Infineon and Alibaba Cloud Sign MoU on Internet of Things (IoT)

Munich, Germany, and Shanghai, China – 2 August 2018 – Infineon Technologies AG and Alibaba Cloud Computing Company (Alibaba Cloud) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint promotion of IoT applications within the fields of smart life and smart industry. Infineon and Alibaba will thus facilitate the digital upgrade of Chinese enterprises and cities.

As an active promoter and practitioner of Industry 4.0, Infineon will rely on its own core technology and service advantages in the field of IoT to collaborate with Alibaba Cloud on its IoT operating system, AliOS Things, and provide technical services. Additionally, with the acceleration of the IoT application process, new requirements are also placed on system security. As part of this collaboration, the two parties will further explore the planning, implementation and security standards of the IoT, enabling SMEs and individuals to deploy and access Alibaba Cloud in a low-cost, highly reliable manner. This will enable the participants to share in the development dividend of the IoT, while protecting them from losses caused by security risks. The two companies also plan to collaborate on e-commerce channels.

Based on this, both parties will make use of Alibaba Cloud’s integration capabilities and successful experiences in IoT and work together to create advanced and secure IoT solutions. This will help upgrade and transform the smart digitalization of SMEs, allowing them to manage the entire production process through digital means.

“The construction and improvement of the IoT ecosystem requires gathering the advantageous resources and power of all parties,” said Wei Ku, Vice President of Alibaba Group and General Manager of Alibaba Cloud IoT. “This partnership combines Alibaba Cloud’s capabilities in operating systems with Infineon’s semiconductor technology solutions. We believe that this will effectively promote the deployment of IoT in smart industries.”

“As the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturer, Infineon is committed to combining our advanced IoT semiconductor solutions with local experience,” said Andreas Urschitz, President of the Power Management & Multimarket Division at Infineon, “This partnership with Alibaba marks our efforts in this field.”

“Sustainable growth in mainland China is one of Infineon’s most important development strategies, and is also our long-term goal in the Chinese market,” said David Poon, Vice President of Power Management & Multimarket, Infineon Greater China. “We are very pleased to work with leading companies like Alibaba Cloud, and to join in creating an IoT service platform that meets the needs of the local market, helps companies achieve digitalization, and provides a driving engine for innovation and the development of smart cities in China.”

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AAEON Partners Everlight to Create Taipei’s Smart Street Light System

AAEON has joined with Everlight Electronics to participate at Taipei City Government’s “Innovative Works Smart Taipei Taipei LED Street Light Results Presentation.” The presentation showcased the latest smart street light solutions and highlighted the work being done to turn the city into a global leader for cost-effective energy efficiency.

The city government is currently engaged in the “Taipei LED Lighting Installation Appointment Project,” a two-year scheme which is scheduled to be completed during the current quarter. As part of the project, the city’s streetlights are being replaced with new LED systems that use 20% less electricity than previous installations.

At the same time, the world’s first interactive smart light poles are being installed throughout the city. The AAEON-developed technology uses existing power lines and wireless data transmission architectures such as NB-IoT, LoRa, and Zigbee to provide an integrated, diversified framework that can serve as the foundation of future smart city systems.

“AAEON is committed to the development of smart street lamps,” said AAEON New Business Development Division senior consultant Steve Hsu. “By combining smart street lamps with smart light poles, we have been able to make smart city solutions more complete.”

“Our remote control platform combines AI edge and cloud computing to improve the transmission and analysis of data from the entire system. As a result, in addition to improving street lamps’ energy efficiency, we can quickly provide accurate and insightful data reference materials for energy use and environmental impact,” Hsu added.

By using the remote platform to monitor street lighting equipment, the city will be able to cut maintenance costs. Additionally, AAEON’s smart lampposts can be used to monitor air quality and traffic levels, support interactive multimedia interfaces, and also provide additional functions including Internet hotspots, equipment charging stations, and even interactive video games.

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Luxoft and Daimler technology powers MBUX infotainment system

IT service provider, Luxoft Holding, and automotive manufacturer, Daimler, have partnered to develop the software platform that powers Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX), an infotainment system installed in all new Mercedes A-class vehicles.

“The technology revolution in the automotive sector is changing how cars are built,” said Alwin Bakkenes, Managing Director of Luxoft Automotive. “We are very proud to have been Daimler’s partner since the inception of the MBUX concept by co-creating the UX technology platform that powers it and delivering the production software into the hardware of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class”. The vehicle manufacturer is controlling how the software design is developed and integrated into the car.

The MBUX platform is claimed to transform how drivers and passengers interact with a Mercedes-Benz. The UX technology platform that powers it was co-created by Luxoft and Daimler. It connects MBUX to the underlying features in the infotainment system and enables the integration of artificial intelligence and augmented reality into the in-car experience. Bakkenes concludes: “By taking ownership of the UX software, Daimler can now respond quickly to market demand and keep the user experience fresh and relevant.”

Luxoft offers strategic consulting, custom software development services, and digital solution engineering. Luxoft enables companies to compete by leveraging its multi-industry expertise in the financial services, automotive, communications, and healthcare and life sciences sectors. Its managed delivery model is underpinned by a highly-educated workforce, allowing the company to continuously innovate upwards on the technology stack to meet evolving digital challenges. Luxoft has more than 12,900 staff across 42 cities in 21 countries within five continents, with its operating headquarters office in Zug, Switzerland.

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2G cellular module offers upgrade path to 3G, LTE or LPWA

A quad-band GSM/GPRS cellular module, the u‑blox SARA-G450, has optimised power consumption for IoT applications, says u-blox.

The SARA-G450 2G cellular module for machine to machine (M2M) applications, such as utility metering and tracking systems is in the established SARA form factor. The module lets product developers migrate their products to 3G, LTE, or LPWA technology to meet a broad range of environmental and technological requirements.

2G cellular technology offers reliable performance for mobile applications and broad geographical coverage. It has been the technology of choice for machine type connectivity such as fleet management, metering and tracking. While some regions are currently phasing out their 2G network infrastructure, 2G continues to be a viable and popular option for M2M solutions in regions still lacking NB-IoT and LTE Cat M1 networks or where coverage is ‘spotty’. The SARA-G450 targets cost and space-sensitive applications in these markets, says u-blox.

It is pin-compatible with the entire u-blox cellular range, enabling designers to use a single platform and PCB design for designs intended for a variety of air interface technologies, including  2G, 3G, LPWA (LTE Cat M1 and NB1), and high speed LTE. According to u-blox, this also means that product developers can anticipate future upgrades of their applications to move to LTE Cat M1 and NB1 connectivity as soon as they become available in their target markets.

SARA-G450 is a standard grade quad-band GSM/GPRS module that is power-optimised for IoT applications. It can combine with a variety of best-in-class u‑blox GNSS or Bluetooth modules for solutions that integrate positioning, short range and cellular communication. An embedded internet suite facilitates the development of a range of M2M devices.

u‑blox provides positioning and wireless communication technologies for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets, to allow people, vehicles, and machines determine their precise position and communicate wirelessly over cellular and short range networks. The company portfolio includes chips, modules, and a growing ecosystem of product supporting data services.

http://www.u-blox.com

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