ARM kick-starts standardisation forum for 'internet of things'

Chip manufacturer co-opts UK-based partner companies to develop standards

Chip designer ARM has established an industry forum to thrash out the standards required for "the internet of things".

The forum is intended to build a blueprint for how the technologies that will make an internet of inter-connected devices – not just computers, but all types of appliances – work together seamlessly.

By 2020, according to ARM, there will be some 50 billion devices connected to the internet, sending and receiving messages. It foresees a position in the not-too-distant future in which every electrical device will be connected in some way to the internet to send and receive information.

However, that market will not take off unless it is underpinned by viable standards so that all devices can connect to the internet and communicate based on a common framework, including security standards to prevent remote hijacking of devices.

The alternative, claims ARM, is an "internet of silos", in which devices only work according to different competing standards.

In addition to technical standards, the forum will also work out the public policies that governments and companies will need to implement to ensure consumer and business confidence in the technology.

In addition to ARM, the forum's founding members include lighting technology company EnLight, wireless network company Neul, smart metering company Alertme and smart wireless infrastructure technology developer AquaMW.

All the partner companies in the forum develop technology on top of ARM's microprocessor standards.

The first forum meeting is scheduled to take place on 24 August this year.