Data security the $3tn AIoT challenge

The AIoT market has been touted as one of the biggest technology revolutions since the advent of the cloud, with the potential to revolutionise life as we know it, from smart homes and cities, to autonomous cars, connected healthcare and industry 4.0.

However, engineers are concerned about security because of the high risk of data leakages and hacking as devices become smarter and begin to handle more and more potentially sensitive information.

These are the findings from Bristol-based AI and voice processing firm XMOS in its Edge of Tomorrow report, which uncovers the sheer potential of the AIoT and outlines what electronics engineers believe to be the biggest market- and device-level challenges to unlocking the industry.

Bandwidth and latency are also issues for AIoT applications where safety and security are priorities while current processing capabilities of the cloud limit the ability for the AIoT to scale.

Mark Lippett, CEO at XMOS, said: “The AIoT market will reach its potential when specific concerns have been addressed around how to make individual devices smarter and safer, without costs spiralling out of control and without overloading the cloud with significantly more data processing.

“The good news is that technological advances in edge processing are starting to solve these issues. By moving processing capabilities onto devices themselves, the AIoT ceases to rely on the cloud for processing and storage, and therefore greatly reduces opportunities for breaches in data security. In the same stroke, moving away from the cloud removes issues around latency, bandwidth and scalability.”

Earlier this year, XMOS announced xcore.ai, its new, disruptive crossover processor for the AIoT market. With prices starting at just $1, xcore.ai heralds an entirely new generation of embedded platform with the potential to underpin the AIoT and drive the next technological revolution. It represents a versatile, scalable, cost-effective and easy-to-use processor.