VMware Explore Las Vegas 2024 was an incredible event! We enjoyed connecting with our customers and partners, discussing the latest trends and innovations in edge AI and the software-defined edge. In this blog, we’ll recap some of the key sessions focused on VMware Edge Compute Stack from the event and provide links to watch them on demand. Whether you missed these sessions or want a quick refresher, this is your go-to guide.
To view other sessions about VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN, VMware VeloCloud SASE, secured by Symantec, and VMware Telco Cloud Platform, visit the VMware Explore on-demand video library for software-defined edge. Here you’ll also find the keynote session featuring Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, Global Head of AI and Advanced Services Chris Wolf, and our own Sanjay Uppal, VP and GM of Broadcom’s Software-Defined Edge division.
VMware Explore Barcelona is just around the corner! We look forward to seeing you at the Fira Gran Via, November 4-7. Keep an eye on the VMware Explore website for more details as we gear up for another exciting round of sessions and networking opportunities.
Click on any session title in this list to jump to a summary and video:
Gain an Edge with VMware Edge Compute Stack: What’s New? What’s Next?
In this overview of the edge computing landscape, Saadat Malik and Anand Srinivas highlighted the growing importance of edge computing and its critical role in modern industries. They discussed how edge computing is transforming sectors like manufacturing and retail and emphasized the shift from traditional, rigid systems to agile, software-defined environments, which are crucial for companies to remain competitive. Edge computing, combined with AI, is a major driver for real-time decision-making at the edge, enabling industries to quickly adapt to market changes, reduce costs, and optimize performance.
VMware Edge Compute Stack is a powerful platform that simplifies the deployment, management, and lifecycle of edge applications. It offers edge-native solutions that support distributed environments with limited IT resources, integrating virtual machines and containerized workloads. A pull-based orchestration model and compatibility with diverse edge hardware provide scalability and flexibility for customers. The session underscored how VMware Edge Compute Stack allows companies to focus on their core business operations, while VMware by Broadcom handles the complexities of edge infrastructure, security, and AI integration.
Edge Evolution: Unveiling VMware’s Solutions for Agile Edge Management
Broadcom’s Alan Renouf and Ashishkumar Patel showed how companies can address key challenges at the edge with scalable, software-defined infrastructure tailored for edge computing environments. They emphasized our commitment to customer feedback, shaping VMware Edge Compute Stack product development based on real-world edge deployment needs. The session highlighted the need for flexibility in defining “the edge,” as different industries and use cases demand unique approaches. VMware Edge Compute Stack revolves around creating a software-defined edge that supports workloads across dispersed locations, bringing compute and data processing closer to where it is needed.
Additionally, the presentation delved into common issues faced in edge computing such as scalability, poor network connectivity, and management complexity across numerous sites. VMware offers a comprehensive edge stack to address these challenges, combining virtual machines, containers, and AI workloads in a unified platform. Features such as zero-touch provisioning and infrastructure as code simplify edge deployments, ensuring that even in remote or disconnected environments, systems remain operational. The discussion also covered the growing importance of edge use cases in sectors like manufacturing, retail, and energy, demonstrating the need for edge-native applications and infrastructure solutions.
Paradigm Shift to Virtualized Shop Floor with Edge Computing
Audi’s Thomas Kampa and Broadcom’s Kangwarn Chinthammit presented a session on the collaboration between VMware and Audi to optimize manufacturing processes using VMware Edge Compute Stack. Audi’s Edge Cloud for Production (EC4P) project aims to consolidate thousands of industrial PCs (IPCs) and human-machine interfaces (HMIs) into edge clouds, enabling greater flexibility, faster deployment, and reduced maintenance. This approach also enhances security by addressing risks associated with increased connectivity on the shop floor.
A key innovation here is the virtualization of programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which control critical factory operations. The project’s success hinged on real-time VMware virtualization, optimized network latency, and high-availability features. By virtualizing PLCs and consolidating workloads, Audi is driving a transformation in manufacturing, enabling faster response times and future scalability, while also simplifying IT/OT integration.
Modernizing Electrical Substations for a Resilient Grid with Edge Computing
Electric utilities face a number of challenges including the slow pace of substation deployment, increasing demand for electricity. and the rise of distributed energy resources such as solar panels and electric vehicles. Broadcom’s Ramkumar Venketaramani and Anthony Sivesind of the Salt River Project highlighted the urgent need for electric utilities to accelerate deployment cycles while improving grid resilience and flexibility. The traditional substation infrastructure, heavily reliant on proprietary, hardware-based systems, was identified as inadequate for the evolving energy landscape. To address these challenges, virtualization, automation, and edge computing were proposed as key enablers for modernizing substations.
VMware Edge Compute Stack can enhance substation operations by virtualizing critical components like programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and protection, automation and control (PAC) systems. This approach reduces the physical hardware footprint, simplifies asset management, and supports faster deployment and scalability. Using VMware edge infrastructure, electric utilities can process data locally, improve grid stability, and respond to changes in real time. The session also highlighted the importance of edge-native applications, such as AI-driven analytics, which can help electric utilities optimize grid performance and adapt to the dynamic energy landscape more efficiently.
Scaling Edge Ops: Desired State Infrastructure and Application Management
In this tutorial session, Broadcom’s Ken Guo and Xiao Gao took the audience on a technical deep dive—with demos!—into how VMware Edge Compute Stack and VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator help companies scale edge sites using GitOps. They described the challenges of scaling edge deployments using traditional manual configuration methods, and highlighted the benefits of using GitOps as a solution. GitOps allows organizations to manage their infrastructure and applications using declarative configuration and automation, reducing manual intervention and ensuring consistency across thousands of edge sites. Using YAML files to define the desired state of infrastructure and applications, combined with version control and continuous monitoring, enables smoother scaling.
The session also introduced VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator as a central management plane that streamlines edge site deployments. By using its pull-based architecture and zero-touch provisioning, organizations can activate edge sites with minimal on-site intervention. This setup allows non-IT personnel to simply connect hardware, which automatically phones home to receive configurations from a Git repository. The orchestrator ensures the correct deployment of both virtual machines and containerized applications, significantly simplifying the process of managing edge infrastructure across industries like manufacturing and retail.
Finally, the presenters demonstrated a tiered GitOps structure that separates common infrastructure configurations from site-specific adjustments. This approach enables organizations to maintain consistency across multiple locations while also allowing for localized customizations. Through tools like FluxCD and Kustomize, edge sites can pull specific configurations from the base Git repository, adjust parameters based on individual site needs, and ensure that any updates are automatically applied. This scalable solution supports real-time and non-real-time workloads, providing a robust framework for managing edge computing environments.
