With many stakeholders involved, and major investments supporting it, the advancements in automated driving (AD) are undoubtedly there. Generally speaking, the motivation for advancing AD is driver convenience and road safety. Regarding the development of AD, original equipment manufacturers, technology start-ups, and AD systems developers have taken different approaches for automated vehicles (AVs). Some manufacturers are on the path toward stand-alone vehicles, mostly relying on onboard sensors and intelligence. On the other hand, the connected, cooperative, and automated mobility (CCAM) approach relies on additional communication and information exchange to ensure safe and secure operation. CCAM holds great potential to improve traffic management, road safety, equity, and convenience. In both approaches, there are increasingly large amounts of data generated and used for AD functions in perception, situational awareness, path prediction, and decision-making. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is instrumental in processing such data, and in that context, “edge AI” is a more recent type of implementation. Edge AI involves AI algorithms in edge computing devices, which requires hardware operating close to where data is generated. This report explores the potential of edge AI in CCAM. Different perspectives on edge AI for CCAM are explored and definitions drafted. Primary applications are explored, and an outlook on further advancements in applications is presented. The report includes a discussion on the benefits, risks, and challenges related to the use of edge AI in this domain. Major issues such as privacy and cybersecurity are considered, as are misconceptions. Furthermore, potential learning benefits, using experiences gained in other sectors, are introduced. NOTE: SAE Edge Research Reports are intended to identify and illuminate key issues in emerging, but still unsettled, technologies of interest to the mobility industry. The goal is to stimulate discussion and work in the hope of promoting and speeding resolution of identified issues. These reports are not intended to resolve the challenges they identify or close any topic to further scrutiny.
