Ericsson said that the combined offering would integrate its enterprise wireless solutions, including 5G and SD-WAN technologies
In sum – what to know:
Ericsson and Supermicro team up – The two firms plan to offer integrated 5G and edge AI systems to help enterprises deploy AI at the network edge faster and more easily.
Retail, healthcare and manufacturing – The bundles are aimed at use cases requiring low-latency local processing, such as image recognition and sensor data analysis.
5G replaces wired connections – Ericsson’s wireless tech enables deployment in remote or infrastructure-poor environments where wired options are not feasible.
Swedish vendor Ericsson and Supermicro have announced plans to collaborate on new enterprise solutions that combine 5G connectivity with edge AI systems, the former said in a release.
The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that outlines a joint effort to deliver commercial bundles designed for faster and simpler deployment of AI workloads outside traditional data centers.
The combined offering would integrate Ericsson’s enterprise wireless solutions, including 5G and SD-WAN technologies, with Supermicro’s edge-ready computing platforms. These systems are meant to meet the growing need for low-latency, high-performance AI computing at the network edge in locations like factories, retail stores, hospitals or intersections, where data must be processed in real time.
Ericsson highlighted that the goal of the new offering is to provide customers with a unified solution that is easier to procure, deploy and manage, helping reduce deployment timelines and complexity.
The vendor also noted that Supermicro continues to expand its extensive portfolio of infrastructure products supporting edge AI applications with product choices ranging from small fanless devices to shoe-box sized systems to 1U rackmount systems.
Mory Lin, vice president of IoT/embedded and edge computing at Supermicro, said: “Supermicro delivers cutting-edge solutions that allow enterprises to harness the power of AI at the edge. Our compute platforms combined with Ericsson’s 5G technology will allow enterprises and public sector organizations to extend the reach of their AI applications where wired technologies are not a viable option, such as smart intersections, industrial manufacturing, and remote infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, Ericsson noted that its wireless WAN portfolio of indoor and outdoor low-and-mid band wireless adapters and their 5G, SD-WAN, and security appliances are critical components for an enterprise when traditional wired connectivity may be inconvenient or even unavailable for some of these edge deployments. In these situations, the Nordic vendor explained that 5G can serve as the primary WAN connection or even as a backup WAN connection for business-critical deployments. With Ericsson’s solution, enterprises will also be able to take advantage of 5G functionality including network slicing, cellular intelligence and zero trust security, it added.
Jonathan Fischer, vice president of global OEM and embedded partners at Ericsson said: “Ericsson has been transforming the WAN edge for almost a decade, allowing enterprises to connect anything, anywhere with speed and agility. We are excited to collaborate with Supermicro to extend this same speed and agility to the emerging Edge AI space. Together, we have an opportunity to make it easier for enterprises to operate edge intelligence.”
Specific industry applications include:
-Retail: Accelerate checkout processing through real-time image recognition of items, enhance inventory tracking, and detect and alert against theft.
-Manufacturing: Computer vision Edge AI applications provide critical insight into workplace safety by analyzing video streams from production lines and mobile equipment in real-time, detecting hazards and issuing proactive alerts.
-Traffic safety: Enhance traffic safety by data analysis directly from camera and sensor sources for adaptive real-time traffic management.
-Healthcare management: Support healthcare operations such as just-in-time inventory management to reduce waste and ensure critical medical supplies are available.
