Microsoft IoT Innovation Center Officially Launched at the First Microsoft IoT Expo

Microsoft IoT Innovation Center as the beginning for global IoT deployment

Since the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on IoT with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) last October, Microsoft has been promoting several IoT related industry and talent development programs in Taiwan. For example, the first DevDays Asia, which took place this past April with informative presentations from over ten information scientists and architects, who assisted with solving technical issues. In July, an IoT solution constructed by Taiwanese companies was introduced in WPC, an annual conference attended by tens of thousands of people, and soon became a sought-after hit by partners around the world seeking collaboration. All in all, Microsoft has helped 22 Taiwanese companies with over 87 IoT devices to be Microsoft Azure Certified for IoT by this September, with the number of certifications taking up over 40% of all certified devices worldwide. As if the aforementioned achievements are not enough in a year, Microsoft is holding the Microsoft IoT Expo 2016 today, with the participation of 393 companies and around 1,100 visitors from Taiwan and abroad. This expo displays 33 IoT solutions, offers match-making meetings which enable in-depth interaction among partners, and announces the official launch of Microsoft IoT Innovation Center.

Sam George, General Manager, Azure IoT, Microsoft, said, "Asia is a critical and rapidly growing part of the IoT market and Microsoft has already deployed the Azure IoT Suite to multiple regions. We believe that through the first Microsoft IoT Expo, our market leading IoT offerings and the newly launched Microsoft IoT Innovation Center as a hub in Asia, we are enabling customers and partners to realize the enormous business potential of IoT.

Jong-chin Shen, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), said, "The government partners with Microsoft in building the Microsoft IoT Innovation Center in hope of leveraging Microsoft's R&D capability, cloud services, and data analytics to integrate the IoT supply chain. The ultimate goal is to transform Taiwan's hardware- and component-centric business model into platform-based or vertically-integrated solutions. We aspire to create value with local IoT players and provide global IoT solutions to strive for the lasting business visions."

"To promote the development of IoT ecosystem in Taiwan, Microsoft has adopted the 'outside-in' strategy by bringing in global demand as a stimulus to Taiwanese companies, driving them to enter the global IoT market," said Steven Shaw, General Manager of Microsoft Taiwan. "Following the relocation of Microsoft's office on September 8, which materialized digital transformation with a cloud-based, smart, and flexible workspace, today we are pleased to launch the new Microsoft IoT Innovation Center at Microsoft Taiwan. This office is easily accessible by partners and clients, and it integrates the existing IoT resources and designs IoT services."

Microsoft teams up with local partners in Taiwan to develop IoT solutions to be implemented globally

Whether it is cross-discipline technology transfer or strategic alliance, business model transformation or innovation, in the digital era nowadays, seeking and linking resources is of especially great importance. Microsoft takes advantage of its past experience in managing industrial ecosystem and its rich software potential to serve a broad clientele by rendering facility and service assistance. Microsoft IoT Innovation Center has chosen Taiwan, a place renowned for its high-tech sector and hardware manufacturing, to gain a foothold in the Asia market while aiming to accelerate IoT deployment with partners worldwide.

Chris Phillips, General Manager, Partner and Customer Ecosystem, Cloud Enterprise, Microsoft, said, "Microsoft IoT Innovation Center in Taiwan is our starting point for capturing the booming IoT opportunity in Asia by accelerating the collaboration between Taiwan-based companies and global partners so as to push forward IoT as services."

Allan Yang, CTO of Advantech said, "By using Microsoft Azure's public cloud, we have successfully promoted the uFleet logistics management system to Tingtong Logistics in Shanghai, China, and the UShop+ passenger volume statistics system to the branch stores of Green Land supermarket's chained stores and the retailers in Southeast Asia. Managers can then monitor each store's operation via the Microsoft Azure cloud platform."

"The partnership with Microsoft will help foster the exchanges and development of IoT. NEC is looking forward to working or exploring opportunities with Taiwan IoT partners," said Gordon Gay, General Manager, R&D, NEC Australia.

