The Ultimate

Guide to Edge AI
The playbook for edge AI
business transformation

edgeimpulse.com
AN INTRODUCTION FROM OUR
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the latest demand for intelligent devices. In “The
disruptive technology that has captured Ultimate Guide to Edge AI,” we shine the
the collective imagination of individuals spotlight on how edge AI is transforming
and businesses alike. While AI offers many businesses, offering both practical and
benefits and is already making its way into strategic insights for leveraging this
our personal lives, edge AI is emerging as groundbreaking technology.
the real game changer for businesses.
Whether you’re a business leader looking to
Edge AI — running AI algorithms directly see dramatic improvements in operational
on devices in the physical world rather than efficiency, customer satisfaction, and a
relying on the cloud — has rapidly evolved competitive advantage or a developer pushing
into a critical modern advancement the boundaries of what’s possible, edge AI has
utilized not only for commercial operations the potential to reshape your organization.
but also for applications that significantly
impact quality of life. As we navigate a The future of business is intelligent, distributed,
world increasingly driven by data, the and happening at the edge. Discover how you
ability to process information and make can lead the way in the pages of this guide.
real-time decisions at the source has
become not only a necessity but a distinct
competitive advantage.

How are companies using edge AI to

solve business problems? What are they
building, and how will their customers
benefit from this technology?

Consider a manufacturing plant where

edge AI-powered sensors can detect and
predict equipment failures before they
occur, a clinic offering more personalized
and timely patient care with wearable
devices capable of detecting anomalies
and alerting healthcare providers instantly,
or a car that can listen to the audio of its
surroundings and detect events of interest,
i.e., a collision or theft. These are all real
on-device applications that are being built
today, along with thousands of others, and
we are just at the starting point. The use
cases for edge AI are limitless.
Zach Shelby
Product managers and business executives
are feeling the pressure to put AI into more Co-Founder and CEO
products to meet consumer and industrial Edge Impulse

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 Table of Contents

Chapter 1: How Edge AI is Reshaping the Business Landscape 4

Chapter 2: Edge AI Enablers in Intelligent Technologies 7

Chapter 3: The Business Case for Edge AI 10

Chapter 4: Real-world Case Studies and Success Stories 12

Chapter 5: Cutting Costs and Boosting Profits with Edge AI 14

Chapter 6: Accelerating AI Innovation with Edge AI + Cloud Computing 15

Chapter 7: The Rise of Gen AI and Foundational Models 18

Chapter 8: Powering the Future with Cutting-edge AI Hardware and Software 19

Chapter 9: Why Model Efficiency is Crucial to Successful Edge AI Deployment 22

Chapter 10: Getting Started with Edge AI 23

Chapter 11: In-House Development or an End-to-End Solution? 29

Chapter 12: Challenges and Barriers to Edge AI Adoption 31

Chapter 13: The Transformative Power of Edge AI 33

Chapter 14: The Future of Edge AI 35

About Edge Impulse 37

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 Chapter 1

HOW EDGE AI IS RESHAPING THE

BUSINESS LANDSCAPE
Edge AI — the fusion of artificial intelligence with edge computing — is not just the new
technology on the block; it’s the key to unlocking unprecedented levels of efficiency,
responsiveness, and innovation across every industry. Imagine a world where the boundaries
between the physical and digital blend seamlessly, creating interconnected systems, smart
devices, and immersive experiences. With advances in real-time computing and sensor
technology, edge intelligence is reshaping how we live and work.

Businesses leverage these innovations to improve performance, while consumers benefit

from personalized experiences like never before. From factories where machines predict and
prevent their own failures, to healthcare devices that can make life-saving decisions, edge AI
is making the seemingly impossible, possible. It’s not only about faster computing or smarter
algorithms; it’s about bringing intelligence to the very edge of the digital world, where data is
born and actions take place.

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Demystifying the edge: understanding the technology
and its potential
Edge AI involves deploying intelligent algorithms to run directly on edge devices such as sensors,
cameras, and industrial controllers rather than relying solely on centralized cloud servers. This
approach enables real-time data processing, which is essential for applications requiring low
latency, enhanced privacy, energy efficiency, and immediate decision-making.

Edge AI doesn’t exist in a vacuum, however; some interconnected systems and technologies
make it possible, including:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) — computer systems designed to make intelligent decisions based
on data, often in a real-world context. These systems may be based on statistical models
trained on large amounts of data or on rule-based programs created by software engineers.

Machine Learning (ML) — a subset of AI that focuses on developing algorithms that allow
computing systems to learn from and make predictions based on data without being explicitly
programmed for each task.

“By 2026, at least 50%

of edge computing
deployments will involve
machine learning, compared
to 5% in 2022.”

Source: Gartner Hype Cycle™ for Edge Computing, 2024, Thomas Bittman, 15 July 2024
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally,
and is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

The Internet of Things (IoT) — a vast network of interconnected devices embedded with
electronics, software, sensor, and network connectivity which enables these devices to collect
and exchange data.

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Computing at the edge: from MCUs to MPUs to GPUs
and NPUs
Edge AI spans a wide spectrum of computing capabilities, tailored to meet diverse
application needs:

Microcontroller Units (MCUs) — Ideal for ultra-low power, cost-sensitive applications.

Examples include smart sensors, wearables, and simple IoT devices.

Microprocessors (MPUs) — Sophisticated, integrated circuits that serve as a central

processing unit (CPU) of a computer or advanced electronic system. Key characteristics
include higher processing power, making them ideal for applications requiring significant
computational power and versatility. Ideal cases for MPUs include gaming consoles,
smartphones, tablets, and industrial control systems.

GPU-accelerated systems — High-performance computing for intensive AI tasks. Use

cases include autonomous vehicles, advanced robotics, and real-time video processing.

Neural Processing Units (NPUs) — Specialized processors designed to accelerate neural

network operations and AI tasks. Unlike general-purpose CPUs and GPUs, NPUs are
optimized for parallel computing, making them highly efficient at handling AI-related
tasks such as speech recognition, image processing, and more.

Hybrid Edge-cloud Systems — Combining local processing with cloud resources.

Examples include distributed AI for smart cities and large-scale IoT deployments.

As these devices become faster and more efficient, their ability to run AI models grows without the
need for dedicated onboard AI-accelerated hardware. Nordic Semiconductor, Infineon, Espressif,
Renesas, Silicon Labs, Texas Instruments, NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip all have devices with
demonstrated AI capabilities in different ways to support different markets.

We’ll delve into edge AI-specific hardware in Chapter 8.

