(upbeat instrumental music) - Hello and welcome to "insight.tech Talk," where we explore the latest IoT, AI, edge, and network technology trends and innovations. I'm your host, Christina Cardoza, Editorial Director of insight.tech, and today we're taking on the conversation to the network edge with CK from CASwell. But before we get started, let's get to know our guest. Ck what can you tell us about yourself and what you do at CASwell? - Hi Christina, hi everyone.
My name is Ck, with over 10 years of experience in CASwell for product management. My main focus has been on serving customers in Europe and the Middle East. Over the years my mission is to build strong relationships with clients across these regions, ensuring that the solutions from CASwell meet their specific needs and standards. And about CASwell, originally began as a division dedicated to network security applications.
Over time our expertise and focus grew, leading us to branch out and establish ourselves as a standalone company in 2007. Over the years CASwell has placed a strong emphasis on R&D to stay at the forefront of technology and innovation. However, we were not satisfied as only a player for networking, so expanded our business into information and operation applications.
I should say that our journey from a small division to an independent company wasn't just about getting bigger, it was about getting better at what we do. Nowadays, CASwell is a leading hardware solution provider for IT and OT industry in Taiwan, specializing in design, engineering, and manufacturing of not only networking appliance, but also industrial equipment, edge computing device, and advanced edge AI solutions which can meet the demand for the current modern applications.
- Great, and I'm looking forward to digging into some of that hardware. But before we jump into that, I want to start the conversation trying to understand a little bit more of why companies are moving to the network edge. I like how you said in your introduction, you're trying to stay at the forefront of technology and innovation and get better at what you do. And I think a lot of businesses are trying to do the same and they look to CASwell to help them along that journey.
But why are they moving to the network edge today, and what challenges are they facing on their journey? - If we are talking about the edge computing, we all know that it is all about handling data right where it is created instead of sending everything to the central server. This means faster response and less internal traffic, which means it is perfect for things that need instant reactions like manufacturing, retail, transportation, financial services, and etcetera. Let me say it in this way.
Imagine you are in a self-driving car and something unexpected happens on the road. You need your car to react instantly because every millisecond counts, okay? You cannot afford a delay waiting for data to travel to a distant server and back. It's not like waiting for a loading sandbox when you're using your computer, right? In self-driving scenarios any delays could mean life or death.
This is just an example where edge computing comes in, handling data right at the source to make those split-second decisions. And of course, it's not just about the speed, it's also about keeping your information safe. If sensitive data like your financial information can be processed locally instead of being sent over the internet to the central server there's a lower chance of it being intercepted or hacked. The less your data travels around the safer it stays.
This kind of localized processing is also super important in other areas like health care, which need instant diagnostic results, machines in a factory detecting problems. By processing data on the spot edge computing help keep everything running smoothly, even in place where internet connections might be unreliable. So, in short, edge computing is all about speed, security, and reliability.
It brings the power of data processing closer to where it's needed most, whether it's in your car or your doctor's office or on the factory floor. But from what I hear from some of our customers moving to the network edge is not always easy. It's a big step and comes with its own set of challenges. Companies face things like increased complexity in managing systems, higher infrastructure cost, limited processing power, data management issue, and more.
Despite these challenges the benefits of edge computing are too significant to ignore. It can really boost the infrastructure performance, improve security, and save the overall cost, and eventually making it worth the effort to overcome all those hurdles. - Yeah, absolutely. I can definitely see the need for network edge and edge computing with all the demands of the real-time data processing, like you mentioned, the enhanced security, improving user experiences.
But I feel like a lot of times when we discuss the edge it feels very abstract. We know all of the benefits and why we should be moving there, but how do we move there? Is there a network edge device, for instance, that is able to help us move to the edge and get all of these benefits, what does that look like?
- Challenges that I mentioned earlier make moving to the edge seem expensive and complicated, but if companies can have reliable edge devices integrated it can provide innovative, dependable, and affordable hardware features to help the companies to overcome these challenges. So, they can allocate their limited resources and focus more on building and managing their infrastructure, maintaining their data, and improving the security, or training their staff.
That's why companies need to work closely with the edge device provider, like CASwell. Our customers can always count on us because we design the right equipment for the right use case and ensure the edge devices are the key for their edge journey and make their transition to the edge smoother and easier. So, at the end of the day, having the right device with the right features are essential, but it's only with the right partner, like CASwell.
We support them from the hardware perspective, allowing companies to focus more on their specialization. Each party plays its own role, enabling companies to truly do more with this in their edge journey.
