CONVERGENCE OF IOT, AI, & DLT ON SHOW AT IOT SOLUTIONS WORLD CONGRESS

​Post By Simon Montford on May 16, 2018

From 16 to 18 October, the IoT Solutions World Congress (IoTSWC) will showcase the most recent advances in artificial intelligence and distributed ledger technologies such as blockchain as applied to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and, for the first time, will incorporate the “AI & Cognitive Systems Forum” as one of its key tracks. In that Forum, world experts will debate the latest trends in artificial intelligence, data analysis and cognitive computing, and present real-world examples of the convergence of this technology and the IoT to transform different industrial sectors.

Nine core themes have been established for IoTSWC’s 2018 edition as touchstones for the more than 125 scheduled conference sessions: connected transport, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and utilities, building and infrastructures, open industry, enabling technologies, blockchain and artificial intelligence, with these last two having their own subject-specific forums. 

Specifically, the main innovation this year, the “AI & Cognitive Systems Forum”, will focus on the benefits that artificial intelligence brings to IIoT infrastructure for analysing and processing data; simplifying decision-making; identifying, understanding and predicting patterns; automating and personalising processes; as well as achieving greater efficiency and security in connections between different devices and systems. 

Roger Bou, the Director of IoTSWC, says “artificial intelligence takes the IoT to a higher level, transforming data analysis into invaluable knowledge to automate many processes.” Bou stresses that “the next step, which opens up an exciting future, is for connected devices and machines with cognitive capacity to learn to make decisions by themselves.”  In the face of this challenge, the next edition of the event organised by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) will set out to demonstrate the infinite possibilities that the combination of these technologies generates, with real-world success stories. 

The sessions in this Forum on artificial intelligence will analyse trends in computational technologies such as machine learning, augmented reality and deep learning. There will also be discussion of algorithmic training, AI systems architecture and its relation to big data technology, security and privacy considerations, the standardisation that is required and potential industrial collaborations, among other themes. In parallel, the organisers hope this year to significantly increase the representation of artificial intelligence that improves IIoT infrastructure for different industries in the exhibition area at IoTSWC. 

In addition, the testbed area of the event will allow delegates to see experimental platforms in action that combine IIoT with blockchain and artificial intelligence. Dr Richard Soley, Executive Director of IIC, explains “at this edition of IoTSWC, we will be able to see how technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain and robotics act as disruptive mechanisms as we move toward the implementation of IIoT infrastructures in real markets such as agriculture, healthcare, transport, intelligent cities, automation and manufacturing, among other economic sectors”. 

Confirming this trend, many experts foresee a sharp increase in demand for this type of solution. Specifically in the context of artificial cognitive systems, IDC estimates that companies will invest $57.6 billion in 2021 with annual compound growth of 50.1%. 

​About IoTSWC 2018

​The IoT Solutions World Congress (IoTSWC), is the largest event in the world specialising in the industrial application of the Internet of Things (IIoT) and the only one that combines a commercial exhibition with knowledge, testbeds and professional networking at the highest level. IoTSWC 2018 plans to bring together more than 300 IoT supplier companies, including leading information technology companies, software platform developers, hardware manufacturers, security companies, service and telecommunications operators, and industrial automation companies, among others. For its part, in the congress itself there will be more than 250 speakers, among them the world-leading experts in IoT, artificial intelligence and blockchain, as well as representatives from companies that are already using these technologies in their businesses. 

IoTSWC forms part of Barcelona Industry Week, a brand which also encompasses two other trade shows, In(3D)ustry From Needs to Solutions, dedicated to additive manufacturing, and Healthio, specializing in health and healthcare technologies. All three events, which create synergies and provide a platform for commerce and knowledge in a wide range of industrial sectors, will take place from 16-18 October at Fira de Barcelona.