Årets IoT-pris 2023
May 11, 2023
Årets IoT-pris 2024: finalisterne er valgt
August 28, 2024IoT advancements and Nordic values
Showcasing Nordic values and innovations in Barcelona
The Nordic IoT Centre co-organized an event as part of a Danish Delegation to the IoT Solutions World Congress 2024 (IOTSWC24) in Barcelona, held from May 21st to 23rd.The trip addressed members' desires for market-oriented activities, expanded networking, new international knowledge, and increased visibility. Goals included:
- Gaining new international market insights and trends.
- Strengthening the Danish IoT-ecosystem's position.
- Showcasing solutions to a broader audience.
- Fostering new national and international partnerships.
Arranging the trip to IOTSWC24 helped realize these goals by providing our members with valuable insights, networking opportunities and a platform to demonstrate their innovative solutions on an international stage.
Camilla Føns Mortensen, IoT Community Lead at Nordic IoT Centre, reflected on the trip's success, stating:
"Not only did we manage to fulfill the ambitions of Nordic IoT Centre members to explore new markets and gain new insights, but we also joined forces with other valuable Danish networks to showcase a broader variety of Nordic value-based IoT-cases to the world and create new partnerships within our ecosystem."
The main takeaways from the IoT Solution World Congress 2024
During the congress, we had the opportunity to absorb and bring back new international knowledge to the IoT-ecosystem. Here are the main takeaways from IOTSWC24.
- Sustainability, climate adaptation and innovation are at the forefront, especially due to the green transformation, regulations, and standardisations. Companies are either providing more sustainable products or leveraging IoT to tackle sustainability issues. Even though IoT-solutions are becoming more mature and continuously work on sustainable aspects, there’s a need for more cross-sector collaboration to foster interdisciplinary knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
- Energy harvesting sensors are becoming more robust and affordable. Energy harvesting is a process used for collecting energy from external sources and storing it for use by small, wireless autonomous devices, such as those found in wireless sensor networks, condition monitoring, and wearable electronics. This is a promising, sustainable way of energy utilisation; however, the market still lacks such sufficient solutions.
Louis Lütken, Client Executive at Cibicom commented on these subjects of sustainability and energy harvesting, providing insights to the international market:
“The market changes focus each year, so it’s nice to be able to stay up to date on trends and changes in the market. Several trends and topics recurred, such as energy harvesting, minimizing the size of sensors, and the preference for products created and produced in EU countries over those made in China.”
- Satellite IoT is gaining traction as a reliable connectivity option. Satellite IoT involves the combination of satellite networks and IoT devices to provide continuous communication and data exchange. IoT connectivity adds value to IoT by exchanging data that allows for action, service delivery, and income generation. As satellite IoT technology becomes more affordable and accessible, the possibilities for global connectivity grow significantly. However, significant challenges such as political barriers, expensive module and data prices, and integration complications must be addressed.
- Semiconductor technologies are enhancing efficiency and performance in the IoT-market. A semiconductor is a substance where electrical conductivity falls somewhere between a conductor, e.g. copper, and an insulator, e.g. glass. Its resistivity normally decreases as the temperature rises, whereas metals behave in the reverse direction.
FORCE Technology’s expert in advanced sensor technologies, Brian Lohse, commented on the potentials of utilising semiconductors to advance and create resilience in the IoT-market:
”The EU-CHIPS act has put justified focus on semiconductors, to accommodate European resilience and strengthening of the entire value chain, initiated by the global instability, such as pandemics and geopolitical issues. At the IoTSWC 2024 in Catalonia, there was a significant focus on the semiconductor ecosystem, within important niche areas mainly represented by startups. FORCE Technology attended the IoTSWC 2024 in Catalonia, to assess the innovation potential, and to create international partnerships with related countries, within microelectronics, sensor technologies, and future technologies such as quantum chip and quantum sensors. ACCIÓ’s report is excellent and outlines great potential in Catalonia, with more than 80% of the companies being SMEs and 37.2% of the companies being dedicated to CHIP design. Semiconductors are key to developing the mobility of the future and Industry 4.0, not only in Catalonia, but the world!”
- Heightened focus on Data Security and preventing hacks of IoT-devices and systems. Again, as the global connectivity growth, it poses new challenges when it comes to safeguarding sensitive information and complying with GDPR-rules. Attempt to remotely infiltrate IoT devices using a variety of tactics, including credential theft and vulnerability exploitation are increasing. In the interest of the entire IoT-ecosystem, standards and regulations are being *applied to address such issues, e.g. new standards described in the Radio Equipment Directive (RED). In the RED-directive, it is for example stated that IoT-devices are required to secure the data collected, so that if someone breaks the device, they would not be able to contract data.
6. Fusion of generative AI & IoT is a major trend, promising transformative possibilities. Technological integration shows huge potential in connecting IoT, AI, and Digital Twins. However, establishing a solid data foundation is crucial before focusing on integrating AI-solutions.