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 Chapter 2

EDGE AI ENABLERS IN
INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES
AI is a broad field encompassing multiple subfields and technologies, each with unique
characteristics and applications. Edge AI and generative AI stand out as distinct approaches
in the AI landscape. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between the various subfields.

Defining the intelligence spectrum

AI:
Some of the key characteristics include:

Data-driven — AI systems learn from large amounts of data to make predictions, recognize
patterns, and improve performance over time.

Versatile applications — AI can be used in multiple fields, including manufacturing,

healthcare, finance, transportation, and more.

Centralized processing — Traditional AI models depend on resource-heavy, centralized

servers and cloud computing for data processing and model training. Examples include
predictive analytics in finance, natural language processing for chatbots, and image and
speech recognition patterns.

Edge AI:
Edge AI is a subset of AI where data processing and AI computation are performed locally on
edge devices or hardware rather than in centralized data centers or the cloud. Edge devices
include sensors, microcontrollers, and other IoT devices that generate and process data at the
network’s edge. This offers key advantages over cloud AI, including:

Local processing — AI computations occur on the device where data is generated,

reducing the need for transmission to any servers.

Low latency — Immediate data processing and decision-making are possible and critical
for real-time applications like security and safety.

Energy efficiency — By processing data locally on-device, edge AI reduces the need
for constant communication with cloud servers, conserving precious battery life and
enabling more optimized and efficient use of energy.

Enhanced privacy — Sensitive data remains on the device, reducing the myriad of security
risks associated with transmitting data over networks, such as eavesdropping and man-
in-the-middle attacks.

Efficient bandwidth usage — Only relevant data or insights are sent to the cloud, saving
bandwidth and reducing costs.

Examples include real-time video analytics on security cameras, health monitoring with
wearable devices, and predictive maintenance for industrial machinery.

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Generative AI:
Gen AI focuses on creating new data instances that resemble existing data. It involves training
models to generate text, images, audio, and other forms of content. These models learn the
underlying patterns and structure of the input data and use this knowledge to produce new,
similar data. Key characteristics include:

Content creation — Gen AI excels at creating new content, including text, images, and code.

Deep learning models — They often rely on advanced neural networks such as transformer
architectures. Transformers are the backbone of many modern natural language
processing (NLP) models 1.

Creative applications — Art installations, entertainment, marketing, and personalized

content generation.

Gen AI at the edge

At the edge, gen AI represents the convergence of two transformative technologies: edge AI,
focused primarily on inference and decision-making based on pre-trained models, and gen AI,
based on general knowledge of the internet and excels at tasks like labeling and generating
samples of human speech or sounds.

Both work powerfully together when gen AI is used to train better edge models, for example, via synthetic
data or knowledge distillation (where knowledge from a large model is “distilled” into a smaller one).

According to Bloomberg Intelligence, gen AI is poised to become a $1.3 trillion market by 20322,
and rising demand for gen AI products could add $280 billion of new software revenue. As the
market expands, we expect to see a significant portion of the growth driven by edge-based gen
AI applications. Could the $280 billion in new software revenue suggest a surge in demand for
lightweight, efficient gen AI models optimized for the edge? We certainly think so.

$1.3 Tn Size of gen AI market by 2032.

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 Chapter 3

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR EDGE AI

With its numerous compelling benefits, edge AI is an attractive technology in an increasingly
data-driven world. Let’s take a deeper dive into the business case for edge AI.

Market momentum — global edge AI growth and projections

The global edge AI market size is expected to be worth around $163 Billion USD by 2033, up
from $19 Billion USD in 20233.

Industry impact — top applications driving edge AI adoption

Manufacturing

Edge AI is revolutionizing manufacturing through predictive maintenance, quality control,

and process optimization. Fortune Business Insights predicts the global smart manufacturing
market will grow to $998.99 billion by 20324. The market size is projected to increase from
$349.48 billion in 2024 to $998.99 billion by 2032. Emerging technologies such as AI, cloud
computing, big data, and machine learning are expected to drive this growth.

In a recent report by Edge Impulse and Manufacturing Dive, 100% of those surveyed responded
yes to the question of whether their companies were working on initiatives to integrate AI
and/or ML into their manufacturing environment.

Furthermore, 81% of respondents indicated that improvements in the manufacturing process

are the area they’re looking to leverage AI/ML the most, followed by production quality at 75%.

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Edge Impulse-Manufacturing Dive survey

These survey results reveal a considerable shift in the manufacturing sector’s approach to AI
and ML. The fact that 81% of respondents called out the manufacturing process itself as the
area where AI and ML could have the most impact is particularly telling. This suggests a focus
on core operations — possibly targeting efficiency, quality improvements, and cost reductions
in the production line.

Manufacturing process 81%

Production quality 75%

Equipment management 59%

Environmental quality 54%

Staff efficiency 53%

Staff safety 48%

Percentage of Responses
Edge Impulse-Manufacturing Dive survey

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Healthcare

In healthcare, edge AI is enabling faster diagnostics, personalized treatment plans, and remote
patient monitoring. Companies like GE Healthcare use medical imaging devices to assist
in quick and accurate diagnoses. Such devices allow healthcare providers to continuously
monitor a person’s health and gather large amounts of data.

“In the wearable monitor and

healthcare market, we are now
experiencing devices with built-
in intelligence and machine
learning capabilities powered by
low-power yet powerful wireless
computers like Nordic’s nRF54
Series Bluetooth LE and nRF91
Series Cellular IoT product lines.
When critical situations happen,
every second counts. Edge
Impulse’s AI/ML capabilities
and Nordic’s wireless solutions
ensure that medical devices can
make standalone and crucial
decisions in real-time, backed
by robust, global connectivity.
Healthcare professionals can
have confidence in the data
and act swiftly to improve
patient outcomes.”

Thomas Søderholm, VP, Business

Development, Nordic Semiconductor

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 Chapter 4

REAL-WORLD CASE STUDIES AND

SUCCESS STORIES
Healthcare
Disease insights and management: Hyfe

Examples of edge AI in healthcare include Hyfe, which uses edge AI to extract actionable insights
from coughs. Hyfe imported the world’s largest cough dataset into Edge Impulse, generating a
cough detection model capable of fitting on an Arm Cortex-M33 processor.

Hyfe initially utilized a traditional model approach where the model was trained on raw data.
But to achieve the desired results, a pivotal step needed to be addressed: Digital Signal
Processing (DSP).

DSP — the analysis, manipulation, and synthesis of digital signals from sources such as audio,
images, or sensor data — is a can’t-miss element of developing effective ML algorithms. DSP
cleans up noisy signals, extracts the most relevant signals, and helps remove meaningful
features from data.

