Industry Leaders to Establish Open Interconnect Consortium to Advance Interoperability for Internet of Things

SANTA CLARA, Calif. July 8, 2014 (Korea Bizwire)–Technology industry leaders Atmel  Corporation, Broadcom  Corporation, Dell,  Intel  Corporation, Samsung  Electronics Co., Ltd., and Wind  River, are joining forces to establish a new industry consortium  focused on improving interoperability and defining the connectivity  requirements for the billions of devices that will make up the Internet  of Things (IoT). The Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC) is focused on  defining a common communications framework based on industry standard  technologies to wirelessly connect and intelligently manage the flow of  information among personal computing and emerging IoT devices,  regardless of form factor, operating system or service provider.

Member companies will contribute software and engineering resources to  the development of a protocol specification, open source implementation,  and a certification program, all with a view of accelerating the  development of the IoT. The OIC specification will encompass a range of  connectivity solutions, utilizing existing and emerging wireless  standards and will be designed to be compatible with a variety of  operating systems.

Leaders from a broad range of industry vertical segments – from smart  home and office solutions to automotive and more – will participate in  the program. This will help ensure that OIC specifications and open  source implementations will help companies design products that  intelligently, reliably and securely manage and exchange information  under changing conditions, power and bandwidth, and even without an  Internet connection.

The first OIC open source code will target the specific requirements of  smart home and office solutions. For example, the specifications could  make it simple to remotely control and receive notifications from smart  home appliances or enterprise devices using securely provisioned  smartphones, tablets or PCs. Possible consumer solutions include the  ability to remotely control household systems to save money and conserve  energy. In the enterprise, employees and visiting suppliers might  securely collaborate while interacting with screens and other devices in  a meeting room. Specifications for additional IoT opportunities  including automotive, healthcare and industrial are expected to follow.

“Open source is about collaboration and about choice. The Open  Interconnect Consortium is yet another proof point how open source helps  to fuel innovation,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux  Foundation. “We look forward to the OIC’s contribution in fostering an  open environment to support the billions of connected devices coming  online.”

Additional member companies including other leading appliance and device  manufacturers, service and solution providers, chipset manufacturers and  more are expected to join OIC in the coming months. For more  information, visit www.openinterconnect.org.

Open Interconnect Consortium Member Quotes:

Atmel

“Atmel is excited about our participation in OIC to establish an open  source framework that goes beyond the digital home and supports services  for multiple verticals including consumer, industrial and automotive  markets,” said Kaivan Karimi, vice president and general manager of  Wireless MCUs at Atmel Corporation. “Together with other industry  leaders, we are committed to building a strong technology infrastructure  for the Internet of Things; one that is instrumental in solving the pain  points where other industry standards fall short today.”

Broadcom

“Interoperability will be a critical enabler as the IoT ecosystem  continues to evolve,” said Rahul Patel, Broadcom senior vice president  and general manager, Wireless Connectivity. “Through our collaboration  with other industry leaders in establishing an open IoT platform  encompassing multiple connectivity technologies, we are removing the  barriers to entry and opening up the opportunity for innovation to a  broad range of inspired entrepreneurs.”

Dell

“The explosion of the Internet of Things is a transformation that will  have a major impact on our power to do more through technology. Having a  connectivity framework that is open, secure and manageable is critical  to delivering the foundational elements of that transformation,” said  Glen Robson, vice president and CTO for Client Solutions at Dell.  “Consumers and businesses alike will need a strong base upon which to  build the vast array of solutions enabled by a global Internet of  Things. From our earliest days, Dell has embraced industry standards as  a means to bring the best technology solutions to our customers, and the  Open Interconnect Consortium is very much aligned with this model.”

Intel

“The rise and ultimate success of the Internet of Things depends on the  ability for devices and systems to securely and reliably interconnect  and share information,” said Doug Fisher, Intel corporate vice president  and general manager of the Software and Services Group. “This requires  common frameworks, based on truly open, industry standards. Our goal in  founding this new consortium is to solve the challenge of interoperable  connectivity for the Internet of Things without tying the ecosystem to  one company’s solution.”

Samsung

“In the Internet of Things era, everything – from PCs, smartphones and  tablets to home and industrial appliances and new wearable form factors  – should effortlessly connect and communicate with each other,  regardless of who makes the device,” said Jong-deok Choi, executive vice  president and deputy head of Software R&D Center at Samsung Electronics.  “We invite other industry leaders, whatever their background and  vertical specialism, to join us in defining and embracing a common  communications framework for the Internet of Things.”

Wind River

“The nascent Internet of Things opportunity requires a robust ecosystem  and defined set of standards to realize its full potential,” said Barry  Mainz, president of Wind River. “With connectivity requirements evolving  at a rapid pace, and an increasing need to ensure device  interoperability, the formation of the Open Interconnect Consortium to  outline a common communications framework is a logical step in the right  direction.”

About Open Interconnect Consortium

The Open Interconnect Consortium, an Oregon non-profit corporation, is  being founded by leading technology companies with the goal of defining  the connectivity requirements and ensuring interoperability of the  billions of devices that will make up the emerging Internet of Things  (IOT). To learn more, visit www.openinterconnect.org  or email info@openinterconnect.org.

¹International  Data Corporation expects the installed base of the Internet of  Things will be approximately 212 billion “things” globally by the end of  2020. This is expected to include 30.1 billion installed “connected  (autonomous) things” in 2020. (Source: “The Internet of Things Is Poised  to Change Everything, Says IDC,” Oct, 2013)

Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and other  countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of  others.

Source: Atmel  Corporation, Broadcom  Corporation, Dell,  Intel  Corporation, Samsung  Electronics Co., Ltd., and Wind  River (via BusinessWire)