Trends and Opportunities of the Internet of Things

On the afternoon of June 23, I attended a seminar on entrepreneurship in Shanghai at Stanford Alumni Conference. The theme was "Entrepreneurship and Investment in the Field of Internet of Things". I felt what the Internet of Things is and where it will go in the future in the eyes of those who have had many years of experience in entrepreneurship or investment.

What is the Internet of Things?

Whenever a new thing comes into being, we always ask what it is. In the eyes of most of us, the Internet of Things is about connecting all devices to the network and controlling them through the network. For example, we are familiar with autopilot cars, smart home and so on. The Baidu encyclopedia explains that The Internet of Things refers to real-time collection of information through various kinds of information sensors, radio frequency identification technology, global positioning system, infrared sensors, laser scanner and other devices and technologies. What is the need to monitor, connect, interact with objects or processes, collect the information of sound, light, heat, electricity, mechanics, chemistry, biology, location and other needs, through various possible network access, realize the ubiquitous connection between objects and objects, objects and people, and realize the intelligent perception, recognition and management of objects and processes. The Internet of Things (IOT) is an information carrier based on the Internet, traditional telecommunication networks and so on. It enables all ordinary physical objects that can be independently addressed to form interconnected networks.

Through this lecture, let me have a different understanding of the Internet of Things. Four guests in the lecture have talked about that the Internet of Things is the connection of physical devices. The power of connection can not be underestimated. The Internet era has realized the connection between people. As a result, e-commerce has come into being and a great deal of data has been generated, which lays a foundation for the development of artificial intelligence. This is impossible when the Internet just came into being. Imagine. And things are much more than people all over the world. The real Internet of Things is to realize the connection of all devices and the wide world. Every device in the physical world has a mapping and interconnection in the virtual world. These devices can produce data 24 hours without interruption, and no human intervention is needed at all. This is the case. It has become the largest database in the world. Only with data can we discover the law, predict the future, and make better decisions. And our current task is to build this database.

Challenges of Internet of Things Technology

Whether historical trend or market trend clearly tells us that only technology that can really create value can survive. But so far, the development of the Internet of Things is still very difficult. As a new technology, it must have a clear market positioning, but also because of the new, the current business model of the Internet of Things is still immature, which is a huge challenge for entrepreneurs. This requires entrepreneurs to go deep into the market, fully understand what the market needs, and how much demand can be achieved.

In the field of Internet of Things, an unavoidable problem is the long industrial chain, the whole system is very large. One of the participants in this lecture, Ms. Hong Yingli, founder of Intelligence Technology, represented by information security, described a major threat in the field of the Internet of Things - human. Perhaps this answer makes us a little incredible, and she told us that human may be the biggest bug in the security system of the Internet of Things, but also the biggest cost. Because in its security system, from the end to the network to the transmission path to the cloud, each node must realize the self-control of the equipment, and collect the data of the equipment. The collected data can not be directly put into use. Someone must intervene to screen, process and model them. In this process, There is no guarantee that people will not destroy data, but have to rely on people, which is the biggest paradox.

For start-ups in the Internet of Things, one of the most important issues they need to face is how to survive in the competition with giant companies. Shanghai-based core-shifting communication has been focusing on the field of cellular communication chips for more than ten years. The team has created more than 100 million globally shipped products in the age of 3G/4G, and successfully entered the China Cool United Enchantment and Samsung Supply Chain. The production experience and technology are very rich. It is more than ten years that the team has focused on one field and built it. Establish a very high technology threshold, so that they can seize the opportunity in the Internet of Things chip market larger than mobile chips.

Dr. Chen Yuanfeng, who joined Alibaba IoT Hardware Laboratory in April 2018, also made it clear that large enterprises like Alibaba could not penetrate into every sub-area. It also needed to cooperate with other enterprises to create an Internet of Things era.

Trends and Opportunities of the Internet of Things

Several guests said that the Internet of Things has a wide range of applications, including security, communications and flexible manufacturing in the industrial 4.0 era. The so-called flexible production refers to the production mode of multi-varieties and small batches mainly relying on highly flexible manufacturing equipment with computer numerical control machine tools. Dr. Chen said that Alibaba is also inclined to flexible production. At present, Taobao and Tianmao provide certain commodities for everyone to choose and buy. The introduction of flexible production means that Taobao and Tianmao will issue production instructions to factories according to everyone's needs, and the equipment will start production according to requirements after receiving instructions.

In order to make the Internet of Things mature, it is necessary to develop Internet of Things chips. Internet of Things chips are chips that must be defined from the perspective of application. Low power consumption is one of the important symbols to judge its development status.

Everyone is interconnected

Please read the Chinese version for details.