By leveraging Edge Impulse’s turnkey DSP-based extractors, Hyfe is successfully creating AI

models that are not only effective in cough detection but also compatible and efficient on
various devices, including high-performance hardware with low latency and small memory
footprints. With this success, the company now supplies the Hyfe SDK to the Nordic nRF52-
powered ActiGraph LEAP wearable, among other devices.

For people suffering from refractory chronic cough, along with conditions like asthma, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, and allergies, the Hyfe application provided something
previously unavailable — a way to qualify and quantify their coughs. The Hyfe app quickly
became a resource for those sufferers, highlighting the importance of cough as a data point
in managing and understanding various respiratory conditions.

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Assisted living/elder care: CarePredict

Anyone with an elderly relative who has suffered a fall knows how devastating such an event
can be. CarePredict, a company specializing in home care and assisted living, is working on
a fall detection device for the elderly, after the founder observed falls as a common problem
that impacted his parents and many others.

However, CarePredict had a major problem: the occurrence of too many false positives in their
current algorithm. They turned to Edge Impulse for model development.

With Edge Impulse’s

edge AI capabilities,
CarePredict’s fall
detection algorithm has
seen a 65% reduction in
false alarms compared to
their previous algorithm.

Manufacturing
Predictive maintenance

Manufacturers continuously monitor equipment performance by analyzing data from sensors

and IoT devices in real time. Edge AI algorithms enable the detection of anomalies, potential
failures, and recommend preemptive maintenance actions, helping to minimize downtime
and maximize asset utilization.

Consumer products and services

Electronics: Poly, an HP company

In 2023, Poly, a subsidiary of HP, released two new Bluetooth headsets: the Voyager Surround
80 and 85 models, as well as the Voyager Free 60 (and 60+) earbuds. Poly Voyager Free
60 earbuds and Poly Voyager Surround 80 and 85 headsets can now be controlled using
voice commands, allowing users to answer or ignore an incoming call by saying “Answer” or
“Ignore,” respectively.

This voice-controlled feature, using a keyword-detecting AI algorithm running directly on-

device without any cloud interfacing at all, is the culmination of months of collaboration
between Poly and Edge Impulse to train, build, and deploy en masse, not just a novel function
that responds to the two keywords, but works with eleven different languages.

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 HP used Edge Impulse’s
platform to give HP engineers
the tools to fast-track their
model development and
deployment phase. In fact, with
Edge Impulse’s help, HP was
able to collect keyword data,
train a production-grade ML
model, and deploy it into their
own custom workflow within
just months.

Smart cities
Edge AI is critical in developing smart cities, powering everything from traffic management
to energy distribution. Singapore’s Smart Nation Initiative extensively uses edge AI for urban
planning and development5.

Smart camera systems designed to monitor and optimize traffic flow and enhance public
safety are becoming more common components of modern urban infrastructure. These
advanced systems leverage cutting-edge technologies, such as AI and computer vision, to
analyze and respond to real-time traffic conditions. By deploying these smart camera systems
at strategic locations throughout cities, municipalities can address a variety of challenges and
significantly improve overall urban efficiency.

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 Chapter 5

CUTTING COSTS AND BOOSTING

PROFITS WITH EDGE AI
Edge AI adoption can reshape your bottom line if done right. It also has the potential to be an
effective differentiator and competitive advantage. By embedding intelligence directly into
devices and systems, businesses can offer unprecedented levels of personalization, efficiency,
and functionality that set their products apart in crowded markets.

Edge AI’s ability to operate in low-connectivity environments is opening up new use cases
and customer experiences that were previously impossible. For instance, think of a smart
home device with edge AI that can respond to user preferences without cloud latency or first
responders who might “go dark” during a disaster and need to communicate.

By bringing intelligence directly to where data is generated, edge AI slashes operational

costs, opening opportunities for increased profitability. Imagine reducing cloud computing
expenses by as much as 35% year over year6 as data processing shifts to the edge, or cutting
network bandwidth costs.

In manufacturing, edge AI, via predictive maintenance, continuously monitors equipment in real
time, detecting anomalies humans might miss. This practice extends equipment lifespan, offering
up cost savings by addressing issues earlier, avoiding major breakdowns before they occur.

The hidden costs of downtime — industrial machinery

Estimated total annual costs/losses associated

$222.0 Bn
with maintenance7.

$50 Bn
Estimated annual costs associated with
unplanned downtime for industrial manufacturers.

42% Equipment failure is the cause of this

unplanned downtime8.

By adopting edge AI, businesses across industries and other areas are not only improving
operational efficiency by knowing when equipment will fail before it actually happens, but also
creating new revenue streams and enhancing customer experiences. As the technology continues
to grow, its transformative potential is only expected to increase, making it a critical consideration
for forward-thinking organizations.

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 Chapter 6

ACCELERATING AI INNOVATION
WITH EDGE AI + CLOUD COMPUTING
The debate between edge AI and cloud computing has gained significant traction as the demands
for real-time data processing and low-latency responses grow. Cloud computing offers immense
computational power, scalable resources, and centralized data storage. But as with any technology,
there are both benefits and challenges. Organizations that leverage the strength of both cloud and edge
AI will be well-positioned to accelerate their AI innovation ambitions.

Edge AI strengths over cloud AI

Edge AI offers several distinct advantages over cloud computing, making it the preferred
choice for many applications, especially those that require split-second decision-making.

Reduced latency — enables real-time processing and immediate responses by eliminating the
need to send data to and from remote servers. This is significant in time critical applications
where every millisecond counts.

Enhanced privacy — keeps sensitive data local, reducing the risk of breaches during data
transmission. This is significant to prevent patient data from being leaked or preventing hacks of
sensitive data.

Improved reliability/offline functionality — continues to function even with poor or no internet

connectivity, ensuring uninterrupted operation in critical applications.

Bandwidth efficiency — reduces the amount of data sent over networks, significantly lowering
cloud costs, and improving performance in bandwidth-constrained environments.

Deployment scalability — allows for easier deployment and management of AI capabilities

across numerous devices without straining centralized resources.

Energy efficiency — consumes less power by minimizing data transmission, extending battery
life of mobile and IoT devices, resulting in a much more marketable product.

Personalization — facilitates more personalized user experiences by processing user data

locally, enhancing privacy and responsiveness.

Limitations of edge AI
Limited processing power — edge devices typically have less computation capacity than
cloud servers, constraining the complexity of AI models that can be run.

Storage constraints — edge devices often have limited memory and storage, restricting the
size of AI models and the amount of data that can be stored locally.

