Today’s IoT can’t be compared with tomorrow’s. According to a Cisco study, the internet of things is expected to include around 50 billion devices worldwide by 2020. The amount of data that will need to be stored, analyzed, and prepared for further processing will be correspondingly high.
Smart manufacturing is by no means the only area in which fog computing can be applied to unburden systems and facilitate data transfer. Other future projects such as connected cars – semi-autonomous or fully self-driving cars – or connected cities with smart utility grids, also require real-time data analysis. This can’t be achieved with classic cloud computing. For example, a self-driving car collects data on weather conditions, road closures or detours, and traffic levels, all of which need to be assessed without latency, allowing a response to an unforeseeable incident to be made in a timely manner. In such a scenario, fog computing enables processing of data both in the vehicle and via the service provider.