New Technology Announcements Portend a Smarter IoT

#News(General) [ via IoTForIndiaGroup ]

Leading technology vendors have recently announced new products and integrations intended to push greater intelligence to the edge, derive deeper insights through analytics, and heighten security. Utilities should take note.

Qualcomm Offering a New Chip-Based Platform
Qualcomm’s new Vision Intelligence Platform is part of this trend. The Qualcomm platform features the chipmaker’s first family of system-on-chips (SoCs) built specifically for the IoT using an advanced 10 nm FinFET (Fin Field Effect Transistor) process that produces substantially faster performance and efficiencies than previous chips. The platform’s chip models, QCS605 and QCS603, are designed to provide greater computing power for on-device cameras and machine learning. The company envisions these chips being used for a variety of applications, including robots, the smart home, and smart cameras. For utilities, these could become valuable in cameras mounted amid critical infrastructure such as substations, or in drones that monitor the grid.

Microsoft Promoting Its Own System
Similarly, Microsoft has introduced Azure Sphere, a new custom SoC operating system for the IoT. Azure Sphere has its own flavor of a Linux kernel, and includes a new security subsystem called Pluton. For example, Pluton is designed to prevent malicious code from tampering with firmware on a device, which could be quite useful for a utility or energy provider that oversees over-the-air upgradeable smart meters or sensors connected to the grid.

Other Offerings in This Market
SoftBank Group’s Arm semiconductor subsidiary announced enhanced capabilities for its Mbed IoT platform during Hannover Messe, one of the world’s largest industrial technology events, held annually in Germany. The Mbed platform, designed to help companies connect, secure, manage, and provision IoT devices, will now integrate Mbed’s Cloud solution with IBM’s Watson IoT and artificial intelligence platform. Arm also announced a collaboration with Cybertrust and GlobalSign in a bid to give industrial customers the flexibility to use their own security certificates in IoT deployments.

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