Get All Access for $5/mo

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

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

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Business News

'I'm Not Trying to Land on Mars': Mark Cuban Takes Dig at Elon Musk to Explain Why His Online Pharmacy Isn't Trying to Make More Money

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. is an online pharmacy co-founded by Cuban and radiologist Alex Oshmyansky.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

'It's Not About You': How to Fire Someone Effectively, According to Kevin O'Leary

O'Leary says that if you can't fire someone, you aren't the right leader for the organization.

Business News

Meta Makes $1 Million Dollar Donation to Donald Trump's Inaugural Fund

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also reportedly gave Trump a pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Marketing

Your Most Powerful Marketing Weapon Is Hiding in the Finance Department — Here's Why

Transform your marketing leadership by turning finance from a barrier into a strategic ally. Learn how aligning with your finance team can drive unprecedented growth and innovation.