Overall, the maturity of IoT-solutions is evident, with an abundance of end-to-end solutions and use cases showcased. The value of digital services, data analysis and tech integration are increasingly apparent, especially due to abundance in use-cases.
The role of IoT solutions in EU’s green transformation
The four themes of this year’s IOTSWC was the enabling of tech-driven transformation, addressing climate change and sustainability, navigating regulations and standards, and fortifying security and cybersecurity.
IoT and sensor technology, standards, and connectivity are critical components in the green transition, playing a pivotal role in addressing climate change, enhancing sustainability and meeting regulatory requirements. On a European level there are a lot of initiatives such as the interoperability act, the data act and climate adaptation program, which must be evidence-based through sensor measurements. Legislations and frameworks are pushing forward data utilisation and a lot of these data come from IoT-sensors. These technologies enable real-time monitoring, data collection and analysis, which are essential for e.g. optimizing energy use, reducing waste, monitoring emissions, bettering indoor climate and improving overall welfare and environmental efficiency.
The four main topics at IOTSWC24
Tech-enabled transformation
Digital Transformation is an essential stage in strategic decision-making, requiring a customised approach to technology deployment to achieve specific objectives within a restricted timeframe and resource allocation.
Climate change and sustainability
In order combat climate change, reduce carbon footprint, and contribute to a more sustainable future, industries worldwide are emphasising sustainable practices, renewable energy solutions, and eco-friendly technologies.
Regulations and standards
Regulations and standards shape the dynamic landscape, ensuring predictable expansion and mitigating risk in new technologies. Explore the delicate balance between regulation and commercialization for innovation revolution.
Security and cybersecurity
To safeguard sensitive data, intellectual property, and critical infrastructure from cyber threats and data breaches, the digitization of business processes requires implementation of robust security measures.
The importance of strong IoT-ecosystems has been enlarged over the past few years. With impactful events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, chip shortages and geopolitical tensions, it emphasizes the need to secure our supply chains. This is also why the EU is focusing on these areas, creating regulations and standards to ensure security and stability. By leveraging IoT technology, businesses can ensure continuity, comply with evolving regulatory frameworks, and contribute to a more robust and reliable supply chain infrastructure. Read more about the Nordic IoT-ecosystem here: https://nordiciot.dk/ecosystem-model/ .
As the Nordic region, we strive to stay ahead of the curve, helping to pave the way for the green transition and fostering growth among our members. IoT-solutions play a crucial role in this transformation, providing the tools and innovations necessary to address these pressing challenges.
Among the Nordic IoT Centre members, Glaze, SenArch, Aer networks, Cibicom, Sense Solutions and Proekspert joined the Danish Delegation at the IOTSWC24.
Paul Schwartz, CEO of SenArch, highlighted how they had great opportunity to enhance their network, especially with the other Danish companies and organisations in the Danish Delegation:
“The social and professional network is very valuable. We exchange ideas and experiences and help one another in becoming better.”
Nikita Berlinberg, project manager at Proekspert AS, highlighted that they gained a lot of exposure from international professionals participating at the IOTSWC24:
“We gained a lot of attention at the conference due to the high traction around the Danish IoT booth. It was the perfect setup, and we are grateful for the opportunity to test and showcase our demo solution.”
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Concluding a successful first trip – strengthening business networks and ecosystems
The presence at IOTSWC24 not only amplified the visibility of the members of Nordic IoT Centre but also highlighted the vibrant innovation ecosystem that the Nordic region is known for. We are proud of the accomplishments and shared learnings from this remarkable event and look forward to continuing our mission to promote and develop IoT in the Nordic region.
One of Nordic IoT Centre’s partners and representative of ACCIÓ, Daniel Westerlund, Innovation & Trade Consultant, explains their role in IoT-ecosystems:
“Our trading office fosters collaboration and promotes business activities between the Nordics, Baltics, and Catalonia. We try to match-make and scout companies across both innovation and investment opportunities.”
This quote highlights one of the many valuable facets and opportunities that opens when participating in an ecosystem as well as the interdependence of enterprises with stakeholders and organisations beyond the closest partners. For most businesses, there is a great need for compliance and sustainability competencies, extended value chain collaboration, and access to resources through ecosystems to succeed in e.g. green transformation.
As facilitators of the Nordic IoT-ecosystem, Nordic IoT Centre provides a space for knowledge-sharing, networking, and pave the way for new partnerships that members can access to accelerate, transform, build resilience, and fulfill overall business goals. Organisations such as ACCIÓ contains resources that can help Nordic companies access new markets.
Nordic IoT Centre is looking forward to continuing developing our relationship with actors in the international IoT-ecosystem, such as ACCIÓ and the Catalonia Trade & Investment agency to fulfil interests of our members.
