IBM Watson opens $200 million IoT headquarters in Munich
February 2017
The increasingly internet-based networking of our personal living and working spaces represents one of, if not the major drivers, of change in the economy and society at large. According to some forecasts, more than 26 billion unit devices will be part of the Internet of Things by 2020, creating incremental revenue in excess of USD 300 billion for Internet of Things (IoT) products and services suppliers. Private and public sector “value at stake” in the “Internet of Everything” is estimated in the double digit trillion dollar range for the period up to 2022.
IBM’s artificial intelligence division Watson is demonstrating its ambition to become a leading tech player in the Internet of Things revolution, with the opening of a $200m IoT global headquarters in Munich. The company is calling it its biggest investment in Europe in more than two decades. John Kelly, senior vice president for cognitive solutions and research at IBM, explained at the opening press conference that Munich was chosen for its central European location and “the great industry that goes on here”. He said: “We don’t just see it as a home, we see it as a living lab. We’re not only building great things here but we’re using this facility itself in all its great wonder as an example of IoT – in sensing and managing what goes on here.”
IBM Watson IoT has also announced a number of high-profile partnerships, one of the biggest being with Visa. The deal hopes to create up to 20 billion new devices for Visa in the next five years by enabling the embedding of payment and commerce tech into any device connected to the internet, highlighting that consumers may soon be able to complete purchases with ‘a ring, an appliance or a car’. Further collaboration will include with Bosch and BMW to explore industrial IoT opportunities and explore ways to create personalized experiences.
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