Technology to keep an eye on in 2026
2026 is expected to see these continued technology trends grow. These trends include artificial intelligence that will develop using agents and an increase in small language model AI. We also expect to see growth in sustainable IT as well as AI powered proactive cyber security to combat ever changing threats. But today we will focus on the growth trend in edge computing
What is "edge computing" and why is it growing?
Edge computing is where data is processed at the edge or periphery of a network rather than sending any data that has been collect by a device to a centralised data centre for processing. The idea being that data is processed as close to the source rather than increasing the latency of processing the data further away in a data centre.
Examples of edge compute are:
- Smart cameras processing images locally without needing to send the data away for processing for data analysis such as foot fall or generating an alarm
- Autonomous self driving cars
- Smart home connected devices like Amazon Alexa and Nest
- Smart watches tracking health data
- Manufacturing controls such as monitoring quality
- Video conferencing technology such as Teams and Zoom
- Retail inventory tracking and stock control system
Edge compute devices have the power to process the data they collect locally rather than being a dumb device that relies on a centralised data centre to compute the data. So instead of collecting raw data and sending it over a network to a centralised location, an edge compute device can process the data in situ. This reduces the time it takes for certain actions to take place.
The increase in rollout of 5G and the ongoing development of 6G networks is seeing more and more devices that are always on, always connected and always able to share processed data with back end systems.
However edge compute devices are not independent, they are still reliant on additional infrastructure to help process, collate and store information, but they help offload a lot of the processing that was traditionally all done centrally, increasing productivity whilst simultaneously reducing the reliance on expensive central compute power in data centres.
As 2026 continues, we will see more and more interconnected edge compute devices with the ability to process data locally, providing more functionality and interaction with the user, coupled with legislative changes allowing it to be used more widely.