- I know you mentioned obviously it's important to have the right features, reliable, affordable hardware, and that helps you build and manage infrastructure and maintain that data that's really important, but can you talk a little bit more about what those features and hardware capabilities look like? When companies are looking for a network edge device, what type of capabilities is really going to bring them success? - Okay, it is a tricky question for me.
If I'm talking about my dream edge device it needs to be small and compact, also packed with multiple connection options like SNA, Wi-Fi, and 5G for different applications. And it would also be nice to have a rack design that can operate in harsh environment and handle a right range of temperature if users want to install the equipment in stony cold mountains or hot deserts. Also, offer powerful processing but consume low power.
And of course, the most important thing is the cost for this all-in-one box need to be extremely low. Getting all that in one device sounds perfect, right? But do you really think that even be possible? Okay, I can tell you the truth is companies at the edge don't really need an all-in-one box. What they really need is a device with the right features for their specific environment and application, and that's what CASwell is all about.
We have a product line which can provide a variety of choices from the basic models to high-end solutions and from IT to OT applications. Whether it's for a small office, a factory, or a remote location we have got options designed for different conditions and requirements. So, with the right partner companies can easily find the right edge device without paying for features they don't really need, okay? Moving to the edge computing certainly costs a lot, so we need to do it smart and efficient.
The idea is to ensure that every edge player can get exactly what they need to optimize their operations and stay ahead of this game. So, sorry that there's no certain answer for your question here. In my opinion that if an edge device that can offer the right features, right capabilities with an affordable cost for the specific use case, then it's just a good edge device that we are looking for. - Yeah, absolutely.
No, I love that businesses or companies, they don't necessarily need an all-in-one box. I think so many times the businesses are focused on finding something that is cost effective that tries to meet all their needs, and they sort of lose sight of what their needs actually are and how a device can help them and the benefits in the long run.
So, that's definitely great, and I want to get into how partnerships work with CASwell and as well as the different product lines that you do have a little bit deeper. But before we get there I'm a little curious because obviously when we talk about edge today AI is so closely related to it. AI at the edge is a term that's going around these days, and so I'm curious what the role here is at the network edge, especially when we're talking about network edge devices.
- We know that nowadays AI model training is done in the cloud due to its need for massive amounts of data and high computational power. If you do a quick search online you'll find lots of pictures showing how an AI factory or AI data center need to be. Imagine something the size of a football field and filled with dozens of big blocks, and each block is packed with hundreds of servers all linked together working nonstop on model training.
I agree that such AI server sounds amazing, but this is too far from our general use case and not is able to afford by our customers. As we talked about earlier, the concept of edge computing is all about handling data right where it is created instead of sending everything to a central server. So, if we want to use AI to enhance our edge solutions we cannot just move the entire AI factory to our server room unless you are super rich and your server room is the size of a football field.
Instead, we keep the heavy duty, deep learning tasks in a centralized AI center and shift the inference part to the edge, okay? This approach requires much less power and data, and making it perfect for edge equipment. We're already seeing this trend with AI integrated into our everyday devices like mobile phones and AI-enabled PCs. These device use cloud-trained models to make smart decisions and provide our personalized experiences and enhance user interaction.
Building on this trend, edge AI servers are coming with the general computability we often use a GPU engine here. This edge server can handle the basic AI calculation on top of our existing hardware. This means faster decision making and the ability to use AI-driven insights in real time, whether it's for cybersecurity, small factories, or other edge applications.
CASwell is now building a new product line for edge AI servers and designed to bring AI capabilities right from the data center to the edge, giving us the power of AI instantly and puts AI directly in the hands of those who need it and right when they need it. - So, tell me a little bit more about that product line or the other products that CASwell offers.
You mentioned that you have a whole suite of tools to help businesses depending on what their needs are, their demands, and what they're trying to get. So, how is CASwell helping these businesses address their network edge challenges and demands? - I can introduce a model, CAF-0121, okay? The CAF-0121 is an interesting entry-level desktop product from CASwell built around Intel's new generation Atom processor, which offers a great balance of performance and power efficiency, okay?
This small box also can provide 2.5 Gig support to fulfill the basic infrastructure connectivity, plus it's compact and fanless passive cooling design, which is suitable for edge computing applications. But we can see a trend where the edge environments are becoming more challenging than we initially expected.
End users want to install edge equipment not just in the office space with air conditioning or on clean organized racks, but also in OT environments like a warehouse, factory floors, and even cabinets without proper airflow, okay? The line between IT and OT is becoming more broad, and more users are looking for solutions that can work in both IT and light OT environment.