Update challenges — deploying updates to AI models across numerous edge devices can be
logistically complex and time-consuming.

Limited data aggregation — edge devices may not have access to the breadth of data availability
in cloud environments, potentially limiting AI’s learning and adaptation capabilities.

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Edge AI-powered wearable devices for health monitoring
Offline or remote operations — in scenarios where internet connectivity is intermittent or
unavailable, such as during a natural disaster9.

Cost efficiency for high-volume data — for applications generating vast amounts of data, edge
AI can significantly reduce cloud storage and bandwidth costs by processing data locally.

When immediate responses are needed — when real-time processing is required for immediate
responses, such as autonomous vehicles or industrial robots, edge AI eliminates network latency.

Data sensitivity — when dealing with sensitive data, i.e., patient information, edge AI provides a way
to process information locally without exposing the information to potential vulnerabilities in transit,
such as during round trips to the cloud.

edge AI-powered wearable devices

for health monitoring.

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Cloud AI advantages
Powerful computing resources — Another key advantage of cloud-based AI is access to near limitless
computing resources. Leading cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) offer vast amounts
of processing power, storage, and advanced AI tools that are otherwise prohibitively expensive for most
organizations to maintain in-house. This access allows businesses to perform complex computations, run
sophisticated machine learning algorithms, and manage large datasets with ease.

Computational resource flexibility — Cloud-based AI offers unparalleled advantages in scalability and

flexibility. Companies can start with minimal resources and expand their computational capacity as needed
without investing in expensive hardware. The flexibility of cloud-based AI also means that companies can
quickly adapt to changing market demands, deploy new AI models, and integrate emerging technologies
with minimal disruption.

Centralized data processing — Centralized data and analysis further enhance the value of cloud-based AI.
By aggregating data in a centralized cloud environment, businesses can perform comprehensive analyses
and derive insights that drive strategic decision-making.

Limitations of cloud-based AI
Latency issues — Despite its many advantages, cloud AI also presents several limitations that businesses
must consider. One of the primary challenges is latency issues. Since data must travel from the user’s
device to the cloud server for processing and then back again, this roundtrip time can introduce delays,
which can be problematic for applications requiring real-time responses. Latency remains a critical issue
in cloud-based applications, particularly in scenarios where milliseconds can make a significant difference.

Connectivity requirements — Another considerable limitation of cloud AI is its dependency on stable and
high-speed internet connectivity. For remote or rural areas with unreliable internet access, relying on cloud
AI can lead to inconsistent performance and service disruptions. This connectivity requirement can also
hinder the deployment of AI solutions in regions where infrastructure is not robust, limiting the potential
reach and effectiveness of cloud-based AI systems.

As reported by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), around 37% of the global population still
lacks internet access, highlighting the connectivity gap that can affect cloud AI adoption10.

Data privacy and security concerns — Safeguarding sensitive information is also paramount when
considering cloud AI. Storing such data in the cloud raises the risk of breaches and unauthorized access.
Despite stringent security measures implemented by cloud providers, the centralized nature of cloud
storage can make it an attractive target for cyberattacks.

Ongoing operational costs — While cloud AI offers scalability, the costs associated with continuous data
transfer, storage, and computational power can add up over time. Cloud infrastructure continues to be one
of the fastest-growing business expenditures.

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When to choose cloud over edge
Complex, resource-intensive computations — When your AI models require massive computational
power or need to process extremely large datasets, cloud computing’s scalable resources are often more
efficient than edge devices.

Non-time-sensitive applications — For applications where real-time processing isn’t critical and a little
latency is acceptable, the robust processing power of cloud computing may be more beneficial.

Initial model development and training — Building and training of complex AI models often require
significant computational resources, making cloud platforms ideal choices.

Backup and disaster recovery — Cloud computing typically offers more robust options for data
backup, redundancy, and disaster recovery.

Frequent model updates — If your AI model needs constant retraining or updates based on large-
scale data, cloud infrastructure offers easier management and deployment.

The best of both worlds — the benefits of a hybrid approach

The convergence of edge and cloud computing can lead to a hybrid approach that leverages the
strengths of both paradigms.

For instance, say a large retail chain wants to implement a hybrid edge-cloud approach to its Smart
Stores; it might use edge AI in multiple scenarios: real-time inventory tracking using computer
vision, personalized product recommendations via in-store kiosks, or for immediate theft detection
and alert systems.

This same retailer could then utilize cloud AI for model training and updating based on data from all
stores, or conduct cross-store trend analysis to help drive its marketing strategies.

In a healthcare scenario, a large hospital could use edge AI for patient care and operational efficiency.
Their use of edge AI can involve wearable devices for real-time patient monitoring or bedside monitors
for anomaly detection. In a cloud scenario, they would leverage the cloud for complex medical image
processing, for example.

Here is an overview of the key advantages of a hybrid approach:

Optimized performance — Utilize edge for real-time processing and cloud for complex, resource-
intensive tasks. This allows companies to achieve low latency for critical operations while maintaining
access to cloud resources.

Scalability and flexibility — Scale cloud resources for big data analytics and machine learning, and
deploy edge devices for localized processing, adding or removing as needed.

Enhanced reliability — Maintain basic functionality at the edge, even during network outages, and use
the cloud for redundancy and backup, ensuring data integrity and system resilience.

Comprehensive data management — Process sensitive data at the edge for privacy, then utilize cloud
for long-term storage.

Energy efficiency — Optimize power consumption by distributing processing between the edge and
cloud, while reducing the energy footprint of data centers by offloading suitable tasks to the edge.

By adopting a hybrid edge-cloud approach, companies can create more responsive, efficient, and
scalable AI systems. This strategy allows them to process data where it makes the most sense,
balancing the need for real-time insights with the power of comprehensive data analysis.

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 Chapter 7

THE RISE OF GEN AI AND

FOUNDATIONAL MODELS
Foundational models and gen AI are unlocking new capabilities in the field, from zero-shot learning to
data generation, reasoning, natural language understanding, and creative content generation.

Foundation Models Generative AI

• Pre-trained models • Create data in addition to consuming

• Trained on broad datasets • Can be implemented using foundation models

• Applied to tasks outside their training • Size can vary greatly depending on task

• Tend to be large! Hundreds of megabytes

to terabytes

Text Audio Image Code Writing Speech Denoising

Genomics Time Series Images Code Music

These models, pre-trained on vast datasets, can be adapted for a variety of tasks without extensive
retraining. While typically deployed in cloud environments due to their size and complexity, Edge
Impulse is finding ways to bring these models to the edge 11.

