Team ELEBG – Electronics Buyer’s Guide
Qualcomm is bolstering its presence in the dynamic IoT and edge computing market by acquiring foundries.io, an edge-computing solutions provider. This move aims to enhance Qualcomm’s open source expertise and accelerate product development with Qualcomm Linux.
Alongside this acquisition, the company unveiled two new products: the QCC730 Wi-Fi system for IoT connectivity and the RB3 Gen2 development kit, tailored for IoT and embedded applications.
The RB3 Gen2 development kit is versatile, finding applications in robots, drones, industrial handheld devices, connected cameras, AI edge boxes, and intelligent displays. Building upon Gen 1, which ran on Linux and the robot operating system (ROS) using an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Gen2 now offers Linux support, currently available for private preview with select collaborators.
Qualcomm already provides a comprehensive Linux distribution for its IoT platforms, extending support to all processor cores and subsystems. foundries.io’s platform, which commonly employs Linux as the underlying operating system, focuses on building secure software stacks for IoT and edge computing deployments.
This platform integrates various open-source tools and components used in Linux-based development, facilitating developers with familiar Linux-based workflows and tools for IoT and edge computing application development and management.
While financial details of the acquisition remain undisclosed, Qualcomm’s strategic move aligns with its vision to streamline semiconductor-based IoT and edge device development and production. By expanding its IoT product portfolio, Qualcomm aims to offer customers end-to-end solutions for their IoT and edge computing needs.
