From tinyML to the edge of AI: Introducing the EDGE AI FOUNDATION

When I joined the non-profit tinyML Foundation as its new Executive Director in April, I was already familiar with the tech involved, many ecosystem players, and the organization itself. And I was already impressed.

I was impressed not only by the sheer intellectual horsepower being applied to run AI workloads in resource-constrained environments but also by the community itself – an eclectic mix of researchers, technology developers, business builders, enthusiasts, NGOs, commercial entities, and policymakers. This global community is working together toward a common goal of democratizing and accelerating the development and adoption of AI “where the rubber meets the road” – in the real world, at the point of impact. This starkly contrasts the chatbot-style of AI run in data centers consuming gigawatts of energy, oceans of groundwater, and acres of concrete.

Although “Artificial Intelligence” dates back to 1956, we have seen a virtual Cambrian explosion of AI capabilities in the last few years as semiconductors, software, and networks have reached a tipping point of performance and capability that enables scenarios we recently considered science fiction.

Today, we can run neuromorphic computing models on low-power platforms, generative AI and transformer models on lower-cost equipment, edgeML image recognition models on solar-powered cameras, and even tinyML-based sensors for wearables and brain-computer interfaces. These edge AI technologies have evolved so quickly that we, as an industry, struggle to understand the business and societal implications.

As edge AI technologies have evolved, so has our community. With over 100,000 people taking tinyML classes around the globe, tens of thousands involved in regional efforts, and over 100 technology companies sponsoring us—not to mention over 500k views on YouTube—we keep empowering more and more people through the latest in R&D, innovation, collaboration, and community. 

To embrace this rapid evolution and the enormous potential for edge AI in real world applications, we decided to change our name to better reflect the expanding scope of our community. Welcome to the EDGE AI FOUNDATION, the global place of innovation, collaboration, advocacy, and education for energy-efficient, affordable, and scalable edge AI technologies, from tinyML to the edge of AI.

“Since our founding in 2018 I have been honored to see the growth of this unique ecosystem, its impact and the technology advancements from tinyML to the edge of AI. Our partners and supporters provide the fuel to engage our worldwide community and now, with the expanded scope as the EDGE AI FOUNDATION, I look forward to the journey ahead to connect AI to the real world." – Evgeni Gousev, Chairman of the Board, EDGE AI FOUNDATION

We unite diverse industry leaders, researchers, and practitioners to drive collective progress and achieve breakthroughs that solve the world’s biggest challenges.

Our mission is to democratize edge AI technology, making it accessible and impactful for all while fostering sustainability and responsible practices. The EDGE AI FOUNDATION is a place of limitless opportunity and the hotbed of activity, facilitating the sharing of knowledge, the dissemination of reference materials, the setting of industry best practices, and the nurturing of talent ensuring the advancements in edge AI technology solutions benefit all of society and the environment we share.

The impact of Generative AI on edge computing cannot be understated. As it has swept over cloud computing platforms to transform content creation and human engagement, we expect Generative AI to take sensor-based edge platforms to the next level - from AI vision and visual language models to small language models embedded in equipment that is in the field - the EDGE AI FOUNDATION will be "the place" to bring together academia, industry and technology to make Generative AI on the edge real, make it efficient and make it deployable.

In addition to this brand change, we are also introducing new initiatives to help our community go farther faster together.

EDGE AI LABS

• To accelerate the discovery of critical code and information for the research, development, and deployment of edge AI technology solutions, we are launching a destination to help level the playing field for datasets, models, and code - especially for small NNs with dedicated tasks - that’s freely available to the community (and developed by our community!).
• Provide a level-playing field for academia/Industry researchers to be able to evaluate the quality/performance of their proposed algorithms/NNs against one another’s as well as share algorithms/NNs/Papers which are making use of these datasets
• The EDGE AI FOUNDATION Working Groups will curate the content and provide high-quality deliverables, build on each other's work and give industry and academia a worldwide channel for their innovation.
• Our partner embedUR powers this platform as part of their modelNOVA offering. 

EDGE AIP (ACADEMIA & INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP)

• The EDGE AIP consists of leading educators from around the world, working together as part of the EDGE AI FOUNDATION to bridge the energy and innovation of academia and the technology industry.
• As part of this effort, the EDGE AI FOUNDATION will launch certificate programs for developers, product managers and co-produce education content with partners, such as the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy.
• To cultivate industry talent and the next generation of AI leadership, we will also be launching the EDGE AI FOUNDATION Scholarship fund as well as initiatives on curriculum development and learning platforms. 

“We are at a critical juncture where we need to train and develop the next generation of engineers and researchers in tinyML and edge AI technologies,” said Dr. Vijay Janapa Reddi, Associate Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University and board member at EDGE AI FOUNDATION. “The EDGE AI FOUNDATION is bringing academia and industry together to provide essential resources for developing this talent. This partnership creates opportunities to expand global access to AI technology and innovation.”

These efforts and more are now supported by our new platform on Discord, which unifies the tech industry, academia, and NGOs in the world’s most significant edge AI conversation.

As part of this new milestone we are also very excited to expand and enrich our community with four new partner companies - Alif Semiconductor, Ceva, Particle and Wind River. Each brings their own expertise, perspective and energy into our community and we're grateful for their support. Our community grows stronger with each partner, each educator, each student and each Fortune 500 business. It's amazing to see this community expansion and growth as edge AI becomes such a force for transformational change. If you have not yet engaged with us - we're ready when you are!

In conclusion, after a career that started in Boston, moved to Silicon Valley with various embedded startups and then up to Microsoft for great tenure on virtually every edge/device initiative, I'm now very thankful to help make the EDGE AI FOUNDATION a place where every contribution counts and where things get done. Together, we can shape the future of AI on the edge.

About the EDGE AI FOUNDATION

The EDGE AI FOUNDATION (formerly tinyML Foundation) is a global non-profit community of innovation, collaboration, advocacy and education for efficient, affordable and scalable Edge AI technologies. With over 100 Fortune 500 technology companies, over 500,000 YouTube views, LinkedIn followers and Discord users and over 100,000 individuals taking tinyML classes worldwide, EDGE AI FOUNDATION unites diverse industry leaders, researchers and practitioners to drive collective progress and achieve breakthroughs that are solving the world’s biggest challenges.

For more information, visit edgeaifoundation.org.