Cloud computing was popular and well-established pre-pandemic as well but it has taken the spotlight as a move to remote working was thrust upon us. And it looks like it’s here to stay for a long time. Cloud technologies are moving away from a linear evolution to prepare for an exponential evolution. Now, as we look for recovery, the appetite for cloud solutions is still strong and ever growing. This nudges more organizations around the world to move towards a cloud-first strategy and as they do, we can expect to see new cloud computing trends in 2022.

Serverless functions

Serverless computing has been around for a few years now, a long time by cloud standards. It is now being given more importance by all the bigwigs of the cloud computing world. It promises a legitimate pay-as-you-go model that lets organizations pay only for the services that are actually used. This way, the infrastructure can scale invisibly depending on the requirements of an application without any significant capital investment.

Serverless computing also helps eliminate the risk of back-end failures and provides safe sandboxes for organizations to implement their code. Serverless within cloud computing will have a big part to play in creating new user experiences in the coming years.

 Edge computing 

Edge computing is an alternative approach to computing and storing data in the cloud environment. It is an emerging cloud trend that involves building localized data centers for computation and storage at or near where it’s being gathered, rather than on a central location that might be thousands of miles away.

This kind of decentralized computing infrastructure helps in decreasing latency issues and increasing application performance. Since the data and resources are closer to the end user’s device, it can be processed locally thus allowing organizations to save money as well. Edge is commonly misunderstood as a threat to cloud computing even though the relationship between the two is complementary.

Edge computing is used for time-sensitive data, whereas cloud computing processes data that is not time-driven. The edge computing market is currently one of the most hyped topics and it’s only set to expand next year. It offers clear advantages in terms of an increase in the speed of data processing, minimal to now latency, great connectivity, security, and privacy support, and decreased volumes of transmitted data. It will be an amazing enabler for companies interested in operational efficiency.

AI in cloud computing

Cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence have a mutual relationship where the latter powers cloud computing and the former plays a key role in the deliverance of AI services. Cloud services also help in democratizing AI by opening it up to a broader consumer base. It gives smaller businesses access to AI-enhanced business services and helps them access advanced machine learning functions.

Combining AI with cloud services enables organizations to get the most out of both applications in a cost-effective way. AI helps the cloud manage data and gain insights whereas the cloud provides a constant data backup and recovery in a virtual environment. The development and evolution of cloud and AI are interwoven and this will only become increasingly true during 2022.

The rise of cloud-gaming

Cloud gaming is an emerging technology that allows users to stream a virtually unlimited option of games for a flat monthly fee. It lets one play on any desktop, laptop, or smartphone without the need for an expensive console.

Leveraging cloud technology in the gaming industry fuels the demand and engagement of multiplayers for different games and removes existing platform barriers. Cloud gaming also eliminates the need for users to have storage space, any specialized hardware, and all the piracy problems, all of which translates to lower overall cost and sustainability.

Some major players in the cloud gaming space at the moment are Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Nvidia. Although game streaming technology is not yet as powerful as it could be, its transition to the cloud will ensure that the future of cloud gaming constantly evolves. It will also bring about a future where the cloud is not only the source of the game but also the platform of choice for players.