Intel introduces Platform to Boost AI Application Scalability

Intel has made a significant announcement at MWC 2024 with the introduction of its new Edge Platform. This modular and open software platform aims to empower enterprises in developing, deploying, running, securing, and managing edge and AI applications at scale, all with the simplicity of cloud computing. By offering these capabilities, Intel aims to expedite the deployment of edge solutions for enterprises, ultimately leading to improved total cost of ownership (TCO).

Pallavi Mahajan, Intel’s corporate vice president and general manager of Network and Edge Group Software, emphasized the importance of the edge in the digital transformation landscape, particularly with the increasing influence of AI. Mahajan stated that Intel is leveraging its existing customer base and years of software initiatives to deliver a comprehensive edge-native platform that enables infrastructure, applications, and efficient AI deployments at scale. The modular nature of the platform ensures optimal edge infrastructure performance and streamlined application management for enterprises, ultimately enhancing their competitiveness and TCO.

The demand for compute power at the edge is rapidly growing due to the generation of vast amounts of data in these environments. Furthermore, many edge computing deployments are incorporating AI capabilities. Automation is crucial for businesses operating at the edge to achieve pricing competitiveness, address labor shortages, drive innovation, enhance efficiency, accelerate time to market, and deliver new services. However, working at the edge presents numerous complexities and challenges, including difficulty in building high-performing edge AI solutions with a strong return on investment (ROI) across various use cases in specific industries, the diversity of hardware and software requirements at the edge, lack of secure and cost-effective methods to handle large data volumes required by AI at the edge while maintaining low Latency, and increasingly complex operations management of distributed edge devices and applications at scale.

To address these challenges, Intel’s Edge Platform focuses on enabling advanced networking and AI analytics at the edge with low latency, locality, and cost requirements. This platform caters to use cases such as defect detection and preventive maintenance in industrial facilities, frictionless checkout and inventory management in retail, and traffic management and emergency safety in smart cities/transportation. These use cases demand AI capabilities at the edge with stringent real-world needs, often requiring a mix of on-premises analytics and cloud-based AI processing. Intel’s Edge Platform is designed to handle these hybrid AI scenarios effectively.

While custom solutions exist for edge challenges, they are often built on closed systems and specialized hardware, making integration of legacy systems and the addition of new use cases both expensive and time-consuming. Intel’s Edge Platform aims to address this issue by offering an open, modular platform that provides ready-made solutions across industries. Enterprises can choose to purchase a complete solution or build their own using Intel’s edge experience and broad ecosystem. The platform also allows enterprise developers to build edge-native AI applications on new or existing infrastructure and manage edge solutions end-to-end for specific use cases. Additionally, the platform offers infrastructure management and AI application development capabilities that can integrate into existing software stacks through open standards.

The edge infrastructure of Intel’s Edge Platform includes the OpenVINO AI inference runtime for edge AI and secure, policy-based automation of IT and OT management tasks. The OpenVINO runtime has undergone significant evolution over the past five years to help developers optimize applications for low latency, low power consumption, and deployment on existing hardware at the edge. This allows standard hardware already deployed to efficiently run AI applications without costly upgrades or refactoring. The platform also features a single dashboard for IT and DevOps personnel to provision, onboard, and manage a fleet of edge nodes securely and remotely, ensuring zero-touch operations across various stages. Furthermore, the platform leverages closed-loop automation to enable operators to optimize operations across the network based on operational alerts triggered by policies and observability at the edge. Deep, heterogeneous hardware awareness ensures optimal resource allocation for efficiency, while robust security features co-developed for Intel architecture provide a zero-trust security profile.

Intel’s Edge Platform also offers enterprise developers access to powerful AI capabilities and tools. This includes finely tunable application orchestration for placing latency-sensitive workloads on the most suitable devices for optimal performance, as well as low-code to high-code AI model and application development with hybrid AI capabilities spanning from the edge to the cloud. The platform also provides a range of horizontal and vertical industry-specific edge services, such as data annotation services and digital twin capabilities, to enhance results in common industrial use cases utilizing video and time series information.

Intel’s Edge Platform has garnered support from industry leaders and a broad ecosystem, including Amazon Web Services, Lenovo, L&T Technology Services, Red Hat, SAP, Vericast, Verizon Business, and Wipro. These partners will play a crucial role in bringing the platform to market and expanding its reach across various industries.

The launch of Intel’s Edge Platform builds upon the foundation laid by Project Strata, which was first introduced in late September 2023. With this new platform, Intel aims to revolutionize edge computing by providing enterprises with the tools and capabilities they need to harness the power of the edge and AI at scale.

Background Information

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About Intel:

Intel Corporation, a global technology leader, is for its semiconductor innovations that power computing and communication devices worldwide. As a pioneer in microprocessor technology, Intel has left an indelible mark on the evolution of computing with its processors that drive everything from PCs to data centers and beyond. With a history of advancements, Intel's relentless pursuit of innovation continues to shape the digital landscape, offering solutions that empower businesses and individuals to achieve new levels of productivity and connectivity.

  

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About Lenovo:

Lenovo, formerly known as "Legend Holdings," is a important global technology company that offers an extensive portfolio of computers, smartphones, servers, and electronic devices. Notably, Lenovo acquired IBM's personal computer division, including the ThinkPad line of laptops, in 2005. With a strong presence in laptops and PCs, Lenovo's products cater to a wide range of consumer and business needs. Committed to innovation and quality, Lenovo delivers reliable and high-performance solutions, making it a significant player in the tech industry.

  

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Technology Explained

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Latency: Technology latency is the time it takes for a computer system to respond to a request. It is an important factor in the performance of computer systems, as it affects the speed and efficiency of data processing. In the computer industry, latency is a major factor in the performance of computer networks, storage systems, and other computer systems. Low latency is essential for applications that require fast response times, such as online gaming, streaming media, and real-time data processing. High latency can cause delays in data processing, resulting in slow response times and poor performance. To reduce latency, computer systems use various techniques such as caching, load balancing, and parallel processing. By reducing latency, computer systems can provide faster response times and improved performance.

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