Artik

 

Samsung Electronics unveiled its platform for the Internet of Things (IoT) era, and is starting to construct an IoT ecosystem.

Son Young-kwon, president of Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center, revealed an IoT platform called Artik during his keynote speech at the Internet of Things World held in San Francisco on May 12 (local time). Artik is a semiconductor chipset capable of connecting various types of IoT devices. There are three models: Artik 1, 5, and 10.

Samsung is planning to make Artik in a way that will encompass nearly all kinds of devices, from wearable devices to home automation devices and drones. In the smartphone operating system area, the company already lost market dominance to Google and Apple, but it intends to dominate the IoT market, with the Artik family using its semiconductor technology.

The Korean tech giant condensed all of its technical skills to Artik. Artik 1 is a micro IoT module measuring only 12 x 12mm. It consists of Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy and a 9 axis sensor. Artik 5 supports drones, Home Hub, and wearable devices. Artik 10 is able to connect Galaxy phones to home servers and media apps, and the module has video encoding, decoding, and audio functions.

Artik was made by improving the chronic weakness of the IoT in many ways. First, it supports security solutions to deal with security threats and prevent hacking. It provides differentiated functions by combining IoT software, extensive cloud storage, and low-power architecture.

The creation of Artik can be interpreted as Samsung's move to be ahead in the IoT area, since the company has scored poorly in creating an ecosystem. Like Google or Apple, Samsung is adopting a strategy to makes a platform, and creates and expands an ecosystem for the IoT. The IoT will become a mega trend through its convergence with all industries.

However, Samsung faces a bumpy road ahead. It should compete with Intel and Qualcomm in the global market. Intel already showcased a button-sized piece of hardware called Curie at CES 2015 in January, which received a lot of praise from the industry. The success or failure of Artik apparently depends on whether or not Samsung will be able to beat other leading companies.

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