With 3,000 exhibitors, 2,000 conferences, and 200,000 attendees, it’s pretty easy to miss something at CeBIT. The expo is currently the world’s largest and most internationally represented, considered by many to be the barometer for state of the art tech, and current industry trends.
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, will officially open CeBIT 2017 on March 19th which will become home to companies from over 70 different nations. As you can see, that’s a lot of tech for one expo.
Many of the technologies on display will go on to shape the future of how business is done. CBR will be attending the conference and takes a look at a few of the biggest things on offer over the coming week.
1. IoT developments
IoT is one of the big buzzwords in technology today, which encompasses basically any device that can connect to the internet. As we are constantly moving towards a more connected world, the IoT, includes just about anything you can imagine from WiFi appliances to complex business infrastructures.
At CeBIT you can expect to see some of the cutting edge developments that have been made in this field including applications and solutions for automotives, smart homes and smart cities, aviation, and logistics.
Conferences on IoT will include the IoT Summit on the 21st discussing the topics of Business Intelligence, Business transformation, and real world applications. Similarly on the 23rd another IoT Summit will be discussing the platforms and applications in the IoT space, as well as designing and securing the infrastructure.
Salesforce, Huawei, and HPE will be among the many exhibitors for IoT technologies.
2. 5G
5G is rapidly approaching, the technology marks the next big step towards hyperconnectivity and will most likely see a huge increase in the amount of data we consume and the rate at which we do it.
This year’s CeBIT will showcase several of the possible applications of the emerging technology including a VR display from Vodafone showcasing how the technology will connect cars in a way that we haven’t seen before. Similarly BMW will be demoing their new i8 via Microsoft Hololens to show how data is transmitted between the cloud and the car via 5G.
Dr. Simon Oberthür, R&D Manager – Mobile & Cloud Systems, Universität Paderborn, will be leading a seminar on the 23rd regarding how IoT, 5G and NFV are possibly contributing to data centres becoming obsolete.
3. AI
Artificial Intelligence is one of the big talking points of the current zeitgeist, so you can to see plenty of it coming out of CeBIT. Following on from 5G one of the more prominent applications of intelligent machines is focused around self-driving cars and how they will dramatically change the technological landscape over the next few years.
However, AI represents much bigger changes than just autonomous vehicles, automation is expected to be greatly enhanced by artificial intelligence. Robots will no longer just build to specifications they will learn how to do it best and in the most efficient way, they will also help to streamline businesses by known which functions will perform the best and when.
Demonstrations of the technology at CeBIT this year include Toshiba, who will be showcasing how deep learning can be used to enhance factory production, specifically how data analytics will improve the manufacture of semiconductors. Fuse-AI, the Hamburg startup, will also be showcasing how pattern and image recognition can be used in healthcare.
4. Drones
Drone technology is another area that has seen rapid growth in recent years, in both commercial and enterprise markets. The technology represents a new method of unmanned transport and surveillance with the added benefits of verticality.
This year CeBIT promises to be “connect like-minded and innovative people, who want to shape the use of unmanned systems across all sectors and industries” showcasing the very best that drone technology and unmanned systems have to offer.
Exhibitors will include Intel Deutschland who will be maintaining the Intel CeBIT Drone park, an open air displaying showing daily flight shows and live demos. Global UAV will also showcasing their renowned 4G operated drones which have a flight time of up to 70 minutes.
5. VR
Virtual Reality is expected to be huge this year, the burgeoning technology is well on its way to mainstream acceptance. The recent push in gaming has seen high quality devices such as the Vive, Gear VR and PSVR, far exceeded their initial sales expectations, and businesses have not been idle either.
CeBIT 2017 will host 170 speakers, events, and exhibitors promoting new developments and products in the virtual reality market. Speakers for VR include Graham Breen, Product Head for Vive Europe, and James Hairston is the Head of Public Policy at Oculus, Facebook.
Demonstrations on VR will include how the sensory technology can be used to make the push into editorial channels such as the New York Time and CNN are doing, or how VR can be used to enhance IoT applications. With over 360 different products, VR is definitely something to keep an eye on at CeBIT this year.
