It Takes Two: Edge Computing and Industrial XR
/Industrial XR, the metaverse, AR/VR—however you categorize it, it has the potential to revolutionize energy, manufacturing, and other industries. But it requires a massive amount of real-time computing power.
From Siemens
Edge computing brings data closer to where it’s being used, rather than just relegating it to far-away data centers. Having data closer to end points reduces latency, increases processing speeds, and helps make real-time immersive experiences more powerful.
Successful immersive technologies can’t rely just on cloud storage. Success is likely to come with a combination of in-devices processing power, edge computing resources, and off-site cloud storage. Developers and technical teams need to decide which activities will happen in which environment.
On-device processing is often limited in order to keep hardware (think smart glasses and wearables) small, comfortable, and portable
Edge resources need to be close to where the devices will be used to handle fast connected processing tasks
Database storage and longer-term AI processing can happen in the cloud or off-site storage where milliseconds matter a bit less
Without edge computing—if all processing activities are either on-device or off-site—immersive experiences would be slow, limited, and inefficient.
Advances in edge computing are helping industrial metaverse applications become a reality thanks to reduced latency, optimized bandwidth usage, and increased reliability.
Most of the emerging technologies we talk about exist in a cohesive ecosystem, with no single one standing alone. This is why advancements are often put under the “digital transformation” umbrella, which better encompasses the many and ongoing efforts of advancing immersive technology in an enterprise.
We continue to watch as use cases evolve—we’re waiting on the edge of our seats.
