Microsoft Windows 10 IoT core, AI to make homes, societies smarter

The company made its announcement at the CEATEC event in Japan on Monday.

Microsoft, it seems is now inspired to take on the likes of Google and Intel in Internet-of-things(IoT). The company made many IoT related announcements at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) conference in Japan, on Monday.

The company announced the launch of its Windows 10 IoT Core board support packages for high-grade NXP and IMX processors. It also launched a new SQL server.

"We are already seeing boards and devices using the NXP i.MX processors with over 15 boards available or in development from the partner ecosystem. As an example, Diagramics has built an NXP i.MX8-based solution with Windows 10 IoT Core to build rich client devices certified by Azure IoT Device Catalog, and enable IOT plug-n-play registration of these devices with Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service," the company stated at the event.

Microsoft is also working for business-related IoT solutions and has announced a new platform that will let developers design applications for businesses.

Its announcements are in the line of the Japanese vision of a Society 5.0, which wants to create a society where cyberspace and real space are integrated, leading to the enrichment of the entire society. Cloud, AI and IoT are expected to play major parts creating such a society.

The company is increasingly diversifying its offerings. After failed attempts at consumer business such as the Windows Phone, Microsoft is following suit with its former acquisition, Nokia and concentrating on more enterprise-related solutions.

Earlier this year, it released its IoT signals reports, in which it claimed that in just a couple of years, 94 percent of its business will become IoT centric. It is targeting the manufacturing, retail, wholesale, transportation, government and healthcare business for providing IoT related solutions.

This is an indication that the use of artificial intelligence in businesses will only increase, and there will be more requirement of skilled workers in the industry.