July 29, 2014: Open Interconnect Consortium Established to Advance Internet of Things
First Open Source Code Will Target the Requirements for Smart Home and Office Solutions
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Technology companies Atmel Corp., Broadcom Corp., Dell, Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics, and Wind River announced they are joining to establish a new industry consortium focused on improving interoperability and defining the connectivity requirements for the numerous devices that will make up the Internet of Things (IoT). Called the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC), the group said it 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, to help accelerate the development of the IoT. The OIC specification is expected to encompass a range of connectivity solutions, utilizing existing and emerging wireless standards, as well as be designed to be compatible with a variety of operating systems.
Leaders from a variety of industry vertical segments are expected to participate in the program. The OIC said the first 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. Potential consumer solutions include the ability to remotely control household systems such as HVAC to conserve energy and save money. 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 health care 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.”
OIC said additional member companies including other leading appliance and device manufacturers, service and solution providers, chipset manufacturers, and more are expected to join the consortium in the coming months. For more information, visit www.openinterconnect.org.
Publication date: 7/28/2014
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