Edge Computing

Edge computing places processing and storage close to where data is produced or consumed, instead of routing everything to a centralized cloud data center first. The Linux Foundation's Open Glossary of Edge Computing defines it as "the delivery of computing capabilities to the logical extremes of a network in order to improve the performance, operating cost and reliability of applications and services." That's the whole idea: move the computation to the data, not the data to the computation, whenever the trip to a distant data center costs too much in time, bandwidth, or reliability.

It's not a replacement for cloud computing. It's a complement. Most edge deployments still rely on a central cloud for aggregation, long-term storage, model training, and fleet management. The edge tier handles the part of the job that can't wait or can't afford the round trip.

Why the round trip becomes a problem

AWS frames the driver plainly: "the unprecedented complexity and scale of data have outpaced network capabilities." Sensors, cameras, and industrial equipment now generate more data, faster, than it's practical or affordable to ship to a central data center for every decision. Sending it anyway costs three things: