The Week in Review: IoT

Technology
The Internet of Things got some attention at this week’s Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich introduced the Joule compute module in his opening-day keynote address. The module is a high-performance developer platform supporting Intel RealSense depth-sensing cameras. Canonical, Microsoft, and PivotHead were among the IDF exhibitors demonstrating the Joule module at the three-day event.

Market Research
Remember “50 billion connected devices by 2020”? That famous prediction, made by Ericsson and Cisco Systems executives, has lived on in thousands of PowerPoint presentations, maybe millions and billions. Gartner estimates there are 6.4 billion connected devices at present, not including PCs, smartphones, and tablet computers, while IDC puts the tally at 9 billion and IHS says 17.6 billion, including PCs, smartphones, and tablets. By 2020, Gartner forecasts there will be 20.8 billion IoT devices, IDC sees 28.1 billion, and IHS Markit predicts 30.7 billion.

The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) published a new document that tackles defining the Internet of Things, while making reference to the Network of Things. The author, Jeffrey Voas, notes that some IoT networks are connected to a local-area network and not to the Internet. The four fundamentals for the Network of Things – computation, communication, actuation, and sensing – are similar to the concept of distributed computing, according to Voas.

Deals
Analog Devices has acquired the Cyber Security Solutions business of Sypris Electronics; financial details weren’t revealed. Dick Meaney, ADI’s senior vice president of the Industrial, Healthcare and Consumer Group, said in a statement, “With this acquisition, we have accelerated our ability to offer our customers trust ‘from the sensor to the cloud’ through next-generation cyber-physical security solutions. The competencies and offerings of the CSS business are a great complement to our Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, as security increasingly becomes paramount to the success of IoT implementations.”

Baker Hill Industries, a supplier of precision-machined components for a variety of industries, is deploying Fujitsu’s GlobeRanger IoT platform to provide real-time information in its manufacturing processes. Baker Hill plans to share its IoT insights with customers and suppliers.

Products
Synopsys says eWBM had first-pass silicon success with its MS1000 microcontroller with embedded security implementing DesignWare tRoot Secure Hardware Root of Trust, True Random Number Generator, and Security Protocol Accelerator intellectual property. “With the increase in IoT security breaches, we needed to collaborate with a proven IP provider to deliver a microcontroller with superior security capabilities,” eWBM CEO Stephen Oh said in a statement.

Kepware Technologies brought out version 5.21 of its KERServerEX industrial connectivity software, which it says expands interoperability with the ThingWorx IoT Platform. “This latest product release improves upon what is already the industry’s strongest solution for IoT connectivity and rapid app development,” Tony Paine, Kepware’s Platform President, said in a statement. Kepware is a business of PTC, a software and services company once known as Parametric Technology Corp.

Workshops
Renesas Electronics America is hosting a free IoT workshop at its office in Santa Clara, Calif., on Thursday, August 25. The “Connect Your Sensors to the Cloud” workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes breakfast and lunch. The event is being held in partnership with Medium One, Micrium, Intrinsic ID, and Qualcomm Atheros.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration will hold a “Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things” workshop on Thursday, September 1, at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Va. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. No word on meals.