, Evan. (22 May 2020). The Current Pandemic Gives Cloud Computing A Needed Jolt. Forbes.

Edge computing for business can increase the speed of data processing and analysis. The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to grow significantly, predicted to reach about $1.6 trillion USD by 2025. Edge technology can help process the copious amounts of data that this surge in IoT-enabled devices will produce.

Because edge computing processes data at the location where the data is being generated, it stores, processes, analyzes and informs actions of users instantaneously. The benefits of edge computing over cloud computing is the speed at which data is analyzed and acted on. See a few ways it can transform a business in the next year.

Real-Time Data Analysis

Data is normally sent to one central location so that it can be analyzed in order to take proper action. However, edge computing allows for the data analysis to take place near the area where it is created.  With edge technology, the data can be kept close to its origin point, which is optimal for nearly real-time decision making.

Augmented Reality

Edge computing has the chance to improve augmented reality. Users will gain a more vivid and realistic augmented reality (AR) experience. By taking advantage of this technology early on, technology firms can be one of the first to provide this upgraded experience to their customers.

Smart Manufacturing

Manufacturing companies can improve their production floors with edge technology. With almost real-time data analysis, it helps improve efficiency and margins. Companies can help avoid line shutdowns by identifying problems while edge computing allows analyzes the collected data.

Security Systems

Large organizations need fast and accurate security systems to help keep their information and buildings safe. Edge computing makes security systems more efficient when operating at a lower bandwidth. Data from security cameras are frequently collected and stored in the cloud through a signal. Edge computing allows each device to have an internal computer that is able to transfer footage to the cloud when it is needed.

Lowered Operational Costs

Because edge computing helps collect data, it does not require a central server to determine what action should be taken. This helps reduce operational costs by needing less storage to hold the information.

Get Close to the Edge with Customized Solutions

Not many organizations know what edge computing means or what impact it can have on their business. For one company, it could mean installing on-site servers that are capable of nearly real-time IoT data analysis. For another company, it could mean reducing organizational costs by using smaller deployments. One key benefit to edge computing it that is can be customized to meet the company’s needs.

Prepare your organization for edge computing integration. Designed to train your entire team to support edge computing, IEEE Introduction to Edge Computing is an online five-course program. The on-demand courses included in this program are:

• Overview of Edge Computing
• Practical Applications of Edge Computing
• Research Challenges in Edge Computing
• Designing Security Solutions for Edge, Cloud, and IoT
• Tools and Software for Edge Computing Applications

To learn more about getting access to these courses for your organization, connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today.

Interested in the course for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) to learn more.

 

 

Resources

(23 December 2019). 13 Ways Edge Computing Can Benefit Businesses. Forbes.

Lital, Marom. (13 December 2019.) Enter A New Era Of Edge Computing. Forbes.

By utilizing multi-cloud systems, organizations are able to run their systems and store data across various cloud providers. According to the IBM Institute for Business Value, 85% of companies are currently using a multi-cloud system to manage their information. While the multi-cloud has its advantages, it also creates specific challenges that organizations need to take into consideration. Learn what you can do to work around the three most common challenges.

Network

Moving data around in the same cloud infrastructure is faster than having that information go across the internet. This means that network bandwidth and latency rates need to be taken into consideration when working with multi-cloud architectures.

If you are using a multi-cloud approach, this bottleneck is unavoidable. Network connectivity is the only way for the various clouds to communicate with one another. Fortunately, your IT team can use the approaches below to keep connectivity issues to a minimum.

• Avoid having large amounts of data stored in one cloud and processed in another. While one cloud storage service might cost less, it is not worth the potential performance issues.
• Compress data before sending it to another cloud.
• If you have workloads that are mirrored across two or more clouds to improve reliability, make sure that each cloud’s instance of the workload can operate independently when not synced. This minimizes data transfer delays that can affect performance.

Monitoring

Recognizing performance and availability problems is difficult when monitoring multiple clouds. Finding a reliable cloud monitoring tool can help you avoid this issue. Most APM solutions are able to support the majority of clouds. This gives organizations multiple options for finding the right monitoring tool.

