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Powerful Compute
Capabilities will Drive
Down Latency for Next-
Gen Applications
AT&T* is reinventing the cloud to
boost the potential of self-driving
cars, augmented reality and virtual
reality, robotic manufacturing, and
more. We’re embracing a model
called edge computing (EC) to move
the data crunching from the device
to the cloud. Driving it will be the
single-digit millisecond latency that
only tomorrow’s 5G can deliver. And
powering it all will be our software-
defined network, the most advanced
of its kind in the networking industry.
Here’s the challenge: Next-gen
applications like autonomous
cars and augmented reality/
virtual reality (AR/VR) will demand
massive amounts of near-real time
computation.
For example, according to some
phones can deliver that horsepower,
the tradeoff is extremely short
battery life.
Edge
computing
addresses
those obstacles by moving the
computation into the cloud in a way
that feels seamless. It’s like having
a wireless supercomputer follow you
wherever you go.
“Edge computing fulfills the promise
of the cloud to transcend the
physical constraints of our mobile
devices,” said Andre Fuetsch,
president of AT&T Labs and chief
technology officer. “The capabilities
of tomorrow’s 5G are the missing
link that will make edge computing
possible. And few companies have
the sheer number of physical
locations that AT&T has that
are needed to solve the latency
dilemma.”
The faster speeds and particularly
the lower latency expected with 5G
The Cloud Comes to You: AT&T to Power Self-Driving Cars, AR/VR
and other Future 5G Applications Through Edge Computing
AT
&
T
third-party estimates, self-driving
cars will generate as much as 3.6
terabytes of data per hour, due to
the clusters of cameras and other
sensors required to enable their
digital vision. Some functions, such
as braking, turning and acceleration
will likely always be managed by
the computer systems in the cars
themselves. But what if we could
offload to the cloud some of the
secondary systems? These include
things like updating and accessing
the detailed maps these cars will
use to navigate.
Or consider AR/VR. The industry
is moving to a model where those
applications will be delivered
through your smartphone. But
creating entirely virtual worlds
or overlaying digital images and
graphics on top of the real world
in a convincing way also requires a
lot of processing power. Even when
Sensors
Special Edition
62 l New-Tech Magazine Europe