Swindon & Wiltshire News
Swindon finds itself at cutting edge of The Internet of Things
Swindon is becoming a centre for pioneering development work on ‘The Internet of Things’ after Intel opened an innovation centre at its base in the town.
The innovation centre is the fourth in Europe and the first in the UK.
The UK lab will focus primarily on smart buildings, retail and transport, and will offer a physical location where interested parties can view, tests and evaluate Intel’s IOT solutions.
The Internet of Things represents an evolution in which objects are capable of interacting with other objects – hospitals monitoring pacemakers, factories automatically addressing production line issues without human interaction, or hotels adjusting room temperature levels according to an individual guest’s preference to name a few.
“This ignition lab will provide our customers a place to build and test end to end IoT solutions that will transform our businesses and everyday lives,” said Rod O’Shea, marketing director for IoT at Intel EMEA. “We pride ourselves in bringing innovative solutions to market and these labs are a testimony to our commitment to this space.”
The Internet of Things is a primary focus for Intel this year, with the American tech giant investing millions into a new research centre in China focusing on smart solutions, launching a new ultra-low power chip, and buying a health tracker company.
Experts predict that more than 200 billion connected devices will be shipped by 2020 with annual revenue opportunities expected to reach around $19 trillion.
