The rapid expansion of internet accessibility around the world means that many people now possess at least one edge device, fueling an unprecedented surge in data consumption.

To effectively decipher the amount of information from these endpoints, there’s an imperative for a software-defined edge infrastructure. This infrastructure serves as the backbone for deploying applications capable of precise data analysis and immediate action. Addressing this crucial need, VMware Inc. has introduced a game-changing addition to its product lineup, the VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator, set to revolutionize the management of edge environments and enable efficient utilization of data resources.

“You can shrink the stack, and it does it with zero-touch orchestration because it’s pool-based since it’s many dispersed locations,” said Sanjay Uppal (pictured), senior vice president and general manager of service provider and edge business unit at VMware. “We make the edge programmable so that the application can make its needs aware, and we understand what those needs are, and we program the network.”

Uppal spoke with theCUBE industry analysts Dave Vellante and Lisa Martin at VMware Explore 2023, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how VMware is orchestrating the edge, how it personalizes its clients’ experiences and how it keeps the edge secure. (* Disclosure below.)

Orchestrating the edge

VMware’s client list is diverse, with each organization and industry having its own needs and inner mechanics. VMware guides its companies by supplying prototypes and then using the feedback to guide further as a flashlight, according to Uppal.

“That flashlight illuminates the path ahead for us, so we know what to build next,” he said. “Our responsibility is to iterate fast on those flashlights and then to give technology back.”

When all flashlights are pointing in different directions, it’s time to start from step one, Uppal explained. But when all that feedback is pointing in the same direction, Uppal says, VMware knows it’s on the right track.

One of the most critical components of orchestrating the edge is keeping it secure. Compared to a data center, the edge is dispersed in several locations across a wide geography under different administrative domains, according to Uppal. Zero-trust security is the bedrock for edge security and artificial intelligence, and machine learning will also further supplement security measures.

“Generative AI is critically important, it has a trillion parameters and these large language models, but what is happening at the edge is also very interesting, because these sensors and all the information that they produce since can be made of them with something as small as 256 kilobytes of RAM machine learning model,” he said. “And that also has a security angle to it.”

Artificial intelligence won’t just affect security, Uppal predicts. In 2022, only 5% of edge computing had a machine learning model attached to it. In comparison, by 2026, that number will be closer to 50%.

“It’s easy for developers now to lay the machine learning model down on these small microcontrollers and then to make sense of it,” he said. “The improvement that you get in terms of understanding how the sensors are producing information and what to do with it is just staggering.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of VMware Explore 2023:

(* Disclosure: VMware Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither VMware nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE