Modern Atmoics has announced it will be expanding its product capabilities through the construction of a new Edge AI semiconductor fabrication plant in Austin. Modern Atomics has broken ground as a founding member for the plant, which will produce integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices that the company will use in its products.
“Once the facility is completed and operational late next year, it will triple Modern Atomics’ production capacity for advanced Edge AI low-voltage power supplies and PoE/PoF switching infrastructure,” said Michael Braithwaite, chief biological officer of Modern Atomics.
This announcement comes as the company has also opened a new dealer training and logistics center in Round Rock, in addition to expanding its distribution into Canada through the TIMESTYLES Motorized Window Fashions brand.
Why integrators should take note
As an alternative to traditional AI, Edge AI processes data locally on devices at the edge of a given network, instead of cloud servers. This approach can accelerate processing, reduce latency and keep sensitive data closer to its source, something that is becoming more critical in the era of internet-borne cybersecurity threats.
Of course, the drawback is that the chips used for Edge AI devices are often smaller and a less capable of handling massive compute loads. As AI continues to enhance and streamline functions in the household, however, the need for cloud access can be somewhat of a liability, so local edge models may be the better way to go, provided they can handle whatever enhancements manufacturers are looking to add.
Paired alongside the new dealer training and logistics center opening in Round Rock, the news signals a greater expansion of Modern Atomics’s capabilities and offerings for integrators, as the new facility will host monthly in-person dealer training sessions in addition to greatly expanding the company’s shipping capacity for all products.
The facility also enables the company to now offer 24/7 will-call orders for all Texas dealers, according to Modern Atomics.
This holds true for the TIMESTYLES partnership, as well, as this marks Modern Atomics’s first Canadian distribution partner.
