Shanghai well placed for IoT development
A speaker at the Internet of Things forum in Shanghai.
Shanghai has unique advantages to develop Internet of Things technology, wireless connections between home appliance and industrial devices, industry officials told a forum on Wednesday.
These advantages include rapid development of 5G and artificial intelligence, a strong integrated circuit industry and booming new technologies such as blockchain, all essential parts of the IoT ecosystem, speakers told the forum.
The Eighth Global Internet of Things Summit was attended by 30 regional IoT organizations, around a dozen executives in Shanghai and industry giants including Huawei, INESA (Instruments and Electronics (Shanghai) Associates) and Xiaomi. The Shanghai Internet of Things Industry Association was the main organizer of the two-day event which opened on Tuesday.
Shanghai’s complete chip ecosystem, leading 5G development and its ultra-high-definition video development blueprint are expected to boost IoT in the city, said Xu Huiquan, a senior official with the city's economy and information technology commission.
The local integrated circuit industry supports development of IoT in Shanghai and the city's integrated circuit industry revenue will hit 170 billion yuan (US$24.3 billion) this year, accounting for 22 percent of the national level, according to the commission. It features the most complete chip industry chain nationwide, it said.
The 5G network, which offers 20 to 100 times faster Internet access compared with 4G technology, will boost development of the IoT whose applications highly depend on connection speed and low latency, especially in the industrial sectors, speakers told the forum.
Cai Xiaoqing, chairman of the local IoT association and president of INESA, said 5G networks and new technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain will create new IoT applications and ecosystems.
Smart health care for the elderly and IoT industrial applications were among the topics discussed during the forum.