In the current landscape, it’s common to use gen AI models earlier in the machine learning (ML)
workflow, for example, for labeling data or to help train smaller models via model distillation. As for
edge AI, bringing these powerful models to the edge is rare, with the exception of very specific use
cases. However, the future is wide open as the evolution of more efficient hardware and optimized
algorithms continue to evolve rapidly.

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 “We don’t need to wait
for models like GPT to
run on edge devices.
There are already ways
to harness the power
of these foundational
models without needing
to deploy the full-scale
versions at the edge.”

Daniel Situnayake, Director of

Machine Learning, Edge Impulse

Techniques such as knowledge distillation are central to this approach. This process transfers the
knowledge of large models into smaller, more efficient ones, making edge deployment more feasible.
Edge Impulse is leveraging gen AI to create synthetic data, which significantly lowers the cost and
time of data collection for training AI models. This is especially important for applications in industrial
settings where collecting real-world data might be difficult or expensive​.

In the future, we may see more sophisticated, adaptive, and context-aware intelligence directly
on edge devices.

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 Chapter 8

POWERING THE FUTURE WITH

CUTTING-EDGE AI HARDWARE
AND SOFTWARE
Software — global market size and growth projections
Edge AI software solutions are becoming an integral part of modern digital infrastructures. This
growing market encompasses a wide range of tools and platforms designed to enable AI inference
and training on edge devices, from smartphones and IoT sensors to industrial equipment.

The global market for edge Al software is projected to grow from $1.1 billion USD in 2023 to $4.1
billion USD by 202812. The growth is fueled by the increasing adoption of IoT devices, the need
for real-time data processing, and the emergence of 5G networks, says MarketsandMarkets in
their Edge AI Software Market Report.

Software platforms painting the future

NVIDIA — The Jetson platform developed for AI at the edge includes small, power-efficient production
modules and developer kits that offer the most comprehensive AI software stack for high-performance
acceleration to power generative AI at the edge.

Edge Impulse — The leading platform for building, deploying, and scaling edge machine learning
models. The company empowers ML teams to run AI at peak performance on any edge hardware with
unmatched ease and speed.

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Amazon Web Services — AWS IoT Greengrass is an open-source edge runtime and cloud
service for building, deploying, and managing device software. AWS IoT Greengrass makes it
easy to bring intelligence to edge devices, including anomaly detection in precision agriculture
or powering autonomous devices.

Google Coral — Google’s edge AI offering, Coral, provides tools for building edge AI applications,
including hardware, software, and a suite of tools designed to run machine learning models
on edge devices.

Take a look at the Top Ten Platforms for Developing Edge AI Applications13.

Hardware — market size and projections

Edge devices and processors form the backbone of edge AI implementations, enabling local
processing and decision-making across a wide range of applications. These devices range
from specialized AI accelerators and neural processing units (NPUs) to more general-purpose
systems on chip (SoCs) optimized for edge computing. Major players like NVIDIA and Arm
continue to innovate in this space, developing increasingly unique chipsets that are both task-
optimized and energy-efficient edge AI chips and hardware accelerators.

This shift is driving rapid growth in the edge AI hardware market. According to
MarketsandMarkets, the global edge AI hardware market is expected to be worth $54.7 billion
USD by 202914.

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Hardware solutions empowering AI at the edge
Edge GPUs — NVIDIA has developed AI-specific chips like the Jetson Orin series to run optimized
models for edge devices. Production-ready devices from Advantech, Adlink, AAEON, Lanner,
Vecow, Lexmark, Seeed, and many others use these NVIDIA solutions in designs that have the
right specifications to operate in multiple spaces.

SoCs with AI Capabilities — Arm has its own Cortex-M and Cortex-A cores that feature capabilities
to drive AI functions. Companies like STMicroelectronics, NXP, Infineon, Microchip, and many
others continue to invest in this technology. Meanwhile, others like Silabs have added special
cores, such as the MVP (Matrix Vector Processor), to run DSP capabilities. With the latest Arm
announcement of the Cortex-M85, Renesas’ RA8 family uses built-in Helium technology to deliver
the highest scalar, DSP, and ML performance that Arm offers in its MCU cores.

Edge AI Accelerators — Devices from MemryX, Hailo, Deepx, Blaize, and Axelera are AI
coprocessors that run models in an accelerated manner, thereby freeing the host processor from
computationally heavy tasks. Many of these can run the latest vision models.

Neural Processing Units (NPUs) — These are accelerated coprocessors integrated on the same
silicon as the host processor. Arm’s Ethos IP can be easily added alongside Cortex-based IP devices
for accelerated inferencing. The latest U85 is designed for gen AI at the edge with native support for
transformer networks, along with support for Tensor Operator Set Architecture (TOSA) as a standard.

Alif’s Ensemble and Himax’s WiseEye2 both have Ethos-U55 integrated, while in the high-end
market, NXP is using the latest Ethos-U65 in the I.MX93 to achieve better performance with
a Linux-based host processor. Others, like Renesas’s DRP-AI and TI’s specialized DSPs, have
their own dedicated AI accelerators integrated to offload AI tasks from the host processor.

24 edgeimpulse.com
 Chapter 9

WHY MODEL EFFICIENCY IS

CRUCIAL TO SUCCESSFUL EDGE
AI DEPLOYMENT
At the heart of the edge AI revolution lies the critical challenge of model optimization — the
art and science of refining AI models to run efficiently on resource-constrained devices without
sacrificing accuracy. It serves as the linchpin between ambitious AI capabilities and the practical
realities of the constraints of edge devices.

Benefits of model optimization

By reducing model size and computational requirements, compression enables sophisticated AI
models to run more efficiently on resource-limited hardware, dramatically expanding the potential
applications of edge AI.

The benefits of model optimization are multifold:

Reduced energy consumption, leading to longer battery life

Decreased memory usage, allowing for more complex functionality on simpler devices

Lower latency, enabling real-time responsiveness crucial for many edge AI applications

How to achieve model optimization

Edge Impulse’s market-leading Edge Optimized Neural (EON) Compiler15, produces models that
run more efficiently on-device while having reduced RAM and flash usage. It supports a diverse
range of neural networks from TensorFlow to PyTorch, as well as classical ML models from scikit-
learn, LightGBM, and XGBoost. This ensures rapid execution of neural network models for real-
time or near-real-time scenarios, all the while maintaining accuracy and:

Up to 70% less RAM usage

Up to 40% less flash usage

Faster inference times

Reduced overall power consumption

Companies that fail to prioritize model optimization may find themselves unable to deploy their
AI solution on targeted devices, struggle with poor performance, or face prohibitively high costs
for hardware upgrades. Moreover, unoptimized models can lead to slower time-to-market and
missed opportunities.

