Baidu Launches OpenEdge, an Open Source Edge Computing Framework

Chinese internet giant Baidu has recently launched OpenEdge, the company’s first open-source edge computing framework. By using OpenEdge, developers can create “lightweight, secure, reliable and scalable edge computing community.” This is also the first open edge computing framework in China.

Edge Computing

Computing close to the source or at the source of the data is considered edge computing.  To clarify, it’s a “distributed computing paradigm in which computation is largely or completely performed on distributed device nodes known as smart devices or edge devices. Consequently, edge computing does not primarily take place in a centralized cloud environment. “Edge” refers to the geographic distribution of computing nodes in the network as IoT devices, at the “edge” of an enterprise, metropolitan or other network.”

With OpenEdge, the developers can deploy their edge computing systems on different devices. Moreover, systems built using OpenEdge will allow its users to program the devices to collect data, send messages, and allow AI interference. Additionally, OpenEdge provides offline, low-latency computing services. Baidu spokesperson Zun Wang, told Business Insider, “Edge computing is becoming more commonplace due to the rise of IoT devices. It brings different kinds of compute power, especially for AI processing, to the edges of your network, allowing close proximity of your data source with the cloud.” Wang added, “We wanted to let developers build their own edge computing system as well as contribute functions and edge apps to the existing platform.”

OpenSource

OpenEdge is one component of Baidu Intelligent Edge Platform. Even though it is open-source and free to use, it is designed to move developers onto Baidu’s cloud platform. VP and GM of Baidu Cloud Watson Yin stated that, “Edge computing is a critical component of Baidu’s ABC (AI, Big Data and Cloud Computing) strategy. Moving the compute closer to the source of the data greatly reduces the latency and lowers the bandwidth usage. Ultimately, this brings real-time and immersive experiences to end users. As an open source platform, the process for developers to create their own edge computing applications is simplified.”

Previously, Baidu has also launched other open-source projects like Apollo, and PaddlePaddle. Apollo is an open, reliable and secure autonomous driving platform, and PaddlePaddle is a deep learning framework.

You can view more about the OpenEdge features and advantages on their GitHub page.

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