It is projected that there will be 14 billion IP addressable endpoints by 2010 and 17 billion by 2012. As more things have microchips embedded in them and become IP addressable, they will be able to “talk” for the first time — sending and receiving data over the Internet. This is the Smart Revolution.
In this Everything IP (Vinton Cerf) world there will be many new paths and opportunities for information exchange. Technologies such as Linxter will accelerate innovation by providing a framework for enabling and managing these new communication channels. On a broad scale, industries such as automotive, consumer products, education, energy and utilities, healthcare, media and entertainment and telecommunications are turning to technology as a way to improve their “triple bottom line” (economic, environmental and social success). For example, in the energy and utilities sector, a study released in June 2008 by the WWF in conjunction with Bell Canada suggests that Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 20 million tons a year by making better use of communication technology.
Enabling things to talk opens up new information sources. New communication channels enables data to be aggregated in new ways, providing more useful information, allowing individuals or devices to make better decisions. Innovation through interconnection offers many opportunities to simplify and improve both industrial processes and our daily lives.