Qualcomm intros platform to simplify, accelerate IoT across multiple industries

Noting that ecosystem fragmentation and system design complexity often prevents internet of things (IoT) deployments from meeting their fullest potential, Qualcomm has unveiled the Aware Platform designed to empower developers and enterprises to harness real-time information and data insights, in turn accelerating their digital transformation programmes.

By combining industry-leading silicon and an extensive ecosystem of hardware and software partners with a developer-friendly cloud framework, Qualcomm said Aware will offer a set of differentiated services for managing assets that require critical, accurate and time-sensitive decision-making.

Furthermore, by providing ubiquitous global connectivity, intelligently optimising and fusing location technologies with sensor alerts and critical device management and control features, Aware is designed to provide a new baseline for IoT and help enterprises drive operational efficiencies. The platform includes cloud security tools and the encryption and mutual authentication of all device-to-cloud communications. It also delivers global cellular connectivity, device management and provisioning.

Qualcomm said the Aware advantage rests on three key pillars: technology leadership; enablement of an expansive ecosystem of hardware and software partners; and an application programming interface (API)-first architecture and developer-friendly tools that enable interoperability with partner clouds and leading enterprise software tools.

Based on these pillars, the initial launch of the Aware Platform will focus on businesses operating in supply chains and logistics. Explaining the rationale for this, Qualcomm noted that the pandemic exposed how business supply chains are prone to disruptions and the challenges in planning for unexpected shifts in supply and demand. Furthermore, the company argued that the lack of visibility and tracking of goods results in delays, spoilage and lost revenues, and can lead to severe environmental impact.

The Aware Platform will help create a digital twin in the cloud and provide the necessary tools for the logistics industry to more efficiently manage its assets throughout its journey. Qualcomm is confident that with the delivery of accurate and precise location in a power-optimised manner, Aware can become a critical piece in the future efficiency of supply chain management.

In combination with its existing location technology, Qualcomm also sees its recent corporate acquisitions in proprietary positioning and global signalling as being able to help enable Aware to deliver intelligent and ubiquitous location capabilities in an always-on, low-power manner. This means, said the company, the ability to work in the most difficult signal environments, including indoors, underground and when devices are offline.

Among the critical use cases to be served by Qualcomm Aware are cold chain distribution, utility asset monitoring, cargo shipment tracking, and warehouse and inventory management. The location technology suite also provides awareness and condition monitoring context to enterprise offerings, enabling end-to-end asset and operational visibility, and helping businesses everywhere to be more informed and prepared.

Qualcomm accepts that for IoT to scale, a range of different services is needed to address the varying needs of industry applications. To that end, the Aware Platform brings together an ecosystem of hardware and software partners to develop connected services tailored to different use cases, and Qualcomm Technologies is engaged with a number of hardware and software companies to develop Qualcomm Aware-ready products.

The platform will include Qualcomm Aware blueprints, which are individualised, and scalable service architectures customised for specific use cases. Working with Independent Software Vendors and System Integrators, these blueprints are designed to enable enterprises to quickly and efficiently roll-out pre-designed offerings in a manner that is tailored for their needs.

Qualcomm Aware also offers a customisable framework and implements standard APIs designed to provide “seamless” interoperability with private clouds, industry-specific application platforms, existing enterprise software tools for enterprise resource planning, supply chain management and inventory management, among others. One of the first of these integrations will be with Microsoft Dynamics 365, which allows customers to design a service to meet their specific business needs.