The Ambient IoT Alliance, a new alliance dedicated to developing and promoting a global internet of things ecosystem, launched today with an impressive lineup of members that includes Intel Corp. and Qualcomm Inc.

Described as a cross-industry coalition working to promote and scale the future ambient IoT ecosystem, AIoTA has as its mission to promote and support the development of an open, harmonized and aligned multi-standard ecosystem. Joining Intel and Qualcomm as founding members of the alliance are Atmosic Technologies Inc., Infineon Technologies AG, PepsiCo Inc., VusionGroup SA and Wiliot Inc., all of which are invested in the advancement of ambient IoT solutions, best practices, interoperability and other alliance efforts.

Ambient IoT is an evolution of IoT that enables battery-free, energy-harvesting devices to seamlessly connect with existing wireless infrastructure, enabling real-time data collection and communication across various industries. Devices that use ambient IoT can detect location, temperature and humidity, among other things, and communicate the data via wireless infrastructure. Nearby mobile devices, wireless access points, domestic appliances or other standard gateways can receive the data generated by ambient IoT-enabled devices if using a compatible standard.

AIoTA says ambient IoT will allow for the large-scale deployment of the technology in supply chains, retail channels and healthcare delivery services by leveraging IoT devices with smart appliances, mobile devices and wireless access points.

The data generated by ambient IoT devices can also be used to enable advanced artificial intelligence applications.

“Ambient IoT and artificial intelligence are symbiotic technologies, each unlocking the promise of the other,” the alliance explains. “The simultaneous rise of ambient IoT and AI will give businesses and consumers unprecedented understanding of the world around them.”

“Alliance members are focused on the next generation of ambient IoT standards for battery-free, low-cost technologies to connect products and assets, which can also improve AI services in the cloud,” the alliance added.

For business users, the advantages of using ambient IoT are claimed to be “massive.” The technology is claimed to represent the “next great data platform” for leveraging AI and realizing a return on investment with AI solutions. One core idea, between all the buzzwords, is that ambient IoT can deliver more efficient supply chains by eliminating operational costs and waste while opening the door to new, enriched customer experiences.

AIoTA is an open industry group that brings together companies that produce or use IoT tags, devices, networking middleware, applications and cloud services. The association foresees rapid ecosystem growth as businesses, telcos, technology vendors and standards bodies join to define ambient IoT technologies within global communication standards, currently under development by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (Wi-Fi) and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (5G Advanced).

“Ambient IoT is the key to sustainable IoT adoption,” said Atmosic co-founder David Su. “It allows us to rearchitect wireless tracking solutions to either use very little power or harvested energy, so everything can remain connected continuously and companies can operate at maximum efficiency.”

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