ZURICH, Switzerland — ABB, Robert Bosch GmbH, and Cisco Systems Inc. have announced the formation of an international joint venture called mozaiq operations GmbH to develop and operate an open-software platform for smart homes. The companies said the platform will help to unify today’s stand-alone solutions for home automation and offer interoperability across devices.

According to the companies, the platform, to be developed by mozaiq operations, will help to bring the Internet of Things and its services into consumers’ homes, making it easy and secure for a wide range of products to communicate with each other. Consumers will be able to tailor their appliances and devices, regardless of brand, to deliver a greater level of control, comfort, and significantly improve energy efficiency.

“This joint effort to develop an open-software platform for smart homes fits perfectly with ABB’s strategy to leverage the expanding opportunities of the Internet of Things, Services and People for consumers and companies alike,” said Tarak Mehta, head of ABB’s Low Voltage Products Division.

“ABB has a comprehensive range of solutions for residential and commercial buildings and is committed to driving innovation in this exciting space. Collaborations such as mozaiq will ensure that consumers have faster access to the best-possible technology.”

The companies said the mozaiq software platform will create opportunities for a range of new services by facilitating simple but secure exchange of data between different types of devices and their users. By creating a business ecosystem, ABB, Bosch, and Cisco seek to facilitate cooperation and accommodate stakeholders’ varying demands and perspectives as the software platform is developed.

The interim head of mozaiq will be Dirk Schlesinger of Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group. He will be based in Frankfurt, Germany, until a permanent leader is appointed.

A new website has been created to provide more details regarding the open software platform and create a hub for customers of the joint venture at http://mozaiq-operations.com.

Publication date: 4/6/2015

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