As part of its strategy to become a leader in the Internet of Things market, IBM announced a $200 million investment in its Watson IoT business in Munich, Germany.
IBM announced it will invest more than $200 million in its global Watson IoT headquarters in Munich, Germany, as part of a global investment of $3 billion in Watson. This is one of the largest investments IBM has ever made in Europe.
The Watson IoT headquarters will be home to a new kind of industry labs, which IBM calls “IoT Collaboratories”, where IBM’s clients and partners can collaborate with the company’s 1,000 Munich-based researchers and business experts. “IBM is making tremendous strides to ensure that businesses around the world are able to take advantage of this incredible period of technological transformation and develop new products and services that really change people’s lives,” said Harriet Green, global head of IBM’s Watson IoT business, in a statement. “Germany is at the forefront of the Industry 4.0 initiative and by inviting our clients and partners to join us in Munich, we are opening up our talent and technologies to help deliver on the promise of IoT and establishing a global hotbed for collaborative innovation.”
A good year for Watson IoT
IBM said Watson has experienced rapid growth over that past eight months, growing its customer base from 4,000 clients globally to 6,000. Watson IoT’s new clients include Schaeffler, Aerialtronics and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Germany-based Schaeffler will be using Watson IoT to collect and analyze data from millions of sensors and devices across its operations. Aerialtronics in the Netherlands will be integrating Watson IoT’s cognitive computing capabilities to its drones. For its part, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals will launch cognitive hospital rooms, whereby in-room speakers connected to the IBM Watson IoT Platform let patients operate lights, window blinds, ask questions about hospital facilities or get background information on their physician.
New blockchain and security offerings
In addition to its $200 million investment in Watson IoT’s Munich headquarters, IBM also announced a number of new offerings. Among others, IBM is launching Watson IoT and Blockchain, a private blockchain solution fully integrated into IBM Blockchain, designed to allow tracking and monitoring of connected devices. IBM also presented a new set of IoT security solutions using enhanced security features in the Watson IoT Platform.
IIoT News Recap: Nokia acquires power efficiency specialist Eta Devices; Telus reaches wireless speeds of nearly 30 Gbps in 5G trial with Huawei; Bosch behind first self-driving cars hitting Australian roads; Autonomous car sales to reach 24 million units in 2030
Road to 5G: Nokia acquires power efficiency specialist Eta Devices
Energy efficiency is an integral part of 4.9G and 5G, said Nokia, announcing the acquisition of Eta Devices, a U.S.-based startup specialized in power amplifier efficiency solutions for base stations, access points and devices. Eta Devices uses a proprietary technology that can reduce heat waste drastically, Nokia said. The technology uses a new amplifier that works like an automated gearbox and adjusts energy usage according to energy requirements.
5G: Telus reaches wireless speeds of nearly 30 Gbps in 5G trial with Huawei
Canadian operator Telus said it reached wireless speeds of 29.3 Gbps in a trial at Huawei’s 5G Lab in Vancouver. “We’re still in the early days of determining what the deployment of 5G will look like, but what we do know is that it will be a quantum leap forward in wireless technology and the foundation of future innovations,” said Eros Spadotto, executive vice president of Technology Strategy at Telus. The operator has also upgraded one 4G LTE site in Vancouver to LTE-Advanced Pro capable of reaching speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Telus plans to upgrade five more sites in the coming weeks.
Autonomous driving: Bosch behind first self-driving cars hitting Australian roads
Bosch Australia engineers have worked in the past 12 months to make a Tesla Model S autonomous. The modified sedan has now hit the road in Australia, Motoring reports. “This self-driving car is at the forefront of automated vehicle technology and it’s been developed right here in Melbourne by local engineers,” said the Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Luke Donnellan. The project is a collaboration between VicRoads, the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), the Victorian state government, and Bosch.
Today’s forecast: Autonomous car sales to reach 24 million units in 2030
Berg Insight predicts that sales of autonomous vehicles will grow from 0.2 million units in 2020 to 24 million units in 2030. By the end 2030, the installed base of autonomous cars, including SAE Level 3 and 4 cars, will have reached 71 million. The analyst firm also forecasts that sales of semi-autonomous cars (SAE Level 2), will grow from 194,000 cars in 2015 to 304,000 cars in 2016. By 2030 the active installed base of SAE Level 2 cars will have reached about 177 million.
