Numerous tech giants have unveiled a new Internet of Things consortium

A handful of tech giants including Intel, Samsung, Broadcom, and more yesterday unveiled a new Internet of Things consortium with an aim to create standards for the next generation of connected electronic devices. Dubbed the Open Interconnect Consortium, the group is planning on coming out with the first set of specifications later this year. The consortium will initially focus on establishing standards around connectivity, discovery and authentication of devices, as well as data-gathering instruments in smart homes, consumer electronics and enterprises. Later on, the group will target other areas like automotive and healthcare. The OIC will also certify devices compliant with its standards. All the code contributed by the OIC companies will be open source, allowing developers to write common software stacks for communications and notifications across devices. Other members of the group include Dell, Atmel Corporation, and Wind River.

Samsung Electronics, Intel Corp and Dell have joined to establish standard ways for household gadgets like thermostats and light bulbs to talk to each other, at odds with a framework backed by Qualcomm, LG Electronics and other companies. The new Open Interconnect Consortium, like the Qualcomm-supported AllSeen Alliance, aims to establish how smart devices work together in a trend increasingly called the Internet of Things. Manufacturers are rolling out growing numbers of Internet-connected burglar alarms, televisions and light switches. But like the early days of video cassette recorders, current smart home products are often incompatible with each other. The new consortium, which also includes chipmakers Broadcom and Atmel, was announced in a news release late on Monday. Doug Fisher, general manager of Intel’s Software and Services Group, told Reuters that the framework to be developed by the new consortium would address security and other issues not adequately handled by the AllSeen group. The potential emergence of smart household products made by manufacturers using two sets of incompatible standards would be incidental, he said. “We’re not out to create that. We just think the industry has spoken and there’s this approach that’s needed,” Fisher said. “We’re certainly welcoming others to participate.” Last week, Microsoft became the 51st member of the AllSeen Alliance, which also includes Sharp Corp and other consumer electronics manufacturers.