Akamai launched a new generalized edge compute offering, dubbed Gecko, to move heavier computing typically confined in centralized data centers closer to the edge. This effort marks a shift in how the industry looks at cloud design, according to Akamai VP of Products Jon Alexander.

“We’re taking an outside-in, distributed approach to the cloud,” Alexander told SDxCentral. “This is different from the traditional centralized designs used by the hyperscalers over the past decade.”

Gecko builds “a continuum of computing” by closing the distance between the public cloud and the edge, which is different from current models that treat the two environments separately.

But the edge doesn’t need to be limited to lightweight functions, as traditional setups dictate.

“By making it possible to run workloads closer to users, devices and data sources, Gecko will give businesses the flexibility to build applications that run everywhere they do business,” Alexander said.

To that point, Gecko’s launch supports Akamai’s push to build “the world’s most distributed cloud computing platform,” which the vendor expects will have “the potential to reshape the cloud landscape for the next decade,” he said.

Artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing, multiplayer gaming, social media and streaming are a few obvious use cases for Gecko. These activities require high degrees of interconnectivity, low latency and fast performance while transmitting vast amounts of data. “This simply isn’t possible if the computing happens hundreds or thousands of miles away from the user in a centralized data center,” Alexander said.

Outside of those use cases, “any application that requires higher performance, lower latency and true global scalability – requirements for the vast majority of modern applications – can benefit from computing at the edge,” he added. “The power of Gecko lies in the ability to push that computing as close to the edge as possible, reducing wait times and helping applications process data more quickly while improving interactivity and application responsiveness.”

Specifically, Gecko deploys generalized compute on top of Akamai’s existing global edge network and takes advantage of the vendor’s existing tools, processes and observability of cloud-to-edge networks.

Akamai claims to have built and to run “one of the largest delivery networks on the planet. We’ve been doing that for the past 25 years,” Alexander said. By inserting cloud computing in locations that cloud providers struggle to reach, developers can build for one environment rather than two: cloud and edge.

Alexander highlighted Akamai’s recent acquisition of Linode as crucial in being able to layer cloud computing on top of the vendor’s network. “Now with Gecko, we’re extending that cloud reach even further to hundreds of edge points of presence that we’re embedding with generalized edge compute capabilities,” he said.

Gecko represents Akamai’s strategy for Linode becoming reality – and the next phase of that roadmap. It started 25 years ago at the inception of the vendor’s network, fueled by the addition of security capabilities, the Akamai Connected Cloud and the vendor’s rollout of additional core computing regions globally.

“Gecko builds on all of that to deliver on our vision for a more distributed and connected cloud that allows our customers to deliver better experiences for their customers,” Alexander said.