25 edgeimpulse.com
 Chapter 10

GETTING STARTED WITH EDGE AI

Cultivating edge-centric thinking
Embarking on the edge AI journey requires a fundamental shift in mindset. As companies take
their first steps into this transformative realm, adopting an “edge first” approach is crucial. This
means prioritizing the value and experience delivered directly at the edge rather than treating
edge capabilities as an afterthought.

By centering the edge in their strategic thinking, businesses can unlock the full potential of AI at
the point of action. This edge-centric mindset is an important precursor to leveraging edge AI as
a true business driver.

As we delve into the practical aspects of getting started with edge AI, remember that the most
successful implementations begin with the pivotal shift in perspective — seeing the edge not as a
peripheral consideration but as the new frontier of innovation and competitive advantage.

“Edge AI will be a highly

transformative trend
for the next decade,
with proliferation of IoT
endpoints and more
pervasive network
connectivity via 5G.”

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally
and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

26 edgeimpulse.com
Assessing edge AI readiness
This edge AI maturity assessment checklist is designed as a starting point to help you evaluate
your organization’s preparedness for implementing edge AI solutions. It’s not an exhaustive
roadmap, but rather a guiding tool to identify key areas of focus and potential challenges. Use it
to spark discussions and inform your edge AI strategy.

Edge AI Maturity Assessment Checklist

1. Strategic Alignment
Clear business objectives for implementing edge AI identified
Edge AI initiatives aligned with overall company strategy
Key stakeholders across departments are engaged and supportive

2. Development Capabilities
Internal AI/ML expertise assessed
Skills gap analysis completed
Training or hiring plan to address skill gaps in place
Familiarity with edge AI development tools and frameworks

3. Use Case Definition

Specific edge AI use cases prioritized and documented
Return on Investment (ROI) for each use case estimated
Success metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) defined for each use case

4. Technical Infrastructure
Edge devices/hardware requirements specified
Network capabilities assessed (e.g., connectivity, latency, bandwidth)
Cloud-edge hybrid architecture designed (if applicable)
Scalability needs identified and plans created for addressing them

5. Ethical AI Considerations
Ethical implications of edge AI applications assessed
Bias detection and mitigation strategies implemented
Ensured AI decision-making processes are transparent and understandable
Governance structure for ethical AI use established

27 edgeimpulse.com
 6. Data Readiness
Relevant data sources identified and accessible. Create a data collection program if
starting from scratch
Data quality and quantity metrics defined
Data privacy and security requirements understood and addressed
Plan for ongoing data collection and management in place

7. Model Development
Experimental set of models and DSP algorithms selected or custom
development plan in place
Model optimization for edge deployment strategy defined
Testing and validation procedures established
Plan for model updates and maintenance created

8. Performance Optimization
Benchmarking criteria for on-device performance established
Power consumption and efficiency targets set
Latency requirements for real-time applications defined
Plan for continuous performance monitoring and improvement in place

9. Integration and Deployment

Integration points with existing systems identified
Deployment strategy (e.g., gradual rollout, pilot testing) defined
Monitoring and logging systems for edge AI performance in place
Model monitoring and update strategy defined
Rollback and failover procedures established

10. Security and Compliance

Edge AI-specific security risks assessed
Data protection measures for edge devices implemented
Compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) ensured
Regular security audit process established

11. Commercial Readiness

Go-to-market strategy for edge AI-enabled products/services defined
Pricing model for edge AI solutions determined
Customer support processes for edge AI offerings established
Partner ecosystem for deployment and scaling identified

28 edgeimpulse.com
 12. Future-Proofing
Roadmap for future edge AI capabilities and use cases created
Flexibility for hardware/software upgrades built into the strategy
Continuous learning and adaptation mechanisms for AI models planned
Strategy for staying current with edge AI trends and advancements

ROI Calculator — build vs. buy

Ready to quantify the potential impact of edge AI on your business? After completing the
maturity assessment, take the next step with the ROI calculator. This calculator is designed to
compare the costs and benefits of developing machine learning (ML) projects using a do-it-
yourself (DIY) approach versus utilizing Edge Impulse’s platform.

It takes into account various factors, including team composition, project complexity, and the
nature of the data and sensors involved in your project.

29 edgeimpulse.com
Put the ROI calculator to the test.

Developing an edge AI roadmap

Embarking on the edge AI journey also requires a well-crafted roadmap that aligns with your
organization’s strategic goals and operational realities. Developing the roadmap is a critical step
in navigating the complex landscape of distributed intelligence, ensuring that your investment in
the technology yields tangible results. Below, we’ll explore the key components of an effective
edge AI roadmap.

Define Vision and Objectives

Articulate long-term edge AI vision

Align with overall business strategy

Set clear, measurable objectives

Assess Current State

Evaluate existing infrastructure and capabilities

Identify skill gaps and resource needs

Analyze current data landscape and quality

Identify Key Milestones

Define short-term (6-12 months) goals

Outline medium-term (1-3 years) objectives

Envision long-term (3-5 years) aspirations

30 edgeimpulse.com
 Prioritize Use Cases
Select initial pilot projects

Plan for scaling successful pilots

Outline the timeline for implementing various use cases

Technology Stack Planning

Choose appropriate edge devices and sensors

Select AI frameworks and development tools

Plan for integration with existing systems

Data Strategy
Develop data collection and management plan

Address data privacy and security concerns

Plan for data governance and quality assurance

31 edgeimpulse.com
 Skill Development and Team Building
Outline hiring and training strategies

Plan for continuous learning and skill upgrades

Consider partnerships and external expertise

Budget and Resource Allocation

Estimate costs for each phase of implementation

Allocate resources for different initiatives

Plan for ongoing operational expenses

Risk Assessment and Mitigation

Identify potential technical and operational risks

Develop contingency plans

Consider regulatory and compliance challenges

Performance Metrics and KPIs

Define success criteria for each phase

Establish monitoring and evaluation processes

Plan for regular reviews and adjustments

Stakeholder Communication Plan

Develop strategies for keeping stakeholders informed

Plan for regular progress updates and demonstrations

Prepare for managing change across the organization

Scalability and Future-Proofing

Plan for scaling successful implementations

Consider potential pivots based on technological advancements

Align roadmap with emerging edge AI trends

32 edgeimpulse.com
 Chapter 11

IN-HOUSE DEVELOPMENT OR AN
END-TO-END SOLUTION?
When it comes to implementing edge AI solutions, organizations often face a critical decision:
embark on a DIY journey or adopt an end-to-end platform. In the early days of edge AI, the
DIY approach was often the only option, requiring companies to assemble a complex puzzle of
components, tools, and resources. This meant building a team of specialized talent:

Core Team Composition

AI researchers

Data scientists/ML engineers for model development and optimization

Embedded engineers to handle hardware and deployment challenges

IoT engineers for sensor integration and data collection

Software developers for application development and integration

DevOps engineers for continuous integration and deployment

Data engineers for data pipeline and infrastructure management

Supporting Roles
Project managers to oversee edge AI initiatives

UX/UI designers for creating intuitive interfaces for edge AI applications

Security specialists to ensure data protection and device security

Legal/compliance experts to navigate regulatory landscapes

Domain experts to provide industry-specific insights

33 edgeimpulse.com
Companies also needed to navigate the intricacies of hardware selection, model optimization,
and system integration, often leading to lengthy development cycles and unforeseen challenges.
While DIY can offer maximum customization, the landscape has evolved.

