K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
How can software be faster, cheaper, and more resilient? For many developers, the answer in 2021 was to move the computation out of a few big datacenters and into many smaller racks closer to users on the metaphorical edge of the internet, and 2022 promises more of the same.
The move is driven by physics and economics. Even when data travels at the speed of light, the time it takes to send packets halfway around the world to one central location is noticeable by users whose minds start to wander in just a few milliseconds. The price of data transmission is often surprising, and many CIOs have learned to make sure to include the cost of data exfiltration alongside the price of servers and disk drives.
These fundamental advantages are indisputable, but edge computing will continue to be limited by countervailing forces that may, in some cases, be stronger. Datacenter operators are able to negotiate lower prices for electricity and that typically means right next to the point of generation like a few miles from some large hydroelectric dams. Keeping data in multiple locations synchronized can be a challenge, and some algorithms like machine learning also depend heavily on working with large, central collections.
Despite these challenges, many architects continue to embrace the opportunity, thanks to the efforts of cloud companies to simplify the process. In May 2021, Amazon, for instance, changed its billing granularity for their Lambda@Edge functions from 50 milliseconds to 1 millisecond, opening up more opportunities. Developers are now paying closer attention to the time a function runs and splitting up work into smaller, simpler units that can take advantage of the lower prices.
AWS vs. Cloudfare
AWS’s decision was no doubt driven by competition from Cloudflare, a company with a strong focus on edge computing. In 2021, the company continued to push hard, focusing especially on the high egress fees that some cloud providers charge on data leaving their centers. Cloudflare’s R2 storage layer, introduced in September 2021, is pushing prices lower, especially for data that’s only accessed occasionally. The service is tightly integrated with Cloudflare Workers, their edge functions, opening up more opportunities for both storage and computation in their local nodes.
Cloudflare also announced more opportunities to simplify adoption by adding partnerships with database companies MongoDB and Prisma. Developers can rely upon modern query languages and well-understood database models with their Worker functions, expanding the opportunities to move workloads to the edge.
Continue reading: https://venturebeat.com/2021/12/28/edge-computing-in-2022/
The move is driven by physics and economics. Even when data travels at the speed of light, the time it takes to send packets halfway around the world to one central location is noticeable by users whose minds start to wander in just a few milliseconds. The price of data transmission is often surprising, and many CIOs have learned to make sure to include the cost of data exfiltration alongside the price of servers and disk drives.
These fundamental advantages are indisputable, but edge computing will continue to be limited by countervailing forces that may, in some cases, be stronger. Datacenter operators are able to negotiate lower prices for electricity and that typically means right next to the point of generation like a few miles from some large hydroelectric dams. Keeping data in multiple locations synchronized can be a challenge, and some algorithms like machine learning also depend heavily on working with large, central collections.
Despite these challenges, many architects continue to embrace the opportunity, thanks to the efforts of cloud companies to simplify the process. In May 2021, Amazon, for instance, changed its billing granularity for their Lambda@Edge functions from 50 milliseconds to 1 millisecond, opening up more opportunities. Developers are now paying closer attention to the time a function runs and splitting up work into smaller, simpler units that can take advantage of the lower prices.
AWS vs. Cloudfare
AWS’s decision was no doubt driven by competition from Cloudflare, a company with a strong focus on edge computing. In 2021, the company continued to push hard, focusing especially on the high egress fees that some cloud providers charge on data leaving their centers. Cloudflare’s R2 storage layer, introduced in September 2021, is pushing prices lower, especially for data that’s only accessed occasionally. The service is tightly integrated with Cloudflare Workers, their edge functions, opening up more opportunities for both storage and computation in their local nodes.
Cloudflare also announced more opportunities to simplify adoption by adding partnerships with database companies MongoDB and Prisma. Developers can rely upon modern query languages and well-understood database models with their Worker functions, expanding the opportunities to move workloads to the edge.
Continue reading: https://venturebeat.com/2021/12/28/edge-computing-in-2022/