"IoT Technology will transform the value chain across the company," said  Dr. Jimmy (Chih-Yaung) Chu, Chairman, Fair Friend Group. Joe Lin, General Manager of NEXCOM's IoT Automation Solutions Business Group said "As we enter the year of 2016, Industry 4.0 has entered a 'testing phase' from an 'exploration phase.' The point is no longer about promotion but implementation. NEXCOM focuses on IoT Automation Solutions to fully connect industrial IoT to the cloud as well as to integrate NexROBO, NexMotion (EtherCAT motion control), iAutomation, Device Networking with Microsoft Azure's cloud platform. By leveraging NEXCOM's IoT Studio to connect cloud software, IoT gateway and the end devices at factory sites to the cloud, which has been successfully introduced to well-known toy manufacturers, with continuing plan for the development of batteries and smart machinery manufacturers of electric cars in China. This will help to realize the integration of Industry 4.0 with cloud, bridge the last mile of smart facotry, and finally assist manufacturers in operation and improve competitiveness of the industry. 

"AOPEN Australia focuses on the intergrated services of industrial technology services to partner with local businesses as well as the R&D team at APOEN, which provides industry solutions in many professional fields such as retail, food and beverages, enterprises and transportation to optimize customers' experience and provides consulting services," said Stephen Borg, GM for AOPEN Australia.

According to Edward Tsai, Senior Vice President, Trend Micro Consumer Product Planning and Development: "From a security standpoint, IoT and IoV devices are not manufactured with security in mind -- this often means the creation of new attack vectors for hackers. It is our honor to partner with Microsoft Corporate to offer a unique full range IoT Security Solution across from Cloud, Network and Endpoint protection which is helping manufactures away from hacking concern."

The largest Microsoft IoT Expo in Taiwan maps out the future of IoT

The first Microsoft IoT Expo appealed to around 1,100 participants from 17 countries, indicating how hot the IoT topic currently is. Apart from the morning keynote speeches on the first day of the agenda and seminars on the four themes, there are several open theaters on technical tracks. Microsoft even showcases IoT applications co-developed with partners for engagement experience, including a smart vending machine developed by AAEON, which allows visitors to pay by swiping their badges, a coffee-making robot developed by TECHMAN ROBOT Inc., which could be started by the visitor badge. These devices record visitors' purchase behaviors, laying the foundation for data analytics, such as the popularity of drink items. The showcase area is a Loopd-based smart solution, in which visitors first receive a small sensing device on site to turn themselves into one of the "things" connected to the Internet. After that, they can easily exchange contact information with exhibitors and/or other participants by simply touching a device. These sensing devices can even detect the traffic of participants and analyze the hot spots. A Persuasive Electric Vehicle, co-developed by Microsoft and MIT Media Lab by using Microsoft's Cognitive services and Cortana Intelligent Suite, is also on display. Still another special event would be the Gender x IoT Forum during lunch time, focusing on borrowing the softness and tenderness in female power to create a smarter, sweeter, and super IoT-aided life.

Microsoft IoT Expo is held on October 13 and 14 (Thursday and Friday) at Hua Nan Bank International Conference Center. To view the complete agenda, please go to http://iotexpo.azurewebsites.net/.

Microsoft IoT Innovation Center operates as a "Federated Lab" to accelerate IoT development

Microsoft IoT Innovation Center acts as a link between local IoT partners and the outside world, with its missions being R&D project integration, technology development, and international collaboration. The implementation results will be reported directly to the Microsoft headquarters and the center will play a strategic role in IoT development.

Moreover, as Microsoft knows that field- and scenario-specific IoT solutions need to be tested, verified, and improved with actual clients' projects, Microsoft IoT Innovation Center therefore set up the IoT Community Lab, providing partners with IoT technology training of various difficulty levels and professional consultation, and three IoT Scenario Labs, delivering tailor-made services, such as technology development, architecture design, and business consultation.

Cathy Yeh, Principal PM Manager, Cloud Enterprise Product Group, Internet of Things Innovation Center, said, "The development of IoT industry requires the connection and integration of partners in multiple fields as well as the resources from the industry, government, and academia both in Taiwan and abroad. Microsoft IoT Innovation Center operates as a 'Federated Lab', meaning that in addition to the central office, representative partners in other fields, such as smart manufacturing, smart healthcare, transportation, retail and life, as well as startups and key research institutes all contribute to establishing labs. Through technology transfer, educational training, facility sharing, middleware development, and collaborative projects, these labs work as a federation. They learn from each other to develop hardware, software, and services needed for IoT solutions."

For more information about "Microsoft Innovation Center", please visit:
https://www.microsoft.com/taiwan/IoT/

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. 

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161013/428707 

SOURCE Microsoft Taiwan