Tuesday, July 18, 2017

AT&T Aims To Power Self Driving Cars, AR/VR

Dallas-based AT&T says that it is specifically looking to enable the next generation of 5G applications, including self driving cars and AR/VR, as part of a new "edge computing" focus. According to AT&T, it is embracing "edge computing", which places processing at such locations as central offices, macro towers, and small cell sites to handle the massive crush of data that will be generated by self-driving cars--which AT&T says estimates may generate as much as 3.6 terabytes of data per hour due to its cameras and sensors--at its locations. AT&T did not say how much it is currently investing in those efforts, but said it hopes to outfit its various facilities with high-end graphics processing chips and other general purpose computers to enable those upcoming self driving applications, virtual reality, and augmented reality, as those applications develop.