Nevertheless, efficient performance monitoring for multi-clouds includes ensuring that the tool understands how the cloud’s workload functions. In order to alert you of incoming problems, the monitoring tool needs to recognize that the two workloads are running in different clouds although they are connected and dependent upon each other.

Scaling

One advantage of cloud computing is the ability to scale resources for workloads quickly depending on demand. However, when it is done across multiple clouds, this can be difficult.

While you cannot use Azure’s auto-scaling to scale up AWS components, you can configure autoscaling for each individual cloud. This approach should not require too much effort from your IT team. However, should this approach not work, teams can rely on a universal control plane to manage their multi-clouds. A universal control plane automates the scaling and load-balancing across multiple clouds, eliminating the need to configure each cloud.

Finding the Best Cloud Solution

Learn more about the benefits and challenges of cloud computing and how it pertains to your organization. Check out the Cloud Computing Course Program, which offers 37 self-paced courses focused on various aspects of cloud computing technologies.

Contact an IEEE Content Specialist for more details about getting access to this program for your organization.

Interested in getting the program for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network today.

 

Resources

Tozzi, Christopher. (25 November 2019). Multicloud Architecture: 3 Common Performance Challenges and Solutions. ITPro Today.

Jen, Miller. (8 November 2019). Multicloud vs. hybrid cloud: What it all means. CIO Dive.

While it may be too early to know exactly how 5G will benefit edge computing, the technology will have some sort of impact on consumers and businesses. The growth of edge computing and 5G are mutually dependent. In order for 5G to provide accelerated network speeds, it requires on low-latency and high interconnection that can be delivered through edge computing.

The evolution of 5G networks will affect more than smartphone speeds. While the ability to stream and download files on your mobile device faster will be convenient, it is only a fraction of the potential 5G has in advancing technology. By providing the ability to process large quantities of small data points in a short period of time, 5G is likely to significantly impact sectors such as transport, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In these fields, applications that currently use large sets of data and information are likely to benefit from the ability to send the desired information in almost real-time.

Benefits to Utilizing Edge Computing with 5G

By 2025, up to 20% of data might be processed in real-time. The combination of 5G and edge computing will bring consumers and organizations improved data processing, local caching and sharing of computing power, energy efficiency at both network and device level, resilience and security, and optimal work allocation.

• Edge computing allows 5G networks to function at the needed reduced network latency for real-time operations. Together, they can enhance augmented and virtual reality for events, video and speech analytics, video security monitoring, and more.
• 5G combines edge computing into wireless networks with open source initiatives and standards to distribute data across the network, from radio access and transport to new core-enabling capabilities such as network slicing.
• Edge computing applies artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to enhance data management across networks.

5G and Edge Security

Edge computing will play a critical role in changing the security of the network. The faster connections and increased interconnection that come with 5G also mean improved connections for cyber criminals.

John Maddison, an executive at Fortinet, Inc., mentions that “The security then needs to be deployed in a different way. And whether it’s deployed in the car itself, in the application, the IoT devices—it’ll be security deployed in the edge compute.”

Getting Ready for Edge Computing and 5G

Prepare your organization for the advancement of edge computing integration. Designed to train your entire team to support edge computing, IEEE Introduction to Edge Computing is an online five-course program. The on-demand courses included in this program are:

• Overview of Edge Computing
• Practical Applications of Edge Computing
• Research Challenges in Edge Computing
• Designing Security Solutions for Edge, Cloud, and IoT
• Tools and Software for Edge Computing Applications

To learn more about getting access to these courses for your organization, connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today.

Interested in the course for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) to learn more.

 

Resources

(9 October 2019). 5G Americas: Edge Computing Not a One-Size-Fits-All for 5G. Global Newswire.

(15 October 2019). Edge, 5G And Data Centres: The Beginning Of The End Or The End Of The Beginning?. Data Economy.

Matthews, Kayla. (17 October 2019). How edge computing will benefit from 5G technology. Information Age.

Tripathi, Sunay. (23 October 2019). 5G And Enterprise Edge: Developments Toward A Device-Centric View Of The Cloud. Forbes.

Aten, Jason. (25 October 2019). Everyone Wants a 5G iPhone, but Here Are 5 Industries That Will Actually Be Revolutionized When Ultra-Fast Wireless Finally Arrives. Inc.