Where does the “smartness” of IoT come from? Cloud-edge collaboration + AI

Sensors are one of the most important parts of IoT solutions, as they are responsible for converting the physical world into data. As a leading global supplier of electronic components, Avnet has a range of wired and wireless sensor solutions, ranging from simple analog devices to complex video platforms supporting artificial intelligence (AI), capable of meeting various complex application requirements.

However, sensors themselves are only the starting point of the IoT ecosystem. They can generate a large amount of valuable data, but the data usually needs to be moved to another location for analysis and decision-making. In many application scenarios, transmitting data directly to the cloud for centralized processing may not be the best option, especially when bandwidth is limited, data volume is huge, or latency is sensitive. At this time, "edge computing" becomes a powerful supplement to cloud computing. Therefore, collaborative operation between edge and cloud is the key to ensure the efficient operation of IoT systems.

Avnet provides strong technical support for the flow of data between the "edge" and the "cloud" by providing complete gateways, microcontrollers, processors and module systems (SoM). These hardware devices can efficiently aggregate, pre-process and transmit edge data to the cloud for further analysis.

However, for the highly fragmented IoT market, it is far from enough to just have these scattered devices. How to efficiently integrate these different components to build a scalable and flexible IoT solution is the "last mile" problem facing current IoT deployments.

To this end, Avnet launched the IoTConnect platform, which provides customers with more than 30 application scenarios such as smart factories and fixed asset management, and has become a core tool for cloud-edge collaboration. IoTConnect provides customers with an efficient and scalable way to securely connect their networked products to the cloud. Avnet has partnered with AWS and Microsoft to provide IoTConnect on AWS IoT and Microsoft Azure. In addition, IoT Connect is compatible with many current mainstream high-performance microcontrollers, such as STMicroelectronics STM325U, Microchip WFI32-IoT, NXP MaaXBoard, Renesas CK-RX65N, Infineon XENSIV, etc.

As mentioned above, the core value of the Internet of Things lies in the massive amount of data generated by sensors and devices. How to transform this data into actionable insights is the key for enterprises to benefit from it. At this time, the addition of AI and ML is like installing a "smart engine" for the Internet of Things. Through intelligent processing in the cloud and edge devices, data can be analyzed and interpreted faster, enabling real-time, actionable insights.

Although AI and ML technologies bring endless possibilities, it is not easy to fully realize their potential in IoT solutions. The key lies in system-level integration. In the face of these complexities and challenges, Avnet's IoT platform, IoTConnect, simplifies the entire process by seamlessly integrating AI and IoT. Avnet uses its partners and its own AI technology to combine intelligent data processing with the Internet of Things to provide developers with simple and reliable solutions. Whether it is data automation, edge computing, or complex deep learning algorithms, IoTConnect can help companies quickly integrate AI into existing IoT architectures.

Not only that, IoTConnect also solves the problem of data processing and security. It not only helps companies gain insights from data, but also protects this data from attacks during transmission and storage. This is obviously an important advantage for companies that want to maximize their IoT investments and keep their data secure.

From a wide variety of sensors to a powerful data processing platform, Avnet provides a simple and efficient path for enterprises through its IoTConnect platform. In the future, the combination of cloud-edge collaboration and AI will inject endless vitality into the IoT ecosystem and help enterprises embark on the fast track of intelligent transformation.