The 10 Coolest IoT Hardware Companies: The 2024 Internet Of Things 50
As part of CRN’s 2024 Internet Of Things 50, here’s a look at 10 hardware developers impacting the industry.
Well-designed hardware is more important than ever when it comes to IoT, whether that’s in the sensors used to capture environmental data, edge computers used to process and analyze such data or communication modules used to send that data to far-flung places.
According to a recent report by research firm GlobalData, IoT hardware is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12 percent through 2027, when the segment is expected to represent more than 50 percent of the overall IoT market that also includes software and services.
The players in the IoT hardware segment includes semiconductor companies like Intel and Nvidia, which design processors meant to capture and analyze IoT data, as well as Silicon Labs and Morse Micro, which design chips for transmitting IoT data. Then there are semiconductor firms like Sony Semiconductor Solutions, which focus on building imaging and sensing technologies.
The IoT hardware ecosystem also includes those building a wide range of devices, whether it’s Cognosos and its asset tracking systems or Monnit and its wireless sensors.
For the 2024 Internet of Things 50, CRN picked the coolest and most noteworthy vendors who are innovating and making big moves within the hardware space. What follows are descriptions of each company, which range from Cognosos and Intel to Telit Cinterion and Zebra Technologies.
Cognosos
Braxton Jarratt
CEO
Cognosos wants to make real-time location services a game-changing investment for businesses with its suite of cloud-based software and lightweight asset tracking hardware. A year ago, the Atlanta-based company said that it had raised $25 million in funding from an investment firm after it tripled revenue in 2022, driven by major auto manufacturers, health-care providers and other companies.
Intel
Pat Gelsinger
CEO
Intel seeks to bring IoT applications to the next level with processors for edge computing devices. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker says its recently launched Core Ultra chips combine next-generation AI and graphics capabilities in a power-efficient package with long life availability to enable computer vision and automation use cases. It also enables vision applications with its Geti software platform.
Monnit
Brad Walters
Founder, CEO
Monnit provides hardware- and software-based remote monitoring offerings for nearly every industry use case, from commercial refrigeration to manufacturing production. The Salt Lake City-based company offers more than 80 wireless IoT sensors that monitor temperature, light and pressure, among several other things. Its portfolio also includes IoT gateways and iMonnit cloud software for analyzing sensor data.
Morse Micro
Michael De Nil
Co-Founder, CEO
Morse Micro says it’s reinventing Wi-Fi for IoT with the commercialization of the Wi-Fi HaLow specification for long-range, low-power and mass-capacity wireless connectivity. The Australian company says its Wi-Fi HaLow system-on-chip offerings have been proven to deliver a video call over nearly two miles— 10 times further than traditional Wi-Fi.
Nvidia
Jensen Huang
Co-Founder, President, CEO
Nvidia is bringing serious compute power to IoT applications with its GPU-powered Jetson system-on-chips for edge devices. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company’s edge portfolio includes the recently launched Jetson Thor computer, which includes a next-generation GPU based on the Blackwell architecture that will allow the device to run multimodal generative AI models like the company’s GR00T for humanoid robotics.
Qualcomm
Cristiano Amon
President, CEO
San Diego-based Qualcomm is turbocharging industrial and commercial IoT applications with a growing portfolio of high-performance compute and advanced connectivity chip offerings. These products include satellite connectivity chips and integrated 5G IoT processors, which the company boosts through its IoT Accelerator Program for a wide variety of partners.
Silicon Labs
Matt Johnson
President, CEO
Silicon Labs says it’s enabling secure, intelligent wireless connectivity for IoT applications with its chip and software technologies. The Austin, Texas-based company’s portfolio includes its next-generation Series 3 chip platform, which combines “compute, wireless performance and energy efficiency with the highest levels of IoT security architected to the silicon.”
Sony Semiconductor Solutions
Terushi Shimizu
President, CEO
Sony Semiconductor Solutions seeks to revolutionize IoT with its AITRIOS edge AI sensing platform, which builds upon its imaging and sensing technologies. The Japan-based company says its platform can reduce costs and complexity, improve time-to-market and provide measurable ROI while giving organizations the solutions they need to deploy vision-based edge AI at scale.
Telit Cinterion
Paolo Dal Pino
CEO
Telit Cinterion is breaking ground in the world of wireless connectivity for IoT devices with recently launched subscription-based connected module packages. The Irvine, Calif.-based company says the NExT Connected Module packages allow organizations to use its wireless communication modules, SIM cards, connectivity plans and management software with “business-friendly [operational expenses]” terms.
Zebra Technologies
Bill Burns
CEO
Zebra Technologies is giving businesses real-time insight into their operations though its portfolio of mobile computers, RFIDs, real-time tracking technologies, sensors and cameras, among other offerings. The Lincolnshire, Ill.-based company’s ZS300 electronic sensors, for instance, give manufacturers and transportation providers a way to securely monitor conditions and track the location of products in food and pharmaceutical supply chains.