Edge Computing: Past And Future

In the past decade, massive growth and increasing computing power of IoT devices have resulted in unprecedented volumes of data. Trends show that there will be a continuous growth of data volumes as 5G networks have increased its number of connected devices. Further, there will be a need for efficient management of data. Edge computing initially started in the 1990s, when Akamai launched its CDN with an idea to introduce server nodes at locations geographically closer to the end-user with an aim to shed the load of the Central Server. However, the patent filing boom was observed in the late 1990s when a few of the top giants like Alcatel, Lucent, Bell labs along with other niche players invested a good amount of resources in R&D to acquire patent rights on efficient data processing and quick transmission of data pertaining to edge computing networks. Since then, patent offices across the world have seen a massive increase in patents related to edge computing technology.

Growth in, fast and efficient communication protocols, standards, and application of edge servers, in a wide set of industry segments. has given rise to patent infringement in the technology segment. This decade, the Edge computing domain has witnessed the highest number of patent litigation campaigns among all other technology segments. During the initial days of edge computing technology, a lot of patents, related to improvement in the edge computing domain were filed, within a short span of time, therefore a lot of similar patents remained hidden from the search authorities during the prosecution of patent applications which subsequently resulted in a huge set of unique and inventive, non-valuable patents in the edge computing technology space. The said patents have also given rise to patent infringement complaints, by Non-practicing entities, against key players like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others that deal with products/services pertaining to edge computing.

In the last decade, edge computing technology has grown a lot and is now being widely used in different industrial segments like Media &content distribution, Mobile communication, automotive, e-commerce, etc. With the introduction of new-age technologies such as 5G tech, connected cars, smart devices, the patent list is growing at a fast pace, covering different aspects of the edge computing technology ranging from resource allocation, resource management, data processing to security and power-saving options. Our ICT Research team at K&K and IIPRD keeps an eye on the Edge computing technology segment and regularly evaluates the significance of technologies that are claimed in the new patents/ publications in the technology segment. You can click here to download a copy of our recent report that briefly summarizes the vertical and horizontal growth in the edge computing systems.

Author:  Sanjay Sharma, Patent Solutions Architect, at Global Patent Filing. In case of any queries please contact/write back to us at support@globalpatentfiling.com.

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