The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →On 25 August 2020, Altran announced that it had integrated Intel’s Open Network Edge Services Software (OpenNESS) toolkit and other Intel technologies into its ENSCONCE multi-access edge computing (MEC) platform. The aim was to help developers build and deploy edge applications and help operators orchestrate and manage them across network locations. The announcement described expected performance benefits, not benchmark results.
What is Intel OpenNESS?
In Altran’s 2020 announcement, OpenNESS is described as an open-source MEC software toolkit for onboarding and managing applications and network functions with cloud-like agility across different network types. Its microservices provide building blocks that can be combined into edge applications and services. The toolkit is not itself an AI inference package; OpenVINO was a separate Intel technology included in the broader ENSCONCE integration.
In June 2021, Intel described Intel Smart Edge Open as the evolved and enhanced software toolkit formerly known as OpenNESS. Intel distinguished that open toolkit from commercial Intel Smart Edge. Intel’s announcement provides that terminology context, but does not establish the present support status or availability of ENSCONCE.
How did OpenNESS enhance Altran’s ENSCONCE platform?
ENSCONCE was presented as a platform for MEC solutions that could host applications close to network access points and other parts of an operator’s infrastructure. Altran said the integration would provide uniform interfaces for 4G and 5G mobile networks and use Intel Xeon processors and accelerators. The announcement did not identify specific hardware models, deployment quantities, or a required customer configuration.
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- Powered By Luckfox Core3576 Module To Enable AI Edge Computing, Making It Easy For You To Explore The World Of AI
- Equipped with high-performance RK3576 processor, integrated with quad-core Cortex-A72 and quad-core Cortex-A53, providing strong performance and high energy efficiency
- Equipped with 6 TOPS computing power, easy to convert a variety of neural network models based on TensorFlow, MXNet, PyTorch, and Caffe frameworks.
- Supports 4K@120fps (H.265/HEVC, VP9, AVS2, AV1), 4K@60fps (H.264/AVC) decoding and 4K@60fps (H.265/HEVC, H.264/AVC) encoding, easy to deal with HD video tasks
- Different types of traffic can be distributed to different network interfaces: one for external Internet connection and another for internal LAN, which improves security and management flexibility
Application development and onboarding
The platform’s developer-facing functions included SDK support for on-demand applications and APIs intended to make edge services accessible to application developers. Altran Executive Vice-President of Strategy, Technology and Innovation Pascal Brier said the platform would incorporate relevant APIs in SDKs and developer-facing services.
Deployment discovery and operator management
ENSCONCE was also described as supporting discovery of edge deployments, orchestration across operator networks, and lifecycle monitoring and management. Together, these functions were intended to help operators deploy and manage applications across distributed edge sites rather than treat each location as an isolated environment.
Rank #2
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- Equipped with high-performance RK3576 processor, integrated with quad-core Cortex-A72 and quad-core Cortex-A53, providing strong performance and high energy efficiency. Suitable for vision robotics, depth vision, stereo vision and other AI vision applications
- Supports 4K@120fps (H.265/HEVC, VP9, AVS2, AV1), 4K@60fps (H.264/AVC) decoding and 4K@60fps (H.265/HEVC, H.264/AVC) encoding, easy to deal with HD video tasks
- Different types of traffic can be distributed to different network interfaces: one for external Internet connection and another for internal LAN, which improves security and management flexibility
- Optional for customized Aluminum alloy case with fins for Omni3576 development board, increases the contact and heat dissipation area between the metal case and the air to make the heat dissipation more efficient, with no frequency dropout for 24 hours at full load. Adopts passive fanless cooling design to greatly reduce dust accumulation, thus minimizing malfunctions.
Performance goals and OpenVINO
Altran and Intel said OpenNESS microservices would support accelerated virtual switching, with the integration intended to increase computing and I/O performance and reduce network latency. These were qualitative goals in the announcement; it published no benchmark data or measured latency changes.
Separately, Intel’s OpenVINO toolkit was included to support low-latency inference on several classes of AI accelerator and provide optimized inference models. That capability belongs to the wider set of Intel technologies integrated with ENSCONCE, not to OpenNESS alone. Intel Vice-President Renu Navale said the combined components were intended to make the platform developer-friendly and accelerate ecosystem innovation.