DIY is a challenging approach that demands extensive domain expertise to be feasible.

Developing and maintaining customized solutions often require significant time and resources,
which is impractical for most organizations. Additionally, lacking specialized knowledge can lead
to suboptimal outcomes and potential setbacks.

End-to-end solutions — the power of leveraging MLOps

On the other hand, end-to-end edge AI platforms offer a more streamlined path to
implementation. These offerings are designed to assist developers with the entire process of
developing an application:

Collecting, managing, and exploring datasets

Performing feature engineering and digital signal processing

Training machine learning models, optimizing algorithms for embedded hardware,

deploying to embedded systems, and evaluating systems’ performance on real-world data.

Here’s a snapshot of the Edge Impulse platform for comparison to DIY:

Cost Efficiency and Predictability — Reduce total cost of ownership by eliminating the need
for in-house development and maintenance teams, leading to more predictable budgeting.

Faster Time to Market — Deploy solutions quickly without the delays inherent in
developing and maintaining a system from scratch.

Scalability — Easily scale up or down based on your needs without worrying about
infrastructure limitations or additional development.

Reliability and Uptime — Benefit from a solution that has been thoroughly tested and
proven in various environments to ensure maximum reliability.

Integration Capabilities — Seamlessly integrate with existing systems and platforms,

reducing the complexity and cost of adoption.

Edge Impulse end-to-end platform

34 edgeimpulse.com
 New Features, Regular Updates, and Maintenance — Receive ongoing software updates,
patches, and new features without additional effort on your part.

Focus on Core Competencies — Allow your team to concentrate on developing your

primary business applications, rather than diverting precious resources to develop and
maintain AI tooling.

Enhanced Security Measures — Benefit from advanced security features, such as SOC2
compliance and customer data oversight.

Intellectual Property Assurance — Avoid potential licensing pitfalls — including GPL

compliance — and other IP issues that can arise from developing new technology internally.

Optimization Features — Powerful tools like EON Tuner and EON Compiler allow for
hardware-aware optimization of algorithms and one-model deployment to any device.
Model metrics available within the platform provide detailed insights on model accuracy,
resource usage, and inference speed.

Use the ROI calculator to help you estimate cost savings and efficiency gains.

For organizations looking to quickly capitalize on edge AI benefits without the overhead of
building everything from scratch, an end-to-end solution is an attractive option. Such solutions
often come with robust support and regular updates, ensuring that the systems remain current
with the latest technological advancements.

35 edgeimpulse.com
 Chapter 12

CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS TO

EDGE AI ADOPTION
While the potential of edge AI is immense, the path to widespread adoption is not without hurdles.
Organizations may face a complex landscape of challenges that span technical, operational, and
strategic areas. Here are a few challenges to consider.

Resource constraints
Budget limitations — balancing cost and innovation

Talent scarcity — addressing the edge AI skills gap

Hardware constraints — optimizing for limited computing power

Ultimately, striking the right balance between model complexity, accuracy, and resource
utilization is critical to pushing the limits of edge devices.

However, there are approaches available to developers looking to minimize hardware costs and
enhance the feasibility of deploying advanced AI in resource-constrained environments.

Data privacy and security concerns

As intelligent systems move closer to the edge, the point of data collection, they handle vast
amounts of personal, operational, and proprietary information. We live in an era where data
breaches and privacy violations16 dominate the headlines. Although edge AI offers inherent
advantages in data protection by processing information locally, it also introduces new and
complex security challenges that organizations must carefully navigate.

For product innovation teams, these privacy and security requirements can impact feature
development and user experience. Balancing the need for data protection with the desire for
seamless, user-friendly interactions often requires careful trade-offs.

36 edgeimpulse.com
Navigating the complex regulatory compliance landscape
Organizations must ensure their edge AI implementations adhere to a complex web of data
protection laws. Then, there are industry-specific mandates, such as finance, healthcare, and more,
that are becoming increasingly stringent. It’s also worth noting that the compliance landscape
can vary dramatically across different regions and sectors, presenting a daunting challenge for
those that operate globally.

To help navigate the edge AI compliance, companies can:

Implement privacy by design principles — Implement privacy considerations from the outset of
product development and conduct privacy assessments for new edge AI implementations.

Develop a comprehensive data governance framework — Create clear policies for data collection,
processing, storage, and deletion.

Utilize advanced encryption and security measures — Implement end-to-end encryption on all data in
transit and at rest, and use secure enclaves or trusted execution environments for sensitive processing.

There are pros and cons, risks, and challenges to implementing edge AI. Here are five top risks to
watch out for.

Top 5 risks to consider when implementing an edge AI project:

1. Suitability
The task you want to perform may simply be impossible, so it’s crucial to disprove this as
early as possible in the R&D process. Is AI, or edge AI, the right solution for this problem, or
would another technology be more effective?

Can your application perform adequately in real-life scenarios?

Is it possible to validate your application sufficiently to gain the confidence needed for
deployment? Do the safety margins of your use case allow for the use of AI, knowing that it
will always involve some degree of error?

Is the idea commercially viable, for example, given the hardware requirements?

2. Dataset
It can be too difficult or expensive to obtain an adequate dataset to achieve the required
real-world performance. Data also expires, and models need to be updated over time.

3. Constraints
Is the hardware you’re required to use capable of running the algorithms you need?

Are there communication constraints that cause a problem (bandwidth, latency, etc.)?

Device heterogeneity — can you keep up your product scales as the market evolves?

37 edgeimpulse.com
4. Organization and infrastructure
Is your organization set up to support an edge AI project throughout a potentially long lifecycle?

Is it possible to safely and effectively integrate with existing systems and infrastructure?