As a compromise CASwell decided to develop this CAF-0121 that can handle a wider temperature range from the typical zero to 40 degree up to something like minus 20 to 60 degree. Our goal with this new model is to provide OT-grade specs at an IT-friendly price. This means user can cut down on the resources needed to manage their infrastructure and make deployment much simpler.
They can use the same equipment across both IT and IT, both IT and OT applications, making it easier to standardize and maintain their technology setup. So, the approach for CAF-0121 allows business to adapt to different environments without needing separate solutions for each scenario, which is really an exciting product. - Yeah, that's great that you developed the CAF-0121 to help businesses in all of their needs.
It occurs to me as we're talking about this, the different temperature ranges that they need to meet, the cost ranges, that not only are businesses having challenges, but sometimes it can be challenging for partners like CASwell to create these solutions that meet their demand. So, I'm just curious if there's any insight that you can provide when developing this product if you guys had any challenges to meet all of these demands, and how you were able to overcome them?
- The technology around thermoelectric module, we call it TEM, is the one we are relying on for CAF-0121, okay? TEM is already a proven solution for cooling overheating components, okay? It is common in things like medical devices, car systems, refrigerators, water coolers, and other equipment that needs quick and accurate temperature control, okay?
These slim devices work on creating temperature difference when electric current passes through them, causing one side heats up and the other side cools down. The more current we send through the bigger the temperature difference we get between two sides. And of course TEM does not run on its own. It is controlled by a microcontroller and the thermal sensor that monitors the temperature inside the device.
The firmware that we have programmed into the microcontroller takes those temperature readings and decides when to turn the TEM on and how much current we should send through. We have gone through countless trials and adjustment with the firmware settings to ensure our equipment stays in the ideal temperature range. And we also had to watch out about the condensation reaction because if a TEM cools down too quickly it can cause moisture to form on the module surface.
And if the moisture gets onto the circuit board it could cause serious damage. So, an appropriate liquid isolation solution between moisture and a circuit board is also necessary. While people are normally using the cooling capability of the TEM, we had a different idea of why not leverage both the cooling and heating capability to help our edge device to operate in a wider temperature range.
So, the overall concept is by leveraging the heating capability of the TEM we can indirectly expand the operation temperature range of the system to a lower degree. And conversely, by using the cooling capability it can cool down the system when the internal ambient temperature rises to a certain high level. Let me say it in a simple way. When the room is getting cold TEM operate as a heater, and when a room is getting hot TEM operates as a cooler.
With a TEM we are no longer limited to the operation temperature range of the individual components we have selected. It helps us bridge the gap, allows us to expand the temperature range of our equipment beyond what the components could typically allow. This means we can push the temperature boundaries by using the TEM and the device can still maintain reliable.
And some people might think why we don't just use industrial-grade components that support a wider temperature range and make our life easier? Reality is those wide-temp components can sometimes cost twice as much as standard commercial ones, plus the general chassis designed for this case are usually large and heavy. And then of course the most important reason is if we build our equipment just like everyone else, why would customers choose us over the competition?
If that is the case, CAF-0121 would just end up being another costly device with bulky thermal fans designed to support wide temperature ranges, and this is not what we want. That's why we have put a lot of effort into studying the characteristics of the TEM more closely and focusing on selecting the right thermal conductivity materials, fine-tuning our firmware settings, and testing our device in temperature control chambers day and night.
Our goal is to redefine what edge computing hardware can be by offering solutions that are adaptable to various temperature environments, compact and lightweight, and also still being competitive priced. - Yeah, it's amazing to hear those different wide ranges of temperature environments you were mentioning in cars and refrigerators, so I can see the importance of making sure that it's consistently reliable and it provides that performance.
So, do you have any customers that have actually been using CAF-0121 and anything you can share with how they're using it or in what type of solutions it is in?
- This box is going to mass production in October this year, which is the next month, and we have already got a few thousand purchase orders from a major European customer focused on cybersecurity applications and planning to use this device in small office, warehouse, and possibly outdoor cabinets for electric vehicle charging station that need wider temperature support. This really highlights the advantage of CAF-0121.
The customer can use it across both IT and OT applications without needing separate solutions for different operation temperature conditions, and of course saving customers from having to spend extra money. We also sent samples to around seven to eight potential customers across various industries here, including cybersecurity, SD-WAN, manufacturing, and telecom companies for instant traffic management. The feedback has been fantastic.
Everyone loves the competitive price, which makes our device a great deal. And also the compact size is another big win because it can fit into tight spaces and helps lower our shipping cost, also, reduce the carbon footprint. You know, in today's market pricing is a huge factor. We need to do cost-effective solution but cannot compromise on performance and flexibility.
