IIJ to Open Showroom to Experience Edge Computing Environment in Shiroi Wireless Campus

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TOKYO - February 2, 2022 - Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (TSE1: 3774), one of Japan's leading Internet access and comprehensive network solutions providers, today announced that it will newly establish a showroom for experiencing an edge computing(*) environment combining various services of IIJ, such as mobile, cloud and micro data center (MDC), in Shiroi Wireless Campus (Shiroi-shi, Chiba Prefecture), which has been operated as a testbed to experience the latest mobile technologies since November 2020. The showroom will open to the public on March 15, 2022.

At the showroom, some of the features of edge computing, including real-time processing and 5G low-latency communications, can be experienced as use cases. Through the demonstrations and exhibitions, customers can get an idea of usage scenarios for edge computing and specific implementation requirements.

• (*)Edge computing: A distributed computing architecture for processing and analyzing data on edge devices like IoT devices or servers close to edge devices.

Background

With digital transformation increasing the amount of digital data in recent years, use of edge computing is expected in systems where low-latency, real-time performance, sending/receiving of large amounts of data, reduction of security risks and such are demanded. Going forward, more companies and governments are likely to use the combination of cloud computing and edge computing for their IT platforms depending on the purpose of use and the characteristics of data. However, in reality, actual implementation is slow to take place because there are few places where customers can directly touch and experience the collaborative application with the cloud, which is the advantage of edge computing, and actual use cases. Against such a background, IIJ has decided to establish an environment for demonstrating edge computing combined with IIJ's various high-quality services, including cloud, network, IoT, local 5G and MDC, and to open a showroom where customers can experience their features and benefits. IIJ will create a new IT platform and use case together with customers by understanding the issues and needs surrounding edge computing, which will be a new form of use.

Details of the Showroom

The following use cases are planned to be made available for hands-on experience, and the contents will be increased sequentially.

1. Comparison of video analysis by edge computing and cloud computing -Effectiveness in real-time processing-

   As a use case for crime prevention, a demonstration for detecting visitors to a data center (DC) will be presented. In the demonstration, recorded video data will be analyzed by the edge device installed in the DC and by the IIJ IoT platform on the cloud to compare the results. Through such, customers can actually see that the edge device has detected visitors in real time compared with the cloud. The demonstration will show such effectiveness in real-time processing of edge computing as well as the system to distribute processing between edge computing and the cloud.

   

2. Cruise of AGV (automatic guided vehicle) with different wireless services -Experience of low-latency control-

   As a use case of unmanned goods transport, a demonstration of unmanned transport using AGV will be presented. Cruise control of the AGV will be performed with edge computing while comparing such with local 5G, Wi-Fi and other wireless services, and visualization of data on the cloud and distributed processing that performs centralized management will be demonstrated. Customers can experience a smooth cruise of AGV with fast, large-volume communications with low-latency realized through the combination of local 5G and edge computing.

3. Automated operation by MDCs -Enabling the same operation as before in distant locations-

   A demonstration of automated operation/monitoring in remote locations or in places with insufficient communication environment will be presented. Assuming the Shiroi Data Center Campus as a remote location, a demonstration in which monitoring of LED lamps and temperatures in the racks is carried out from the MDC in the campus while automated operation is conducted in the MDC after detection of anomaly. Customers can experience that MDC can be used as an edge computing platform even in areas with insufficient communication environment, and can be operated with the same functions and quality as conventional DCs and cloud.

(Reference) Usage example of edge computing

IIJ is also planning to develop services and solutions that will serve as the platform for edge computing going forward. Through such, IIJ will drive the evolution of IT infrastructure by supporting customers in introducing and operating edge computing more quickly and easily.

The statements within this release contain forward-looking statements about our future plans that involve risk and uncertainty. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results.

For inquiries, contact

IIJ Corporate Communications

• +81-3-5205-6310
• +81-3-5205-6377
• press@iij.ad.jp

• (*) All company names and service names used in this press release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.