The number of network-connected devices (sensors, actuators, instruments, computers, and data stores) now substantially exceeds the number of humans on this planet. Billions of things that sense, think, and act are connected to a planet-spanning network of cloud and high-performance computing centers that contain more computers than the entire Internet did just a few years ago. Parallel computation and machine learning are providing the basis for this new computing continuum that analyses data in-situ, and uses HPC to model, predict, and learn. The NSF sponsored SAGE project is building a cyberinfrastructure to support artificial intelligence at the edge. From the edge to the cloud, SAGE will provide a new kind of programmable computing continuum that must reliable, self optimizing, and dynamic.

Pete Beckman is a recognized global expert in high-end computing systems. During the past 30 years, his research has been focused on software and architectures for large-scale parallel and distributed computing systems. For the DOE’s Exascale Computing Project, Beckman leads the Argo project focused on low-level resource management for the operating system and runtime. He is the founder and leader of Argonne’s Waggle project for artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing. Pete also co-directs the Northwestern University / Argonne Institute for Science and Engineering and leads the Sage project funded by the National Science Foundation to build a nationwide infrastructure for AI at the edge to support ecological research for the National Ecological Observatory Network and urban research for the Array of Things. Beckman also coordinates the collaborative technical research activities in extreme-scale computing between the US Department of Energy and Japan’s ministry of education, science, and technology and helps lead the BDEC (Big Data and Extreme Computing) series of international workshops. He also coordinates 5G wireless research activities at Argonne.