Samsung Electronics CEO BK Yoon
Samsung has called for greater openness and collaboration across industries to unlock the infinite possibilities of the Internet of Things (IoT).
The President and CEO of Samsung Electronics, Boo-Keun Yoon, delivered the opening keynote speech at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and said the Internet of Things has the potential to transform the society, economy and way of life. Mr. Yoon also emphasized that IoT must center on people and fit into their lifestyles.
As part of Samsung’s commitment to realizing the IoT era, Mr. Yoon announced a timetable for making Samsung technology IoT-enabled. By 2017, all Samsung televisions will be IoT devices, and in five years all Samsung hardware will be IoT-ready, further accelerating the expansion of IoT devices available in the market.
He also emphasized the importance of developers in building IoT and announced that Samsung will invest more than US$100 million in its developer community in 2015.
In the IoT era, sensors will become even more advanced and precise, and key components will become ever more compact and highly energy efficient.
The company is also working on chips, such as the embedded package on package (ePOP) and the Bio-Processor, which are energy-efficient and compact enough to go into a wide range of devices, especially wearables and mobile devices.
In addition to IoT devices and components, Mr. Yoon emphasized the importance of openness in bringing IoT to life. SmartThings CEO Alex Hawkinson underscored Samsung’s vision for an open infrastructure.
“For the Internet of Things to be a success, it has to be open,†said Hawkinson. “Any device, from any platform, must be able to connect and communicate with one another. We’ve worked hard to accomplish this, and are committed to putting users first, giving them the most choice and freedom possible. The SmartThings ecosystem is now compatible with more devices than any other platform,†said Mr. Yoon.
Samsung believes that IoT will have far-reaching impact, much more so than the consumer electronics industry has so far, as it will touch every aspect of people’s lives and revolutionize every industry. For IoT to succeed, companies across all industries will have to collaborate to build the necessary infrastructure and develop the many tailored IoT services that can meet the needs of consumers.