📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Samsung Announces Artik, a New Platform to Advance Its Open 'Internet of Things' Plan The tech giant says its new chips will be able to help entrepreneurs create IoT devices much faster than they would be able to do on their own.

By Emily Price

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Samsung

Samsung is obsessed with the Internet of Things (IoT). So much so, the South Korean tech giant says that by 2020, every Samsung digital device will be a connected one.

To help push forward with that goal, and IoT in general, Samsung announced a trio of production-ready modules on Tuesday to be used in connected devices. Called Artik, they'll be used in everything from wearable fitness devices to things like home servers and smart machines. They will be able to help entrepreneurs create IoT devices much faster than they would be able to do on their own, according to the company.

"By leveraging Samsung's high-volume manufacturing, advanced silicon process and packaging technologies, and extensive ecosystem, Artik allows developers to rapidly turn great ideas into market leading IoT products and applications," Young Sohn, Samsung Electronics president and chief strategy officer, said today at the Internet of Things conference in San Francisco.

Image credit: Emily Price

Related: Out of the Loop on the Internet of Things? Here's a Brief Guide.

Often, IoT companies would custom-build the modules on their own by offering a solution like Artik, Samsung is essentially cutting out a step of the process and reducing the amount of time required to develop a high-tech connected device.

Artik is an open platform, and while it will be used in some of Samsung's consumer products it can be used by any company looking to create a connected device. The platform will be available in three different sizes -- Artik 1, Artik 5, and Artik 10 -- to fit a variety of different devices and use cases. It ships as a complete package with a processor and on-board memory, as well as integrated software and embedded hardware security technology.

Samsung says the Artik 1 is the smallest IoT module form-factor available on the market, measuring just 12mm x 12mm, or about the size of a ladybug. The tiny chip connects via Bluetooth low-energy, and is designed to be used in things like smart bands and activity trackers. It packs a 250MHz dual-core processor, 9-axis motion sensor, and 4MB of flash memory.

Related: IBM Says It Will Invest $3 Billion in 'Internet of Things' Unit

Image credit: Emily Price

The Artik 5 is about the size of a quarter and is designed to be used in things like drones and IP-based cameras. It has a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4GB flash memory, and has its own built-in video encoder and decoder. It can connect to your network via Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth.

The Artik 10 measures about an inch tall and packs some of the same power you'd find in one of Samsung's high-end smartphones, with a 1.3GHz octacore processor, 16GB of flash memory and an HD encoder and encoder. Samsung sees it being used in media hubs and home servers.

The developer kit with the Artik 10 inside will be available starting today.

IoT isn't a new goal for Samsung. In August of last year it acquired smart home company SmartThings, and at the Consumer Electronics Show this January it made a commitment to connect at least 90 percent of Samsung devices by 2017, less than two years from now.

"As an industry we must join together to use the power of IoT to address challenges posed by issues such as aging population demographics, water shortages, increasing traffic congestion, pollution and major health issues," Sohn said. "We need to create powerful open platforms that will harness the information generated by IoT to develop new insights and new approaches to meet the challenges we face as a society."

Related: The Internet of Things Will Have Arrived When You Don't Even Notice It's There

Emily Price

Technology Writer

Emily Price is a tech reporter based in San Francisco, Calif. She specializes in mobile technology, social media, apps, and startups. Her work has appeared in a number of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, PC World, Macworld, CNN and Mashable.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Leadership

How to Harness the Power of Authentic Storytelling to Become a More Effective and Inspiring Leader

Storytelling enhances business leadership by inspiring a culture of authenticity and trust through sharing relevant personal stories.

Business News

Red Lobster Suddenly Shutters Dozens of Locations Without Warning Employees, Begins Auctioning Off Equipment

It's estimated that nearly 99 locations have been closed across 27 states, and restaurant paraphernalia is up for auction online — including tanks with live lobsters, furniture, ovens, refrigerators, bars, and more.

Franchise

'Not What Anybody Signed Up For': A Legal Expert Weighs In on the Labor Rule That Could Destroy Franchising

'Entrepreneur' spoke to labor attorney Jim Paretti to unravel the status of each of the legal challenges to the expanded Joint Employer Rule — and find out what comes next.

Business News

OpenAI Chief Scientist and Cofounder Ilya Sutskever Leaves AI Giant for Personal Project

Sutskever co-led the superalignment team at OpenAI, which ensures that AI follows what humans want it to do even as it gets smarter.

Side Hustle

These Coworkers-Turned-Friends Started a Side Hustle on Amazon — Now It's a 'Full Hustle' Earning Over $20 Million a Year: 'Jump in With Both Feet'

Achal Patel and Russell Gong met at a large consulting firm and "bonded over a shared vision to create a mission-led company."

Starting a Business

How Much Capital Does Your Startup Need? Here Are 7 Key Factors to Consider.

Here's what you need to assess when determining the amount of capital your startup needs — and how adequate funding can enhance your chances of success.