Can technology operate as fast as farming demands?

Artificial intelligence is already making its mark on agriculture, but one challenge is the need for more powerful computing systems.

From using vision technology to detect plants, weeds, or pests, to incorporating lasers for precision, the future of farming is becoming more high-tech. However, a tech CEO says the real bottleneck is ensuring the technology can operate fast enough to meet the demands of farming.

“Like using vision to detect: is that the plant or is that the weed? What’s a pest? What’s not? Maybe even use lasers, right? The future is here in terms of using that. What holds it back is the computer power. The technology is cool but if it takes two and a half, three to do it. That’s not practical. The things that you’ve envisioned or thought of as science fiction is now coming into reality. People figured out how engineer equipment. Now it’s about applying state-of-the-art, computer technology to actually make it run fast, and make it run in a way that is actually usable and economical for you,” said Chris Walker, CEO of Untether AI.

Walker says his company has created a chip designed to help run AI models faster and more accurately.

Related Stories
Geomagnetic storms have been occurring with increased frequency in space this year, with significant consequences for agriculture.
Crop diseases and pests are taking a toll on Kansas corn. Two crop experts from Kansas State University share tips for producers dealing with cutworms and armyworms.
The Illinois Farm Bureau shows how hemp can regenerate the earth and boost rural economies.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Experts estimate the flooding from Hurricane Helene caused more than $1.3 billion in damage to Tennessee agriculture.
Pressure to lower gas prices across the Golden State could be the saving grace of this year’s corn harvest. California may soon be the final U.S. state to approve E-15 sales.
Both Congressional Ag Committees took up the bill over the summer, but there’s no word on when the Senate could move forward; it does expire on September 30.