Eaton helps you deploy AI solutions today – not sometime in the future
Mar 1, 2024
If you were counting on 2024 being the year to cash in on much-hyped Artificial Intelligence (AI) opportunities, the industry appears to be tendering a good news-bad news scenario.
The market is primed and ready to embrace a new offshoot of AI technology: Edge AI which combines edge computing solutions with the machine learning needed to process the massive amounts of data generated by IoT devices
Lofty possibilities, lacking clarity
First, the bad news: Signs of ‘AI fatigue’ are becoming more visible every day. After a year of maximum buildup filled with lofty possibilities – yet still no clear path on how to achieve the promised nirvana – many end users and channel partners have been left pondering how to address the novel technology’s multitude of issues. From security to confidentiality, legal risk to latency, upfront cost to ROI, there is no shortage of reservations. With Proof of Concepts complete – but no active deployment in sight – running Gen AI on the public cloud seems to be the only viable option for the next couple of years, hardly the outcome hoped for by channel partners ready to take advantage of Gen AI’s promises.
Edge AI: a paradigm shift
But now, the good news. The market is primed and ready to embrace a new offshoot of AI technology: Edge AI. Representing one of the biggest opportunities for Eaton channel partners in 2024, Edge AI, as its name suggests, combines edge computing solutions with the machine learning needed to process the massive amounts of data generated by IoT devices. The digital edge is evolving from observability and reporting to richer automation and intelligence, driving growth of AI and ML for the edge. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2027, deep learning will be included in more than 65% of edge use cases, up from less than 10% in 2021. This trend is underscored by the fact that we are already seeing a wide variety of cameras, drones and sensors providing instant diagnostics and faster remediation across numerous sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, oil and gas, utilities, agriculture and construction.
Brightlayer Advantage: remote infrastructure management
For example, healthcare providers are increasingly relying on edge AI to improve patient monitoring and alerting, enable automated escalation and intelligent routing of critical conditions, and deliver real-time diagnostics and decision support of disease and conditions. The oil and gas industry is using the technology for well monitoring, while food and beverage companies are leveraging edge computing with AI to enhance production quality management, reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction. In one instance, a water treatment plant even used edge AI to optimize plant-specific reagent dosing for water purification, making it more accurate and efficient. Enhancing point-of-sale uses in the retail industry and improving production quality management, asset management and predictive maintenance in manufacturing represent additional opportunities.
Seizing edge AI opportunities now
The fact that these and other use cases require higher end infrastructure solutions to support the accelerated computing and high-power-consuming GPUs means more good news for channel partners, since these systems are part of Eaton’s historical sweet spot. Partners can leverage a full portfolio of Eaton infrastructure solutions and support capabilities that align perfectly with edge AI, including UPSs in the 5 to 50 kW range, high-power PDUs, sturdy rack enclosures, cable management and connectivity, and remote management afforded through the Brightlayer platform.
Partners will also appreciate that the average Edge AI selling price is typically greater than that of mainstream plug-and-play IT applications, as these higher-power solutions often require some level of installation services. You can access our extensive network of licensed contractors to help, while relying on Eaton’s presales and application engineering support to custom-tailor a solution to meet your customers’ varied needs and ensure fast time to market.
Despite AI uncertainty, for Eaton partners, the future is now. We have everything you need to close deals and cash in on Edge AI opportunities today, while giving you plenty of time to consider how to sell GenAI in the future.