5. Expertise
Does your team have the required skills to execute the project from end to end?

“AI has revolutionized

industrial workflows,
particularly in machine
vision, with increasing
accuracy in AI inferencing
and machine learning. But
one of the biggest hurdles
with implementing AI/ML on
the edge is the complexity
of the infrastructure. Edge
Impulse solves this problem
by integrating their software
with edge devices (like
the ICAM-540 Advantech
Industrial AI Camera) to
create an ecosystem that
bridges the gap between the
cloud and edge.”

Melky Rebolledo, Associate

Product Manager, Advantech

38 edgeimpulse.com
 Chapter 13

THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF

EDGE AI
When considering the business case for edge AI, every organization, based on business
objectives and available resources, including AI/ML expertise, must decide whether the benefits
far outweigh the challenges. Industry data and insights support the thesis that edge AI is a game
changer and one of the key technologies that will continue to shape the future of innovation.

The economics of edge AI

Cost savings beyond the initial investment

New revenue streams

Operational efficiency

Reduces cloud computing and data transfer costs, especially for

applications processing large volumes of data

Energy efficiency
Consumes less power by minimizing data transmission, extending the battery life of
mobile and IoT devices

Scalable energy savings — as edge AI is deployed across millions of devices, the

cumulative energy savings compared to cloud-centric approaches can be substantial

Sustainability — green IoT applications such as smart building systems can optimize
energy use in real time

Reliability in action
Unwavering performance — continues to function even with poor or no internet
connectivity, ensuring uninterrupted operation in critical applications

Always-on intelligence

Predictive maintenance

Smarter, more responsive systems

Real-time decision-making (insight to action in milliseconds)

Contextual awareness

Adaptive learning

39 edgeimpulse.com
Privacy and security
Safeguards data at the source

Data minimization by processing data where it matters

Encryption at the edge

Sector-specific impact
Manufacturing — intelligent factories

Healthcare — personalized medicine at the point of care

Retail — reimagining the shopping experience

Smart cities — urban environments that adapt and respond

40 edgeimpulse.com
 Chapter 14

THE FUTURE OF EDGE AI

As we look forward, it’s crucial to understand emerging trends, anticipate industries’ impact,
and strategize on how to leverage edge AI for a competitive advantage and long-term growth.

Emerging technology trends in edge AI

AI-optimized Hardware — development of specialized chips (NPUs, TPUs) designed for
efficient AI processing at the edge.

Federated Learning — Enables collaborative model training across distributed devices without
centralizing data and addresses privacy concerns while enabling more personalized AI.

Tiny ML — Development of ultra-lightweight AI models capable of running on severely constrained

devices, thereby bringing AI capabilities to a wide range of small and low-power devices.

“Neuromorphic processing
for edge AI is inspired
by the brain, focusing on
computing relevant events —
a leap forward in efficiency
and adaptability. When
integrated with platforms
like Edge Impulse, it puts
the power of event-based
computing into the hands of
innovators everywhere.”

Steven Brightfield, Chief

Marketing Officer, BrainChip

Neuromorphic Computing — Development of brain-inspired computing architectures for more

efficient AI processing and the potential to dramatically reduce power consumption in edge AI systems.
BrainChip’s first-to-market, digital neuromorphic processor IP, Akida, keeps AI/ML local to the chip and
independent of the cloud, dramatically reducing latency while improving privacy and data security.

41 edgeimpulse.com
Maximize the edge AI Advantage:
1. Develop an edge AI strategy — Create a comprehensive roadmap that aligns edge AI
initiatives with your overall business objectives and digital transformation efforts.

2. Invest in skills and talent — Build internal expertise in edge AI technologies through training
programs and strategic hiring to drive innovation from within.

3. Prioritize data strategy — Implement robust data collection, management, and governance
practices to ensure high-quality data for edge AI models.

4. Focus on user-centric designs — Ensure that edge AI implementations prioritize user

experience and deliver tangible value to end-users.

5. Security — Implement robust security measures specifically designed for edge AI systems
to protect against emerging threats.

6. Measure and communicate value — Develop clear metrics to measure the impact of edge
AI initiatives and effectively communicate their value to stakeholders.

7. Continuous learning and adaptation — Stay agile and be prepared to pivot strategies as
the edge AI landscape evolves, continuously evaluating new technologies and use cases.

By embracing the right strategy and staying ahead of emerging trends, you can ready
your organization to not only ride the wave of edge AI innovation but to shape its future.
Organizations that successfully integrate edge AI into their core operations and product
offerings will be well-positioned to drive growth, enhance customer experiences, and maintain
a competitive edge in an increasingly AI-driven world.

42 edgeimpulse.com
Footnotes:
1
Top 10 Deep Learning Algorithms You Should Know in 2024.

2
Generative AI to Become a $1.3 Trillion Market by 2032, Research Finds.

3
Global Edge AI Market, Market.us.

4
Smart Manufacturing Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, Fortune Business Insights.

5
Smart Urban Living, Smart Nation, Singapore.

6
What Companies Can Do About Cloud Spend Wastage, Forbes.

7
Maintenance Costs and Advanced Maintenance Techniques in Manufacturing Machinery: Survey and Analysis,
National Library of Medicine.

8
Unlocking Performance: How Manufacturers Can Achieve Top Quartile Performance, Wall Street Journal Partners.

9
Prevent Heat Exhaustion Case Study, Edge Impulse.

10
2.9 Billion People Still Offline, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

11
Roundup: Edge Impulse’s Implementations of LLM Tools and Techniques for Edge AI.

12
Global Edge AI Hardware Market Report, Markets and Markets.

13
Top 10 Platforms for Developing Edge AI Applications, Analytics Insight.

14
Global Edge AI Hardware Market Report, Markets and Markets.

15
Edge Optimized Neural (EON) Compiler.

16
Biggest Data Breaches in U.S. History, Upguard Blog.

43 edgeimpulse.com
The future of edge AI is here. Get
started and see what’s possible.

Learn more

About Edge Impulse

Edge Impulse streamlines the creation of AI and machine learning models for edge hardware, allowing
devices to make decisions and offer insight where data is gathered. Edge Impulse’s technology
empowers developers to bring more AI products to market, and helps enterprise teams rapidly develop
production-ready solutions in weeks instead of years. Powerful automations make it easier to build
valuable datasets and develop advanced AI for edge devices from MCUs to CPUs to GPUs. Used by
health and wearable organizations like Ultrahuman, industrial organizations like Halma, as well as top
silicon vendors and over 160,000 developers, Edge Impulse has become the trusted ML platform for
enterprises and developers alike.

edgeimpulse.com