Signs strategic partnership with LF Edge to extend community’s reach to address instant data exchange at the far edge
Vodafone has kicked off a project with Linux Foundation subsidiary LF Edge which is a new cloud and edge cloud platform to exchange and distribute data in real-time between users in a certain geography through “far-edge” computing power. The project, dubbed InstantX short for Instant EXchange, is aiming to solve the problem of asynchronous and instant data exchange across clients in the same region while offering that data for off-line processing and self-learning to derive further usefulness.
While thankfully not branded as Industrial 4.0, Vodafone believes InstantX will offer many potential applications that utilise low latency and highly responsive technologies to drive forward the industrial internet. This they say is where programmable 5G standalone networks, edge computing and open APIs will finally come into their own. Connecting machines and applications with cloud-based AI powered services will become as commonplace as communicating via social media platforms – and probably less toxic.
InstantX is designed to ensure the secure and reliable exchange and distribution of data in real-time between users in certain locations. It uses ‘far-edge’ or ‘industrial-edge’ computing power which works by locating smaller, industrial servers outside a main data centre but closer to users.
Road safety applications
Vodafone said it has already developed several applications under InstantX. For example, the telco has already successfully tested improved road safety systems in several European countries. This allows pedestrians, cyclists and motorists plus their vehicles to share information with each other such as hazard warnings and difficult road conditions.
Other potential uses it sees include the coordination and control of autonomous robots in smart factories to avoid collisions with other machines, and more importantly, people. It can also help to track, monitor and control beyond-the-line-of-sight drones.
One of the gang
To push InstantX, Vodafone has also announced it has become a premium member of LF Edge, the umbrella organisation within the Linux Foundation dedicated to creating global collaboration on edge computing. The telco will participate actively in the governance of LF Edge, with Sampada Basarkar, product & platform engineering director at Vodafone, gaining a seat on the project’s governing board, technical advisory council and other committees.
The membership enables Vodafone – which is also an active member of the Linux Foundation – to leverage the collective capabilities of open-source edge computing to develop advanced networks for customers of Vodafone Business. Other premium members already include: AMD, American Tower, Arm, AT&T, AVEVA, Baidu, Charter Communications, Dell Technologies, Dianomic, Equinix, F5, Fujitsu, Futurewei, HP, Huawei, Intel, IBM, NTT, Radisys, RedHat, Samsung, Tencent, VMware, Western Digital and ZEDEDA.
“I’m delighted that Sampada has been invited to join the board of LF Edge,” said Vodafone Business CTO Justin Shields. “As a premier member of LF Edge, Vodafone can bring its own source coding credentials in edge computing to a leading developer community so that it can benefit many more organisations and individuals. Partnering with other companies and developers is the key to unlocking opportunities in edge computing to support ultra-low latency applications that will drive forward the industrial internet.”
“Vodafone’s active participation will propel our efforts to develop more robust and interoperable edge computing frameworks, particularly enhancing 5G and mobile private network connectivity,” said Linux Foundation GM networking, edge, and IoT Arpit Joshipura.