Soracom embeds gen AI developer tools into cellular IoT platform

By James Blackman July 25, 2024

Collected at: https://www.rcrwireless.com/20240725/internet-of-things/soracom-embeds-gen-ai-developer-tools-into-cellular-iot-platform

KDDI-owned Soracom has embedded generative AI capabilities into its cellular IoT connectivity and services platform, it has said. It has introduced two new services to help IoT developers with more complex IoT deployments. These are Soracom Flux and Query Intelligence; the first is a low-code application builder that allows non-technical users to build AI solutions by defining data flows between sensors, cameras, actuators, generative AI engines, and the cloud; the second simplifies management of large IoT deployments with natural-language network data analysis.

Kenta Yasukawa, co-founder and chief tech officer at Soracom, said: “We’ve always envisioned an internet-of-things where connected devices can interact with each other to make decisions in real time. The emergence of public gen AI services holds the potential to fulfill that vision. [These new services] drive AI much deeper within the IoT stack. Project teams can now accomplish in minutes what once took months and required expert skills. Even non-technical managers can now enjoy complete control of even the largest and most globally distributed IoT networks.”

Soracom Flux is intended to make it easier to create custom IoT apps that automate actions by integrating multiple data sources with sundry generative AI engines, including OpenAI, Google Gemini, Microsoft Azure AI, and Amazon Bedrock. It allows developers to create apps in minutes, the company reckons. It is pitching to the manufacturing, construction, healthcare, energy, and retail industries. It presented an example where user-defined data flows and natural-language instructions issue an alert if a camera detects workers without the right protective clothing.

Meanwhile, Soracom Query Intelligence lets managers query IoT network data in natural language, and receive analysis as descriptive text and data visualisations. It builds on the company’s Soracom Query managed data warehouse service to store and analyse platform-level data, including device session histories, data usage, and billing information. Again, it is a low-code solution which is intended to allow “anyone” to perform complex data analysis with no need for SQL programming or data visualisation experience, it said.

It suggested examples where users identify and troubleshoot unstable devices on a large network by asking for a list of SIMs with high connection/disconnection rates, and where they identify areas where carrier cellular switching is required to maintain connection to better manage a fleet of vehicles by asking for a map of SIMs currently connected to a specific carrier. Soracom Flux is now available to customers in public beta; professional and enterprise plans will be available later this year. Soracom Query Intelligence is available to select customers in preview.