Cognitive Collaboratories with Avnet, BNP Paribas, Capgemini and Tech Mahindra help IBM partners drive hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue from the Internet of Things
IBM has announced a major ecosystem initiative to drive collaborative innovation with dozens of clients and partners as it opens the doors of its new $200M global headquarters for its Watson Internet of Things (IoT) business in Munich, Germany. In the first ever cognitive collaboratories, Avnet, BNP Paribas, Capgemini and Tech Mahindra will collocate development teams at the IBM center which will also act as an innovation space for the European IoT standards organization EEBus.
“We have reached a tipping point with IoT innovation: we now have over 6,000 clients and partners around the world many of who are now wanting to join us in our new global Watson IoT center to co-innovate,” said Harriet Green, General Manager, IBM Watson IoT, Cognitive Engagement and Education. “Together we are building a new global IoT innovation ecosystem that will explore how cognitive and IoT technologies will transform industries and our daily lives.”
Late last year IBM announced that car maker BMW will collocate part of its research and development operations at IBM’s new Watson IoT center to help reimagine the driving experience. Now, IBM is announcing four more companies that have signed up to join its special industry “collaboratories” where clients and partners work together with IBM’s 1,000 Munich-based IoT experts to tap into the latest design thinking and push the boundaries of what is possible with IoT:
Avnet – New Joint IoT Lab
IT distributor and global IBM partner Avnet will open a new joint IoT Lab within IBM’s Watson IoT HQ to develop, build, demonstrate and sell IoT solutions powered by IBM Watson. Working closely with IBM’s leading technologists and IoT experts, Avnet also plans to enhance its IoT technical expertise through hands-on training and on-the-job learning. Avnet’s team of IoT and analytics experts will also partner with IBM on joint business development opportunities across multiple industries including smart buildings, smart homes, industry, transportation, medical and consumer.
Capgemini – Helping Clients like Faurecia Drive Digital Transformation
Global IT consulting and technology services provider Capgemini will collocate a team of cognitive IoT experts at IBM’s Watson IoT center. Together they will help customers maximize the potential of Industry 4.0 and develop and take to market sector-specific cognitive IoT solutions. Capgemini plans a close link between its Munich Applied Innovation Exchange and IBM’s new Customer Experience zones to collaborate with clients in an interactive environment.
Tech Mahindra – Eyes substantial new revenue from IBM Watson IoT platform
Indian multinational provider of enterprise and communications IT and networking technology Tech Mahindra, is one of IBM’s Global System Integrators with over 3,000 specialists focussed on IBM technology around the world. The company will locate a team of 6 developers and engineers within the Watson IoT HQ to help deliver on Tech Mahindra’s vision of generating substantial new revenue based on IBM’s Watson IoT platform. Tech Mahindra will use the center to co-create and showcase new solutions based on IBM’s Watson IoT platform especially for Industry 4.0 and Manufacturing, Precision Farming, Healthcare, Insurance and Banking and automotive.
Breathing Life into the Connected Home and Vehicles with EEBus
IBM has announced that as part of its new membership to EEBus (Europe’s leading IoT alliance initiated by the German Government) it will provide the organization with an Innovation Space within its new Watson IoT Center. This space will be used to imagine, build and showcase solutions that combine IoT technologies and open standards. The EEBus Initiative has over 60 members who are leading stakeholders in the Connected Home including Bosch, ABB, SMA, Miele, Schneider and Vaillant as well as the major European automotive brands. Members of the EEBus Initiative collaborate in various working groups to establish a standardized and common language for the interoperability of connected devices. Smart Heating, electrical vehicles, photovoltaic systems and other appliances can thus communicate seamlessly about energy management and usability.
