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Qualcomm opens the door to developers to customize their own AI models on the new Networking Pro A7 Elite platform, a Wi-Fi gateway and edge AI device.
Qualcomm has launched its Networking Pro A7 Elite Platform, an edge AI Wi-Fi gateway, which comes with a library of included AI models plus the option for developers to add their own through the Qualcomm AI Hub.
"The approach they're taking is very similar to what they're doing for their PCs and phones with their processors," Phil Solis, Research Director with IDC, told Light Reading. "[Qualcomm] is allowing developers to use the same type of AI development platform. You can use some software they have available or bring your own software, so it gives more flexibility to developers."
Since many consumers get their access points or Wi-Fi gateways from their Internet service provider (ISP), this could also be an opportunity for ISPs to preload AI features on the Pro A7 Elite specifically for their customers, said Solis.
"With this solution, those access points or gateways could be made with their plans in mind so they could sell additional services as the ISP," explained Solis. "They could set it up with some software for a smart home or a business where they could sell these additional features and services for a monthly fee, for example."
Pro A7 Elite users also have the option to pair it with and improve on their lower cost or older smart home devices by "putting the smarts on the edge platform," Solis said. As an example, a user with an older camera could add the AI capability of facial recognition or sound detection to the device via the edge platform, he explained.
'A slate for new innovation'
Qualcomm's new gateway platform is "a slate for new innovation to occur," added Solis. The platform provides a way to both connect devices in the home and "do processing and thereby coordination of those devices" on the gateway, he said.
The edge AI platform could also support enterprise and service provider applications related to energy management and automation, security and surveillance, personalized virtual assistants, aging in place applications, and health monitoring, for example, said Qualcomm.
"The Networking Pro A7 Elite integrates key elements – from broadband to antenna – including 10G Fiber, 5G, Ethernet, RF-Front End modules, and filters into one integrated platform," said Ganesh Swaminathan, VP and GM of Wireless Infrastructure and Networking for Qualcomm, in a statement.
As an "edge AI" device, the Pro A7 Elite can act as an intermediary platform that sits between the cloud and on-device AI capabilities, explained Solis. Running AI workloads primarily in the cloud can create power availability challenges and can become expensive due to the cost of building additional servers.
An edge AI access point can provide a closer connection to support some AI models instead of connecting all the way back to the cloud, thereby avoiding some of those power and cost issues. Edge AI can also improve security by processing sensitive informative on the gateway, said Qualcomm.
The Pro A7 Elite platform's AI capabilities are supported by Qualcomm's Hexagon NPU AI chip, which is also included in a number of Qualcomm's computers and devices, explained Solis. The AI co-processor has 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of NPU processing power and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity.
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