The Shape of the Edge: Small Data Centers or Big Data Waypoints?

Edge computing seemed to be just over the horizon. Yet over the past two years, it appears to have stayed there. What is an edge data center, really?

The whole point of edge computing was to leverage the portability and lower power consumption of modern servers so that workloads could be distributed to more optimum locations. Typically, the implication has been that a more optimum location would be closer than a “core” data center to something or someone important.

This ten page report is the product of asking several dozen sources to define “the edge" and  if data and workloads are “moving to the edge,” how much capacity is being relocated and can we repurpose or disconnect core data center capacity where data and workloads moved from. Additionally, we inquired about if it costs more to manage workloads at the edge than the value they generate by being hosted there, can we move them back?