Advancing Edge AI in digital signage with integrated NPUs

Digital signage is rapidly evolving. Intelligence. Interactivity. Communications platforms driven by AI. These are all increasingly demanded by businesses everywhere as they seek to differentiate and to retain brand loyalty.

One of the key technologies driving this transformation is Edge AI, made possible by integrated Neural Processing Units (NPUs), delivering high TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second). These technologies are enabling smarter, faster, and more energy efficient digital signage solutions across retail, transportation, hospitality, healthcare, and beyond, delivering into smart city environments.

Traditionally, digital signage systems have relied heavily on cloud computing for content management and analytics. While effective, cloud based processing introduces latency, bandwidth dependency, and privacy concerns, AI on the edge changes this model by enabling AI processing directly on the device. Instead of sending video streams and user interaction data to remote servers, edge enabled signage can process data locally, and in real time. Supporting faster decision making, improved responsiveness, and reduced network and computing costs.

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Integrated NPUs play a critical role in enabling Edge AI capabilities. NPUs are designed specifically for AI processing, such as computer vision, facial recognition, audience analytics, gesture detection, and natural language processing. Their performance is commonly measured in TOPS, indicating how many trillion operations per second the processor can execute. Higher TOPS ratings enable more advanced AI models to run efficiently on embedded devices without relying on external Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) or cloud resources.

Digital displays, such as the new Philips Signage portfolio, equipped with integrated NPUs ranging from 1 TOPS to 6 TOPS can perform AI functions directly on the display device.

For example, AI powered retail signage can analyse customer demographics, dwell time, and emotional engagement to dynamically adjust the ads being shown in real time. That allows stores to provide a more tailored experience – whether for the customer who wants to be in store for as little time as possible, or the one who would prefer to browse, interact, and enjoy their retail time.

In transportation hubs, intelligent displays can detect crowd density and automatically update wayfinding information. And it brings the ability to change displays in a fleet at the touch of a button, unlocking services that rely on rapid responses.

In restaurants and QSRs, interactive kiosks can provide personalised recommendations, guiding customers through choices not only based on predetermined ‘what goes well together’ but also on demographic profile. It’s all more possible with integrated AI processing.

Another major advantage of integrated NPUs for Edge AI is energy efficiency. NPUs are optimised for parallel AI operations while consuming significantly less power than traditional CPUs or GPUs. This makes them ideal for always on digital signage applications that require continuous operation with minimal heat generation and lower operational costs. In fact, a report published on ResearchGate suggests that in a smart manufacturing case study, Edge AI reduced energy usage by 35% compared to a cloud based solution. Compact embedded systems with integrated NPUs also simplify installation design and reduce the need for additional hardware – and its draw on power.

Privacy and security are extra benefits of Edge AI in digital signage. Since sensitive data such as facial recognition or customer interaction analytics can be processed locally, businesses can minimise the transfer of personal data to cloud servers. This supports compliance with data protection regulations while improving user trust.

As AI models continue to become more sophisticated, the demand for high performance NPUs built into displays will increase. AI on the edge, powered by integrated NPUs, is redefining the future of digital signage. The digital signage portfolio from Philips Professional Displays is already there – check out the Philips Signage range, including the Philips Signage 5000 Series with 6 TOPS neural processing power.

Advancing Edge AI in digital signage with integrated NPUs

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