By Don Clark
Silicon Valley is selling the idea of putting computing and
communications power into all kinds of everyday devices. But
agreeing on how to do that isn't easy, and diverging approaches
keep appearing.
Intel Corp. and several other companies Tuesday are announcing
the formation of the Open Interconnect Consortium, a group that
hopes to set technical ground rules for what the industry calls the
Internet of Things. The alliance--whose members include Dell Inc.,
Samsung Electronics Co. and Broadcom Corp.--plans to initially
focus on home automation and office applications.
But others are pursuing similar goals. They include the AllSeen
Alliance, a group that was initially pushed by rival chip maker
Qualcomm Inc. and now includes members such as Microsoft Corp. and
Cisco Systems Inc.
Other big players, including Apple Inc. and Google Inc., have
also recently discussed plans for connecting various kinds of
devices together.
"These things are very much analogous--I suppose you could say
competitive" said David Friedman, chief executive of Ayla Networks,
a startup developing online software for managing connected
devices.
The Internet of Things refers to adding computer chips and
sensors to devices like door locks, lights, thermostats, TVs,
security cameras, home appliances and cars. In many cases, hardware
makers are trying to make their products more useful by allowing
them to be controlled remotely by smartphones and tablets.
Most of the products are expected to exploit some sort of
wireless technology, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, so they can be
remotely managed by smartphones or tablets. But other standard
building blocks are needed, industry executives say, for tasks like
helping devices to identify each other and exchange messages.
Backers of the Open Interconnect Consortium stress the need for
security features and software to help writers of application
programs exploit connected devices. They say it will release
creations on what the industry calls an open-source basis, which
allows participants to study and modify underlying computer
instructions used to make a piece of software.
"The intent here is to bring a truly open and standard-based
organization," said Rahul Patel, Broadcom's senior vice president
and general manager in charge of wireless connectivity.
That goal is nearly identical to that espoused by the AllSeen
Alliance, founded in December, which also plans to release
open-source software based on a technology called AllJoyn.
"My first reaction is one of puzzlement," said Rob Chandhok,
president of Qualcomm's interactive platform, when told of the Open
Interconnect Consortium. He expressed fears that the two groups
will create a fragmented situation, with duplicative software that
will be found on some devices and not others. "We don't need
multiple standards," Mr. Chandhok said.
Douglas Fisher, vice president and general manager of Intel's
software and services unit, said the new initiative is trying to
unify rather than fragment the market, inviting any and all
companies to help define and adopt its technology. "Our objective
is to get this to be the standard," he said.
One difference in approach, backers of the new initiative say,
is that interested companies have an option besides using the
open-source software developed by the group. Companies can also
take technical specifications the group develops and create
proprietary software based on them, an option they say some
potential participants favor.
Though confusing for the moment, Ayla's Mr. Friedman said many
prior technologies went through periods of competing standards that
took years to shake out. "Fragmentation is one of the challenges
that all of these markets have," he said.
Other members of the new group include Atmel Corp., another chip
maker, and Wind River Systems Inc., an Intel software unit. Mr.
Fisher said the first version of its software should be available
by the end of the third quarter.
Write to Don Clark at don.clark@wsj.com
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