NTT DATA has introduced its new Edge AI platform to enhance IT/OT convergence by bringing AI processing to the Edge. This fully managed solution processes data at its source, unifying various IoT devices, systems, and data. It enables real-time decision-making, improved operational efficiencies, and secure AI application deployment across industries, advancing Industry 4.0 technologies.
While recent focus has been on GenAI and Large Language Models (LLMs), these are unsuitable for industries requiring immediate, local decisions. NTT DATA’s Edge AI solution overcomes this issue by handling large data sets on compact computing platforms, using smaller, efficient machine learning models to provide real-time AI insights.
NTT DATA’s Edge AI is an all-inclusive managed service platform, encompassing all necessary systems, tools, and capabilities for AI at the edge. It covers data discovery, collection, integration, computational power, seamless connectivity, and AI model management.
The platform, supported by NTT DATA’s consulting data scientists, managed services, and global technical resources, tackles the shadow IoT challenge and AI infrastructure challenges. It automatically discovers, unifies, and processes data from IoT devices and IT assets across the organisation, simplifying AI deployment and management.
Addressing industry-specific challenges with AI-driven insights, the Edge AI platform uses lighter, cost-effective AI models, allowing operation on a small compute box. It supports specific tasks such as safety and operational efficiency by collecting data from various devices within a network, enabling immediate and secure data processing and analytics.
Manufacturing operations, for instance, could benefit from enhanced predictive maintenance by accessing IT/OT data from sensors, machinery, cameras, and applications to pre-empt and address failures. Additionally, NTT DATA’s Edge AI can monitor and optimise energy usage in real-time, predicting energy spikes and optimising machinery usage, thereby reducing costs and CO2 emissions through renewable energy.
“Our Edge AI platform represents a significant leap forward in driving AI at the edge securely and cost-effectively,” said Shahid Ahmed, Group Executive Vice President of Edge Services at NTT DATA. “By harmonising data from disparate sensors and devices with lightweight AI models, powering all kinds of automation use-cases, NTT DATA’s Edge AI is pioneering industrial AI adoption as the first fully managed offering, helping organisations modernise with tailored, industry-specific solutions.”
Seizing a US$200 billion market opportunity, IDC forecasts that global spending on edge computing will reach US$232 billion in 2024, a 15% increase from 2023. This growth is driven by the rising number of connected IoT devices worldwide, projected to surpass 41 billion by 2025.
NTT DATA is well-positioned to capture a substantial market share through its dedicated IoT consulting and services business, which comprises 1,000 industry experts and numerous use cases in predictive maintenance, fleet management, connected factories, energy consumption monitoring, and sustainability. Over 500 sales experts globally have already been trained to accelerate its Edge AI market efforts.
NTT DATA’s Edge AI deployment strategy offers clients a free 30-day discovery and diagnostic of their IT and OT environment. The software automatically discovers assets using its extensive library of pre-built OT interfaces. Post this phase, Edge AI software generates a detailed diagnostic report, inventorying assets and data streams, and identifying security risks and vulnerabilities.
“A key challenge for enterprises is reliably capturing and aggregating operational data securely across a fragmented landscape of devices, platforms and data sources and turning it into actionable insights,” said Alejandro Cadenas, Associate Vice President, Telco Mobility & IoT Research, IDC Europe. “NTT DATA’s ultralight Edge AI addresses these issues and simplifies the deployment and adoption of a data-driven enterprise strategy, reducing risks and timelines and optimising total cost of ownership and value for the enterprise.”
NTT DATA’s managed services for Edge AI provide a unified view and management of devices, sensors, and assets. With expert support and advanced technologies, NTT DATA assists businesses in simplifying complex processes, driving cost savings, enhancing performance, and accelerating digital transformation.
As the industry’s first fully managed IT/OT convergence platform, Edge AI converts physical assets into software assets for data-driven insights, regardless of the manufacturer. Operating at the edge, managed services integrate OT assets with IT applications, boosting operational efficiency. Edge AI also offers a view of the firmware version of all connected devices to promote vulnerability patching and overall device security.
“Computing and AI must happen where they create the most value for the enterprise; for many industrial enterprises this is where the data is generated. By ingesting IT and OT data and leveraging AI models to drive use-case specific results, the NTT DATA solution takes another step towards realising the industry 4.0 vision,” noted Pablo Tomasi, Principal Analyst, Private Network, Omdia. “Additionally, using task-specific small AI models will help drive AI democratisation by making it is easier for the enterprise to introduce AI where and when is needed, without the need for an extensive overhaul of their whole infrastructure.”
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