If the idea of processing data at the edge sounds familiar, it should. Levine points out computing has gone in massive cycles, shifting from centralized to distributed and back again, and the coming move to the edge is just another manifestation of that.
In his view, it only makes sense that the next trend will swing back to a distributed system driven by the sheer volume of Internet of Things devices. When the number of devices on the planet is no longer limited by the number of humans, it has the potential to raise the number of computers in the world by an order of magnitude, and that will force a change in the way we think about computing in the future.
As crazy as that sounds — and he fully recognizes that it does — Levine says it’s based on sound analysis of where he sees computing going — and he believes his job as an investor is to recognize where the industry is heading before it happens.
He theorizes that as devices like drones, autonomous cars and robots proliferate, they are going to require extremely rapid processing — so fast, in fact, that sending data up to the cloud and back to get an answer will simply be too slow.
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