In a semiconductor fab, the aim is to detect abnormalities quickly using sensor data collected at high frequency from many pieces of manufacturing equipment. Instead of sending all the data to a distant cloud for processing, edge computing processes it on computers placed near the equipment. Which is a main advantage of using edge computing?

Answer: B. Communication delay is small, so the system can respond immediately, and the amount of data sent far over the network can also be reduced

Edge computing processes data close to where it is generated. Because it does not wait for round trips to a distant cloud, it can respond immediately for abnormality detection and equipment control, and network traffic can be reduced by sending only the needed results or summaries. In exchange, the computers placed at each site must be managed and their processing capacity cannot be increased as freely as in the cloud, so it is generally combined with the cloud for tasks such as long-term data analysis.

• A. Managing the computers placed at each site actually becomes necessary.
• B. Correct. Shorter delay and less data to send are the main advantages.
• C. It is rather the cloud that makes it easy to increase processing capacity flexibly.