Building smarter cities with AI & IoT
Smart cities make use of technology and data to enhance the quality of life for their residents, improve the efficiency of services and promote sustainable development. These cities tap into advanced infrastructure, connectivity and intelligent systems to better manage resources. Artificial intelligence (AI) in smart cities has helped to play a crucial role by providing automation, analysis and prediction capabilities, while the proliferation of IoT devices has improved collection of real time data. Together, they are creating intelligent urban environments.
What role does AI play in smart cities?
There’s a growing relationship between AI and smart cities. AI is helping to change how urban infrastructure operates, leading to a transformation where cities adapt to the needs of their residents. AI works by continuously learning from data and analysing patterns at the fraction of the time it would take a human, and it’s becoming faster at doing so. A new AI tool was created in 2023 that helps analyse how groups of people behave in cities at up to 400 times faster than previously available methods. These types of insights will enable more informed decisions to optimise services.
AI can support the evolution of smart cities by analysing vast amounts of data such as exabytes, equal to one billion gigabytes, to forecast future events, trends and behaviours. In tandem with predictive analytics, it is highly valuable for making proactive decisions to improve effective resource management including energy, water, waste and human services.
Smart cities are also being shaped by the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT devices, including cameras, sensors, smart meters and traffic management solutions, transmit the vast amounts of data that is analysed by AI systems.
Cloud: Managing IoT data at scale
The Cloud is pivotal in managing large datasets generated by IoT and smart cities. It’s scalable, so as data volumes grow, cloud storage can be easily expanded. Cloud platforms offer substantial computational resources for processing large datasets, which is necessary for running complex AI and machine learning algorithms that derive insights from IoT data. It’s often cost-effective, allowing cities to manage expenditures based on storage needs.
Overcoming IoT data challenges
With IoT devices using huge quantities of data, this can prove a challenge. Cloud computing can be complemented by edge computing to ensure that data is processed closer to where it is generated, a particular benefit in smart city environments. With data processed at or near the source, latency is significantly reduced. This is a significant benefit to IoT smart city applications that require real-time decision-making, such as traffic control systems.
How AI advancements are shaping smart cities
Advancements in AI have helped to encourage the evolution of smart cities, weaving its way into our day-to-day lives. One area is transportation and mobility. AI algorithms analyse real-time traffic data to optimise traffic light patterns, reducing wait times and improving traffic flow. These systems can dynamically adjust signals based on current traffic conditions, accidents or roadworks. Additionally, AI-powered navigation systems and software can suggest routes that reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Another key area is infrastructure and utilities. AI in smart cities predicts when infrastructure components such as roads need maintenance by analysing data from sensors and historical records. This proactive approach reduces downtime and maintenance costs. In energy management, AI optimises the distribution and use of energy across the grid.
AI is already being used to great effect in data centre operations at Telehouse. Telehouse is further advancing its sustainability efforts by using AI-driven monitoring to optimise cooling efficiency across its data centres.
How Telehouse is powering smart cities with colocation
Telehouse provides highly connected colocation facilities within multiple smart cities around the world. By offering low latency interconnectivity, resilient infrastructure for housing critical data and scalable capacity, we’re helping smart cities to evolve. Find out more here.