Qualcomm has launched new, “breakthrough” IoT tech for industry

Qualcomm has launched new IoT and Wi-Fi technology for industrial applications in what it claims are a “breakthrough” in the IoT world.

Announced at this year’s Embedded World Exhibition & Conference in Nuremberg, the new additions promise to accelerate innovation in areas such as robotics, manufacturing, automotive solutions, and edge AI. 

A new Wi-Fi solution and platform upgrades allow for on-device AI and offer improvements to IoT connectivity. In the company’s words, the new products are “designed to empower… customers in the embedded ecosystem.”

IoT improvements

The new releases include Qualcomm QCC730 Wi-Fi, which the firm describes as “a disruptive micro-power Wi-Fi system for IoT connectivity.” It claims to use up to 88% less power than its predecessors, and is designed for battery-powered applications in industrial, commercial and consumer settings.

The QCC730 has an open source IDE and SDK, and supports cloud connectivity offloading to help developers. Qualcomm also says that it can be used as an alternative to Bluetooth IoT applications.

Rahul Patel, group general manager of CBN at Qualcomm, explained that the “QCC730 enables devices to support TCP/IP networking capabilities while remaining form-factor and complete wireless constrained, whilst remaining connected to the Cloud platforms.”

He added that, along with the rest of its portfolio, “this new offering places Qualcomm Technologies at the center of next generation battery-powered smart-home, healthcare, gaming and other consumer electronic devices.”

Another new product announced at Embedded World is the Qualcomm RB3 Gen 2 Platform. It is described as a both a hardware and software solution for embedded and IoT applications. 

It comes equipped with the company’s QCS6490 processor, providing the device with a ten-fold increase in on-device AI processing. I can also support four 8MP+ camera sensors, computer vision, and has Wi-Fi 6E integrated.

Qualcomm expects the RB3 Gen 2 to be used in various products, including robots, drones, industrial handheld devices, cameras, AI edge boxes, and intelligent displays.  It also supports the Qualcomm AI Hub, allowing access to a library of AI models to use on-device, as well as Qualcomm Linux (currently in private preview), offering a unified Linux distribution compatible with multiple SoCs, including the QCS6490.

Qualcomm recently acquired Foundation.io, which it claims will increase its expertise in open source tech and make it easier for users to develop and update Linux-based IoT and Edge devices.  

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Lewis Maddison is a Staff Writer at TechRadar Pro. His area of expertise is online security and protection, which includes tools and software such as password managers. 

His coverage also focuses on the usage habits of technology in both personal and professional settings – particularly its relation to social and cultural issues – and revels in uncovering stories that might not otherwise see the light of day.

He has a BA in Philosophy from the University of London, with a year spent studying abroad in the sunny climes of Malta.