Qualcomm launches new platform 'Aware' to tap global enterprise IoT deployments

US chipmaker Qualcomm on Tuesday launched a new platform that seeks to tap the market demand for cross-industry collaboration on deployment of embedded chips and the internet of things (IoT) ecosystem. Called Qualcomm Aware, the platform claims to offer application programming interfaces (APIs) for developers to build solutions based on hardware and software made by Qualcomm, and its partner companies. 

To be sure, the platform is still a Qualcomm product, and is not a true open-source standard in the way Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA)’s cross-industry standard, Matter, works to unify inter-device IoT collaboration. In simpler words, Qualcomm’s APIs for IoT products, which the company said will be open for developers to use and build products on, will be based on a cloud platform that is managed by the brand itself. 

The Aware cloud platform claims to enable global connectivity for large enterprises using IoT sensors, and offer real-time connectivity and data analytics for these businesses. Among use cases shown by Qualcomm for this product are global warehouse management, asset monitoring in a supply chain, cold chain distribution of products, and inventory management, among others. The cloud platform, coupled with IoT APIs included in the Aware platform, will allow software vendors to build software tools that can tap into the IoT hardware, and use Aware for global, real-time data transfers and analytics. 

The Aware APIs for IoT development can also sync with private cloud platforms and enterprise software platforms. Partnering companies for Qualcomm’s Aware platform include information technology (IT) services firms Cognizant, L&T Technology Services and Tech Mahindra, Belgium-headquartered global alco-bev brand Anheuser-Busch InBev, consumer perishables brand Mondelez, tech firms Microsoft and Salesforce, and more. 

Talking about the need for cross-industry collaboration for embedded enterprise IoT products, Vibha Rustagi, global head of IoT at Cognizant, said that the need arose after the Covid-19 pandemic “highlighted the complexity and vulnerability of global supply chains, and the need for enterprises to modernise operations.” 

The platform will be available for developers to access starting later this year, and will look to increase the role that Qualcomm plays in the global IoT industry. The platform comes shortly after Qualcomm launched the first consumer-facing smartphone modem that supports the next-generation 5G-Advanced connectivity standard. However, despite the launch, consumer markets remain under stress, and stakeholders have remained doubtful around how the consumer markets would perform this year — thus leading to businesses diversifying their products.