ARM and Thundersoft Open First IoT Ecosystem Accelerator in China

ARM has partnered with Thundersoft, a world leader in smart device platforms, to establish the ARM Innovation Ecosystem Accelerator. The collaboration creates an Internet of Things (IoT) one-stop shop for startups and established OEMs, providing integrated hardware and software expertise as well as resources from the ARM® ecosystem. The Beijing facility is the first of four planned and is aimed at further advancing China’s IoT industry.

The first office in Zhongguancun, Beijing, will offer an ARM mbed™ IoT Device Platform innovation lab and an ARM Cortex®-based IoT system on chip (SoC) design lab alongside joint facilities with ecosystem partners. The accelerator will provide workshops, training, and design services for mbed OS and Cortex processor-based development platforms. System integration services aligned to the needs of the local design environment will also be available to further facilitate and speed up the path from prototype to production.

“China is the largest IoT market in the world and there is a compelling growth opportunity for local companies if we address today’s fragmented technology landscape,” said Allen Wu, president of Greater China, ARM. “ARM is once again collaborating with a key partner to make the strongest commitment to China and the IoT industry. We are providing the ability for any company, big or small, to access integrated resources and expertise to simplify product development and accelerate time-to-market. The ARM Innovation Ecosystem Accelerator is a powerful and open platform containing the resources of the world’s biggest technology ecosystem that will enable local companies to innovate, grow and succeed in the smart and connected world.”

“IoT is a new market full of opportunities in China, and most innovation will come from startups,” said Hongfei Zhao, chairman, Thundersoft. “The challenges that startups are facing include the lack of complete product experience, resources, and ecosystem support. Our joint efforts with ARM can provide not only software and hardware components, but also system-level product development services and the support of the entire ARM ecosystem. We can address the pain points of IoT applications/services developed by startups and OEMs to save cost and time, and increase their chances of success in the market.”

“The ARM Innovation Ecosystem Accelerator integrates the leading technologies and resources from the ARM ecosystem,” said Lu Shan, director general, CSIP. “This will enable us to innovate and develop a diverse range of smart products and services. With that, it will empower China’s IoT industry development. CSIP and ARM share a common vision in terms of encouraging industry collaboration and development. Given the strong support from government, we believe there will be more and more innovation and services realized on the ARM platform, supporting fast growth for the Chinese IoT industry.”

“At Horizon we have a great vision for artificial intelligence-based (AI) products full of unique creative ideas,” said Dr. Kai Yu, founder and CEO, Horizon Robotics. “However, moving from prototype to mass production requires additional external engineering expertise and technical support. The ARM Innovation Ecosystem Accelerator is an ideal one-stop shop providing AI-capable chips, software and hardware systems, and access to a unique platform supported by industry leading companies. This will allow us to speed up our development of solutions based on artificial intelligence algorithms and go to mass production at our desired pace.”