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CONCEPT Cited by 1 source

Edge computing

Definition

A distributed computing paradigm where computation and data storage are brought closer to the sources of data — physically located at or near the point of use rather than in centralized cloud data centers. In system design, edge computing addresses three primary concerns: latency (network round-trips eliminated), connectivity (operation despite intermittent or absent network), and data locality (sensitive data stays on-premises).

Key trade-offs

  • Capability vs. proximity: Edge hardware is constrained relative to cloud; model/workload selection is hardware-driven.
  • Freshness vs. independence: Updates require deployment cycles; edge runs on stale artifacts between syncs.
  • Fleet management complexity: Each edge device is an independent failure domain with its own observability, update state, and hardware profile.
  • Security perimeter shift: At the edge you own the full stack — physical access, encryption, network segmentation.

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