Qualcomm Reveals Its Plan To Take On The Internet Of Things

Mike Moore,
qualcomm internet of everything

Two new Qualcomm chips and a host of new partnerships mark out company’s major role

The Internet Of Things (IoT) arms race shows no sign of slowing down, as Qualcomm today followed the lead of some of its rivals revealing new hardware that aims to help connect the world around us.

The company, which prefers the term ‘Internet of Everything’ for the hyper-connected world, today announced the launch of two new processors, as well as revealing more details on how its products are helping the IoT (or IoE) become a reality.

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Constructed by its Atheros unit, which specialises in wireless products, the new QCA401x and QCA4531 chips are hoped to spur on development in the IoT.

The QCA401x, Qualcomm’s new flagship IoT chip, will be used to power the likes of light bulbs, smart TVs, cameras and other gadgets. The QCA4531, a Linux-based Wi-Fi chip, will act as a hub between larger devices like media servers and appliances.

The company hopes that the chips will help add to its growing presence in the IoT market, which it emphasised today with a host of statistics showing its success.

This includes its work in 20 active smart city projects, covering areas such as municipal Wi-Fi, water usage, recycling, lighting, transportation, energy and infrastructure, and connected healthcare, with its Qualcomm Life mobile health unit now numbering around approximately 500 customers and collaborators.

The company also powers more than 20 wearable devices ranging from smart watches and fitness trackers to wearable cameras and digital eyewear shipping in more than 30 countries, and  More than 20 million connected vehicles are deployed globally with Qualcomm Snapdragon LTE and 3G modems.

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“The Internet of Everything encompasses a vast, growing ecosystem of billions of new connections. In order for the Internet of Everything to truly deliver value for individuals, communities and companies, the industry needs technology leaders with the right scale and resources,” said Derek Aberle, president, Qualcomm Incorporated.

“Qualcomm is well-positioned to provide the most advanced connectivity, computing and interoperability for devices and machines in smart homes, automobiles, wearables and smart cities. Our technologies are already driving this new era of intelligent connectivity and computing, and we will continue to invest in these emerging segments.”

Earlier this week, Samsung revealed its Artik chips, which it hopes will help establish it as a key player in the lucrative IoT market, including the powerful, Artik 10, which is powered by an octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, as well as Wi-Fi and Zigbee connectivity.

IBM and Intel have also both released IoT-enabled chips in a bid to gain a share of the market, with the former announcing earlier this year that it is pledging $3 billion (£2bn) over the next four years in building up a new IoT unit.

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