Like the cloud, edge is a model rather than a location, but the kinds of locations that make up the edge impose definite demands on hardware. Both those locations and the common uses of edge computing result in a wide range of edge hardware, that will continue to diversify in 2021.

Hardware deployed at the edge was initially purpose-built for specific workloads, frequently CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) or IoT, but infrastructure-based compute has been emerging as a key use case: IDC predicts that by 2023 edge networks will represent over 60% of all deployed cloud infrastructure[1]. Adding to the trends that are already driving edge growth, the impact of the pandemic on workforce and operations practices will continue to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure, application and data resources in edge locations through 2021 and into the following years[2].

Familiar data center providers will add edge offerings, but increasingly, form factors will be more diverse than mini data centers positioned for workload latency.

Increasingly, IT and OT (Operational Technology) are converging and this trend is especially visible at the edge. To encompass the continuum of requirements across the User and Service Provider Edge, as well as the different points within networks where compute is required, edge hardware will vary from a hyperscale stamp in a telco central office to a smart camera on a factory production line or in a warehouse connected over private 5G, or ruggedized outdoor locations from race tracks to oil rigs, with factories, offices and even planes and ships turning into micro data centers.

In 2021 we expect to see more variety for what’s inside the box as well: Arm server processors and FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) boards may still be unusual but there will be a wide range of hardware acceleration, with the increasing heterogeneity driven by the wider range of workloads happening at the edge.

[1] IDC webinar: Market Insights Opportunities, Jan 16th 2020 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=eFgIX7xDq2A

[2] IDC FutureScape: Worldwide IT Industry 2021 Predictions https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US46942020

This was the chapter on hardware that I wrote for the State of the Edge report 2020: you can read the rest of it here:

State of the Edge Report 2020 – State of the Edge
Download the vendor-neutral report on edge computing, featuring a bottoms-up forecast showing $700 billion in cumulative CAPEX spend within the next decade.
https://stateoftheedge.com/reports/state-of-the-edge-2020/

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