In recent years, tech titans such as Amazon, AT&T, Cisco and Dell have launched divisions dedicated to Internet of Things innovation, and for good reason: The global IoT industry, which focuses on interconnectivity of devices with vehicles, buildings and other fixtures of daily life, is expected to grow from nearly $600 billion in 2015 to $724 billion by 2023, according to one report.
Some companies have launched IoT labs in Austin. Take a look at three that selected our city as their base for advancements in this wildly expanding industry.
Founded in 1976, National Instruments, which develops supplies measurement and automation products, reigns as one of our city’s first and foremost tech companies. In January, the company announced the opening of an Industrial IoT Lab at its Austin headquarters, designed to foster collaboration among companies that work to connect operational and information technology.
The space will provide a location for companies and organizations to work toward innovations in microgrid control and communication, advanced control for manufacturing, asset monitoring for heavy equipment and more.
Organizations sponsoring the NI Industrial IoT Lab include Analog Devices Inc., the Avnu Alliance, Cisco Systems, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Industrial Internet Consortium, Intel, Kalypso, OPC Foundation, OSIsoft, PTC, Real-Time Innovations, SparkCognition, Semikron, Viewpoint Systems and Xilinx.
“We are excited to strengthen partnerships with other world-class technology companies,” NI business and technology director Jamie Smith said in a statement. “A working showcase for new technologies can help all companies involved drive breakthrough innovations.”
In March, Philadelphia-based Comcast announced plans to open an IoT center in Austin, marking the telecom conglomerate’s first staffed presence in our city.
The news followed Comcast’s acquisition of iControl Networks, a California-based company developing smart home devices, which also had an Austin team of about 80. Those employees, plus site leaders from Comcast, will make up the new Austin office.
“We have a great development team in Sunnyvale (Calif.) and Philadelphia,” Daniel Herscovici, senior VP and GM of Comcast’s Xfinity Home, told us in March. “And now we’re going to establish an IoT Center of Excellence in Austin. We feel that Austin offers a unique technical portfolio of individuals, and we think we can attract some great talent.”
The IoT Center of Excellence will focus on advancements in IoT for the company’s Xfinity Home line that includes connected home security systems, cameras, locks and garage openers, as well as energy-efficient lighting and temperature controls.
Launched from New York City in 2006, EyeLock creates iris-scanning identity authentication solutions. The company has an additional office in Princeton, N.J., and opened its first IoT center in Austin a year ago, called the IoT Center of Excellence.
The center is designed in part to allow the EyeLock team to work side-by-side with partner companies to accelerate innovation and implement the authentication technology in the smart mobile, health and medical, computation and automotive industries.
"Austin has become an epicenter of engineering, computation and advanced machine learning,” chief technology officer Jeff Carter said in a statement. “Establishing an IoT Center of Excellence will extend our talent advantage over competitors.”
The center is located off Southwest Parkway.
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