Software enables edge computing

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Startup Mimik released software that enables the equivalent of cloud services to run on devices including end nodes in the internet of things (IoT). The so-called edgeSDK aims to lower response times and open up new use cases.

The code lets any device running a popular operating system host the kind of microservices usually managed by the likes of AWS or Microsoft Azure. Early users include companies in gaming and health care, as well as Lime Microsystems, that will bundle the SDK with its open-source base stations.

Carriers in the Facebook-led Telecom Infra Project aim to use the software “so they don’t have to go to a cloud service for communications in villages in Africa where connecting to a remote data center over an expensive satellite link would not be viable,” said Fay Arjomandi, Mimik’s co-founder and chief product officer.

3Blackdot, a gaming company, will use the code to host local virtual meeting rooms for players, cutting costs of cloud services. It also lets the company create new experiences such as broadcasting a player’s pulse as a sign of game stress, she said.

The software runs in 100 Kbytes of memory, although supporting three simultaneous microservices would drive that to 256 KB. It requires 5–8 MBytes of storage depending on the OS and supports the latest versions of Android, iOS, Linux, MacOS, Raspbian, and Windows.