Advantech and Qualcomm to bring AI to edge
- April 17, 2024
- Steve Rogerson

Advantech and Qualcomm announced a partnership at last week’s Embedded World in Nuremberg to improve the edge computing landscape.
This effort, combining AI expertise, high-performance computing and connectivity, aims to propel innovation for industrial computing by establishing an open and diverse edge AI ecosystem, paving the way for AIoT applications.
“Edge AI is important to every industry, said Miller Chang, president of embedded IoT at Taiwanese firm Advantech (www.advantech.com). “It will influence many, many emerging markets.”
But he said there were challenges such as how to upgrade existing systems to have AI capabilities.
“In the vast and fragmented IoT landscape, deploying AI applications efficiently is a challenge,” he said. “Advantech and Qualcomm are working together to meet market demands and surpass perceived limits. Advantech, in collaboration with Qualcomm, will look to provide edge AI platforms to navigate the industry’s fragmentation, ensuring interoperability. Together, we aspire to redefine AI possibilities at the edge, shaping the future of edge intelligence.”
Jeff Torrance, senior vice president at Qualcomm, added: “To make technology successful, we have to create partnerships. Technology is evolving and creating the ability to solve more problems. The edge is becoming more sophisticated.”

He said applications such as autonomous vehicles meant it was impossible to stream all the data to the cloud; it has to be processed at the edge. And it was important to make it easy to use, so he said simplicity was key.
“Advantech and Qualcomm’s collaboration marks a significant milestone in the evolution of edge computing,” Torrance said. “By combining Advantech’s expertise in industrial computing with our cutting-edge technology, we are poised to reshape the future of embedded systems. This collaboration will unlock new possibilities for AIoT applications, enabling seamless integration of AI at the edge. We are excited to be part of this journey and look forward to the transformative impact it will have on various industries.”
Using its product longevity programme for certain SoCs, AI technology and connectivity, Qualcomm (www.qualcomm.com) envisions benefits across industrial automation, transportation, medical, and rapidly evolving sectors such as robotics and energy.
Advantech’s goal is to develop line of edge AI platforms and a dedicated edge AI SDK for edge AI applications. Advantech is poised to integrate Qualcomm technologies across its entire platform spectrum, including AI-on-modules, AI function boards and AI edge systems. Both companies say they will help develop strategies to accelerate the digital transformation of the embedded industry. This collaboration aims to drive continuous innovation and expansion in edge AI devices for IoT.