Computer scientists at Queen’s University Belfast have designed a unique computing system to reduce delays on smart devices. The researchers, based at the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT), have developed a fast system that will process data geographically closer to the devices, instead of around the cloud.
Currently, all data is accessed and processed in the cloud over the internet. Forbes predicts that by 2025 more than 80 billion devices, including smartphones, will be connected to the internet and 180 trillion gigabytes of data will be generated. Eventually, the cloud will not be able to cope with the billions of devices on line.
Dr. Blesson Varghese and Nan Wang from the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) at Queen’s University Belfast have been working on a solution to this problem using edge computing technology. They have designed an edge-computing system and developed a software framework for providing computing services on the system.
Dr Varghese says, “Edge computing offers a much faster solution for smart devices by bringing application services onto hardware that is geographically closer to users. This means that a proportion of the data can be processed there and doesn’t need to be sent all the way to the distant cloud. With the edge computing system, we have designed, multiple traditionally cloud-hosted applications are able to service users from their adjacent places such as a home router. Consequently, delays experienced by application users are reduced.”
It is expected that Edge Computing services will be commercialized within the next five years as demand increases. For deeper insights, read the research paper. For more details, contact Jemma Greenlees at Queen’s University Communications Office via phone at +44 (0)28 9097 3087 or email to [email protected].