So, it's clear that our approach is hitting the mark for customers who need the reliable and scalable edge solutions that don't break their bank. The excitement we are seeing from these industries really prove that we are on the right track, and CAF-0121 is exactly the kind of solution that can make their needs. - I can definitely see why the solution needs to be smart and compact, but then also fast and reliable, high performance. So, I'm curious how you actually make that happen.
And I should mention "insight.tech Talk" and insight.tech as a whole, we are sponsored by Intel so, but I know Intel has a lot of processors that make these devices possible, that make them be able to run fast in these different environments and in these small form factors. So, I want to hear a little bit more about how you work with technology partners like Intel into making your product line possible.
- As we discussed earlier, a solid edge computing device should have just the right processing power packed in a compact size, a variety of connection options, energy efficient, and of course a competitive price, okay? These are really the basic must-haves for any edge computing device. That's why we have chosen the Intel Atom processor for this project. With the Atom we can provide the right level of performance and still keeping power consumption low.
And also thanks to Intel LAN controller that help us easily added the support for 2.5 Gig Ethernet to this box to ensure the capability with most infrastructure requirements and more. The Atom has built-in instructions that can accelerate IPsec traffic, making it an excellent choice for security-focused applications. So, whether you are dealing with data encryption, secure communications, or other security jobs, this processor is up to the challenge.
And if we wanted to further enhance the security, Atom also integrated with BIOS Guard and Boot Guard to provide a hardware root of trust. With these two guards we are not just talking about great performance and efficiency. We are delivering a high level of protection for the BIOS and the boot-up process. This level of security is crucial, especially for edge devices that need to handle sensitive information and critical tasks without compromising protection.
I can say that only Intel offers a one-stop shop for all these features among the various players in this market. They don't just provide the hardware, but also the driver and firmware support. This level of integration has made the development of the CAF-0121 project so much easier, and it has really shortened our time to market.
When you have got the processing power, security features, and even software support all coming from one reliable partner, Intel, it certainly streamlines the whole process. This is not just simplifies the engineering and development work, but also ensures everything works seamlessly together. So, with Intel's comprehensive support the hardware designer, like CASwell, can focus more on optimizing performance and less on troubleshooting capability issues.
This is a big win for both us and our customers, allowing us to deliver high quality, reliable edge computing solutions faster and efficiently. - Absolutely, that's great to hear.
And I'm sure, you know, we kept talking about in this conversation making things more cost effective, more affordable, so I'm sure being able to leverage the technology expertise or the technology processor and other elements from a partner like Intel that helps you be able to focus on your sweet spot and not have to build things from scratch and make things more expensive than they need to be. So, great to hear how you're using all of that different technology. It's been a great conversation.
You've really been able to take a technical topic, and make it more digestible and understandable. Unfortunately, we are running out of time, but before we go I just want to throw it back to you one last time if you have any final thoughts or key takeaways you want to leave our listeners with today. - I started working at CASwell 10 years ago, and things were pretty different back then. At that time most of the processing power was centralized.
Companies were all about making their server super powerful, giving them the fast internet connections for gathering all the data from the edge. Servers were packed with multiple features to handle every use case you could imagine. Times have changed. It's all about instant processing and real-time AI calculations. Businesses need to make quick decisions right at the source of the data instead of sending everything back to the central server. That's why edge computing has become such a big deal.
It lets companies process data on the spot without any delay. But when all the network players shifting toward edge solutions the real challenge is how do we make our equipment different and better than everyone else? So, this project, CAF-0121, we have gained some really valuable know-how using an old-school technology as an innovative thermal solution for edge equipment and tried to bring added volume to our products in this highly competitive market.
We also want this small success to inspire our R&D team to stay creative and think outside the box, and not just stick to the traditional way of doing things. Also, thanks to the support from Intel about their edge solutions, including edge-optimized processors, which build in deep learning inference capabilities, various LAN options for different connectivity needs, and of course including all the documents for integration, drivers and firmware support.
This collaboration has really helped us push our designs to the next level. Finally, our goal is very simple, aiming to set a new standard of edge computing equipment and providing flexible edge solutions to help customers tackle challenges from the cloud and through the network and all the way to the intelligent edge.
- Well, I can't wait to see what else CASwell does in this space as well as the CAF-0121 when that comes, different market solutions that companies are going to be leveraging this for. I invite all of our listeners to visit the CASwell website, contact them, see how they can help you in all of your edge and network edge needs, as well as visit insight.tech as we continue to cover partners like CASwell and how they're innovating in this space.
So, I want to thank you again for joining us today CK as well as our listeners for tuning in. Until next time, this has been "insight.tech Talk." (upbeat instrumental music)