Vision Statement of the Hub

The expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly both as a technology and across an increasing array of applications. These applications demand traits such as AI responsiveness, accuracy, and the management of large data volumes, driving the need for AI deployment to occur near the source of input data. This trend aligns with the swift development of Edge Computing (EC), where high-performance computational elements at the network’s edge facilitate processing of sensory inputs before detailed analysis at base stations. We term this advantageous fusion of AI and EC as EdgeAI.

Recognising that the efficacy of both AI and EC hinges upon the quality of input data, EdgeAI aims to address this critical requirement to ensure the utility of data. The National EdgeAI Hub aims to unite the UK’s expertise in AI and EC across academia, industry, and the public sector. It seeks to foster a collaborative research community, leveraging existing UK investments in this field, creating new collaborative opportunities, and amplifying the impact of research outcomes.

The National EdgeAI Hub will pursue a dual mission of establishing research foundations and providing a platform for collaborative contributions from the community. These efforts will focus on leveraging edge intelligence to enhance data quality and decision accuracy across a wide spectrum of current and future Time Critical Applications (TCAs). Two key TCA use cases—Healthcare and Autonomous Electric Vehicles (AeV)—will serve as tangible validations of this approach.

Led by Newcastle, the Hub will bring together a multidisciplinary team from across the UK, including universities in Wales (Swansea, Cardiff), England (Durham, Southampton, Lancaster, Newcastle, Imperial), Scotland (St. Andrews, UWS), and Northern Ireland (Queen’s University Belfast). The activities of the National EdgeAI Hub will span five main areas: Cyber-Disturbance Modelling and Simulation for Edge Computing, Edge Computing for AI, AI-driven Edge Cyber-Resilience, an Academic-Industry Technology Incubator in EdgeAI, and Industry-based and User-inspired Application Driven Validation.

The Hub will prioritize inclusivity, with a focus on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), and will implement mechanisms to support early career researchers and enhance industry-academia partnerships through various engagement strategies.’

Professor Rajiv Ranjan, National Director