How Do Smart Cities Evolve into Intelligent Cities?
When our cities became Smart, we witnessed a silent revolution, noticeable only to the most attentive among us. Today, many technologies that we barely pay attention to are seamlessly integrated into our lives, simplifying our daily routines. For instance, in a parking lot, automated systems indicate available spots, while cameras distributed throughout the city aid in reducing congestion through remote traffic control.
Intelligent cities emphasize addressing community-specific challenges,
while smart cities focus on using technology for efficiency and automation.
However, few are aware that a new revolution is underway: the rise of Intelligent cities. Thanks to Edge AI computing platforms, like those developed by Aetina—an Elite Partner of NVIDIA—combined with the involvement of local stakeholders such as universities, businesses, and the public, a comprehensive approach is taken to ensure that technological solutions address real community issues rather than just technical challenges.
Unlike smart cities, which primarily leverage technology for efficiency and automation, intelligent cities prioritize solving problems that truly matter to the community. Edge AI, which blends edge computing with artificial intelligence, plays a significant role in the development of intelligent cities:
Real-Time Data Processing
Edge AI enables high-performance computing capabilities directly in the field, where sensors and IoT devices are situated. This allows for swifter data processing and decision-making, crucial in applications like autonomous vehicles.
Data Security and Privacy:
Processing most data locally on edge devices, Edge AI minimizes the need to transfer data to external locations or the cloud, thereby enhancing data security and privacy.
Bandwidth and Cost Efficiency:
Edge AI reduces the necessity of transmitting data over the internet, saving bandwidth. It also lowers the reliance on costly cloud-based AI services, utilizing cloud resources mainly for post-processing and data storage, not for real-time operations.
Energy Efficiency:
Edge AI devices are designed for low power consumption, making them more energy-efficient than cloud data centers.
Diverse Applications:
Edge AI supports a variety of applications vital for intelligent cities, such as real-time traffic updates, facial recognition, public safety through efficient surveillance camera operations, and enhancements in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), enabling quicker and more effective responses to diverse urban challenges.
Understanding Edge AI in Intelligent Cities
Edge AI's ability to process data swiftly and securely, with minimal dependence on external resources, establishes it as a keystone technology in the development of intelligent cities. Its applications across various sectors strengthen the efficiency, sustainability, and responsiveness of urban environments.
AI also aids in encoding human expertise for operational efficiencies, such as identifying adjustments for energy efficiency considering environmental factors like temperature and humidity.
Edge AI processes data quickly and securely, enabling smarter urban systems. It boosts efficiency, sustainability, and responsiveness while optimizing operations like energy use based on environmental factors, making it a cornerstone of intelligent city development.
The NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin series, developed by NVIDIA and utilized in platforms offered by Aetina, represents a powerful and efficient computing solution that can significantly contribute to the advancement of applications in intelligent cities, making urban life more efficient, safe, and sustainable. Here's how it can be applied:
Sustainable City Development:
AI, especially when powered by platforms like the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin, can transform data from trillions of sensors and IoT devices into pivotal decisions. This capability is essential for fostering sustainable cities, maintaining infrastructure, and improving public areas such as roadways.
Operational Efficiency and Safety:
NVIDIA’s GPU-accelerated computing and frameworks, including NVIDIA Metropolis, are supercharging a new generation of vision AI applications. These applications can greatly enhance operational efficiency and safety in various urban spaces, from city streets and airports to event centers and factory floors, enabling cities and enterprises to manage their most valuable physical assets more effectively.
Airports Management:
In airports, AI-enabled video analytics solutions can convert video cameras into sources of data-driven insights. This is crucial for efficiently managing incidents and minimizing disruptions to airport operations and passenger experiences.
Educational and Corporate Safety:
Vision AI in corporate buildings and educational campuses enables proactive safety solutions with always-on monitoring and immediate responses to potential concerns, ensuring a secure environment for work and learning.
Entertainment and Public Venues:
AI enhances the safety, logistical efficiency, and security of entertainment venues. The robust infrastructure of IoT sensors and cameras, powered by AI, can respond to concerns in real-time, making these spaces safer for sports, concerts, and other events.
Retail Innovation:
In retail environments, AI-enabled intelligent systems can reduce shrinkage, eliminate stockouts, and gain insights into customer behavior, optimizing merchandising and operations. This infrastructure also supports faster and fully automated checkout systems, enhancing the customer experience.
Manufacturing Automation:
AI solutions, combined with IoT sensors, are crucial for automating and monitoring industrial assets, systems, processes, and environments. This integration is key to creating a safer and more efficient workplace in manufacturing sectors.
These examples illustrate the transformative impact of the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin series in intelligent cities. Its application across diverse sectors demonstrates its potential to revolutionize urban living by enhancing efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
Future Trends
In conclusion, the evolution from smart to intelligent cities, powered by Edge AI technologies from innovators like NVIDIA and seamlessly integrated by Aetina, marks not just a technological advancement but a leap towards a future where urban environments resonate more deeply with our needs and dreams. It's a journey towards cities that are not only efficient and safe, thanks to platforms like the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin series, but also sustainable and vibrant, where Aetina's contributions play a pivotal role. This transformative shift promises to reshape our urban landscapes into spaces where living transcends mere existence and blossoms into an experience of thriving.Its applications across various sectors strengthen the efficiency, sustainability, and responsiveness of urban environments.
About the Author
Felipe Leiva writes about Edge AI Technology and its practical applications in everyday scenarios. Serving as a Technical Project Manager at Aetina, he brings over twenty years of experience in the technology industry. Felipe's expertise lies in leading key technical initiatives and training for EMEA key accounts, reflecting his deep commitment to advancing the field of Edge AI. His extensive engineering background and hands-on approach have positioned him as a knowledgeable voice in this rapidly evolving domain.