Rank #3
- High Performance CIX SoC - OrangePi 6 Plus 32G adopts CIX CD8180/CD8160 SoC, built-in 12-core 64-bit processor + NPU processor, integrated graphics processor, equipped with 16GB/32GB /64GB LPDDR5, and provides two M.2 KEY-M interfaces 2280 for NVMe SSD,as well as SPI FLASH and TF slots to meet the needs of fast read/write and high-capacity storage; It is equipped with 45 Tops computing power to support a variety of end-side large-model applications and a rich end-side AI scene.
- 45TOPS AI Computing Power - AI acceleration performance reaches 45TOPS, significantly enhancing AI development and deployment efficiency. It supports multiple mainstream AI models and meets the application needs of generative AI in diverse edge scenarios, such as chatbots and AI-assisted programming. At the same time, relying on its graphics acceleration algorithm and graphics engine, it can support desktop 3D graphics applications such as games and industrial design software.
- Rich Ports - OrangePi 6 Plus 32GB has a rich set of interfaces, including USB3.0, USB2.0, HDMI, 5G Ethernet, MIPI camera interface, TF slot, Type-C port power supply, 40Pin expansion connector, and fan connector, etc., which greatly meets the user's needs for connecting to a variety of peripherals.
- Wide Range of Application Scenarios - With powerful computing performance, Orange Pi 6 Plus 32gb can be widely used in smart office, edge computing scenarios, smart security, industrial automation control, smart retail, home servers, AI development workstations, high-performance personal computing and other
- Excellent Software Compatibility - Supports multiple operating systems including Debian, Ubuntu, Android, Windows, ROS2, providing comprehensive technical documentation and resources to help developers get started and explore the system in depth. It meets the needs of different users and developers, expanding application scenarios.
What does an edge computing platform do?
An edge platform places application computing near the networks, devices, or users that generate and consume data, instead of sending every task to a distant centralized data center. In the ENSCONCE announcement, relevant hosting locations included sites near access networks, aggregation points, regional data centers, and central offices.
For an operator or enterprise, a platform in this category can provide a common way to onboard applications, find suitable edge deployments, coordinate services across network locations, and monitor their lifecycle. The intended benefit is to make distributed infrastructure usable by developers and manageable by operators; the actual performance depends on the workload, deployment, network, and hardware.
What related effort did Altran and Intel announce?
The 2020 release also described a separate effort involving Altran, Intel, network operators, technology vendors, and GSMA. The group was working on a global multi-operator edge platform intended to meet GSMA Operator Platform requirements. The announcement said a proof of concept would be demonstrated at operator sites later in 2020, but does not confirm whether the demonstration took place or report its outcome.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is OpenNESS still available?
The sources establish a change in Intel’s naming: in June 2021, Intel called Smart Edge Open the evolved and enhanced toolkit formerly known as OpenNESS. Intel’s 2024 Edge Platform announcement offers later portfolio context, but does not show that the 2020 ENSCONCE integration continued. These announcements do not establish current OpenNESS or ENSCONCE support status, or whether ENSCONCE is presently available.
Best Value
- POWERFUL PROCESSOR: Equipped with the Allwinner A733 octa-core CPU, delivering fast and efficient performance for a wide range of computing tasks.
- AI CAPABILITY: Features a built-in 3 TOPS NPU, enabling on-device artificial intelligence and machine learning applications with impressive processing power.
- COMPACT DESIGN: Pocket-sized single-board computer form factor makes it ideal for embedded projects, prototyping, and space-constrained deployments.
- VERSATILE CONNECTIVITY: Onboard interfaces include GPIO headers, USB ports, and networking options to support a broad variety of peripherals and project needs.
- ONBOARD STORAGE: Includes eMMC flash storage for fast, reliable read and write speeds, providing a stable foundation for your operating system and applications.
Organizations evaluating an edge platform should verify current product availability and support directly, then assess the requirements that affect their deployment:
Quick Recap
- Whether they need an open toolkit, commercial software, or both.
- How applications are onboarded, monitored, and managed through their lifecycle.
- Interoperability across 4G, 5G, and the network environments they use.
- Which edge locations, hardware, and accelerators their workloads require.
- Measured latency, compute, and I/O performance under their own workload and operating conditions.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
