Edge AI: Not Just a Cost Issue, But a Power Issue

In my previous article about edge AI, I discussed the business perspective of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). That's an important angle, but not the whole picture. These past few days, international tensions have flared up again. The situation involving Iran and the United States—something that would have been shocking five years ago—now feels routine. I started thinking about another question: in an increasingly turbulent world, what does AI really mean? After thinking about it for a long time, my conclusion is: AI is not just a business issue, but a power issue. Computing Power is Power AI is changing the fundamental formula of economic operation. Past: Capital + Labor = Productivity Now: Capital → Computing Power + Electricity + Models = Productivity The essence of this change is that capital can be directly converted into productive forces, bypassing human labor. Moreover, as embodied intelligence and robotics develop, this conversion efficiency will only increase. And productive fo