Why edge computing is the next major platform shift & how startups can capitalize on it

Like all of my posts, this was originally written on Twitter in October 2021. Please feel free to join the convo on Twitter at @reneeshah123.

1. Edge computing is the next major platform shift. It won’t be as big as the shift to the cloud, but it will command large dollars and grow in importance over the next several years. Here are some thoughts.
2. The edge has to be faster *and* cheaper for companies to adopt it. The edge won’t be the more expensive option forever. Costs are dropping, and this will catalyze adoption.
3. State management at the edge is still a big problem. Database reads are easier than distributed writes on the edge. Some of the most exciting projects right now are working to solve state conflicts at the edge.
4. Companies can no longer win if they focus on static assets only. In the past, CDNs were caching stateless, static assets. The CDN companies are now enabling stateful, dynamic applications to run on the edge, and this is a huge step forward.
5. There still needs to be a better solution for “edge migration.” There aren’t many good ways to break up an existing application and determine which parts should run on the edge.
6. There still seems to be an opportunity to route requests to the most efficient part of the network (e.g. closest to the user), especially for companies that are on multiple clouds and/or multiple edge networks.
7. Developers should be able to orchestrate workloads across cloud and edge. Several companies are working on “lightweight Kubernetes,” and I’ve heard many developers ask for a new edge orchestration system altogether.
8. Developers will keep pushing the boundaries of ML on the edge. Some are talking about ML inference on the edge, and some are even talking about model training on the edge.
9. New data privacy laws will push forward edge computing. It’s becoming more important to process and store citizens’ data within their own country. Edge networks already include “points of presence” in many of these countries.
10. WebAssembly will be a big part of the edge story. Wasm modules are lightweight, and cost savings from efficiency can be passed to the user. “Write once, run anywhere” has been the dream for 20+ years, and Wasm has the potential to do this.