Munich, Oct. 4, 2016: IBM has unveiled a US $200 million investment in the new global headquarters for its Watson Internet of Things (IoT) business in Munich, new IoT capabilities around Blockchain and security, among a slew of announcements around IoT.
The investment is part of a global investment of US $3 billion designed to bring Watson cognitive computing to IoT. The investment, one of the company’s largest ever in Europe, said IBM in a statement, was in response to “escalating demand from customers” who were looking to transform their operations using a combination of IoT and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. Currently IBM has 6,000 clients globally who are tapping Watson IoT solutions and services, up from 4,000 just 8 months ago, the company said.
The Watson IoT headquarters will be home to the first ever cognitive ‘IoT Collaboratories’ – hands-on industry labs – where clients and partners can work together with IBM’s 1,000 Munich-based researchers, engineers, developers and business experts to drive collaborative innovation in the automotive, electronics, manufacturing, healthcare and insurance industries. Together, they will tackle the toughest challenges of their respective industries; apply new concepts and technologies to build IoT solutions; develop and test new business models, solutions and services; and push the boundaries of what is possible with IoT.
“IBM is making tremendous strides to ensure that businesses around the world are able to take advantage of this incredible period of technological transformation and develop new products and services that really change people’s lives,” said Harriet Green, Global Head of IBM’s Watson IoT business. “Germany is at the forefront of the Industry 4.0 initiative and by inviting our clients and partners to join us in Munich, we are opening up our talent and technologies to help deliver on the promise of IoT and establishing a global hotbed for collaborative innovation.”
Watson IoT success stories
Companies around the world continue to demonstrate real business outcomes through Watson IoT. New engagements include:
– Schaeffler, German industrial heavyweight and one of the world’s leading automotive and industrial suppliers, has signed a multi-year strategic partnership agreement with IBM to accelerate the digital transformation of its entire operations and customer solutions using Watson’s cognitive intelligence and insight from billions of sensors.
– Aerialtronics, a Netherlands-based designer and producer of unmanned aircraft systems for industry, has announced the first commercial drones featuring cognitive computing capabilities from the IBM Watson IoT Platform on IBM Cloud. Aerialtronics vehicles can provide high-quality inspection services for global organizations across multiple industries, from monitoring city traffic patterns to inspecting wind turbines, oil rigs and cell tower optimisation. Now, rather than climbing towers, inspecting key areas and reporting back findings, teams can deploy Aerialtronics drones from the ground and, through high definition cameras and Watson Visual Recognition analytics, immediately gain a complete 360-degree, high resolution overview while understanding what it’s seeing.
– Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals Inc., three facilities with more than 900 acute care beds and part of Jefferson Health located in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is working with IBM to launch cognitive hospital rooms powered by IBM Watson IoT that enhance the patient experience and help bring deeper levels of personalised, agile and responsive care. With the ability to interact with in-room speakers that are connected to the IBM Watson IoT Platform, patients can take control over their hospital stay and the overall experience — operating lights, window blinds, asking questions about hospital facilities or even getting background information on their physician.
New Watson IoT offerings
IBM also announced a number of new offerings to benefit IoT customers and developers:
Watson IoT and Blockchain: A new capability that connects IoT data to Blockchain through the IBM Watson IoT Platform. Businesses can share IoT data in a secure, private blockchain to reduce the costs and complexities of doing business across a network of people and goods. This capability is fully integrated into IBM Blockchain.
Security Solutions and Services: A new set of IoT security solutions and services that help companies proactively identify potential risks and protect their devices from compromise. Enhanced security features in the Watson IoT Platform will provide visibility to possible exposures across the IoT landscape, alerts for immediate notification, and automatic operational responses tailored to individual customer environments. The service offerings will also include advanced security assessment, threat intelligence to identify anomalies, and data anonymization to ensure data privacy while maximizing data utility.
Natural Language Interface: New offerings which enable customers to tap the Watson IoT platform to develop new voice interfaces for customers – in homes, cars, stores, hotels and offices. For example, Local Motors uses a Watson powered Natural Language Interface for Olli – one of the world’s first self-driving vehicles capable of a natural language interaction with its passengers.
Image Credit: IBM