Chipmaker Broadcom is collaborating with ShanghaiTech University on what they call a "Wi-Fi City" program and is also partnering with the school to set up a joint innovation center focused on the Internet of Things (IoT).
"Investing in best-in-class Wi-Fi, IoT and wearable innovation with one of China's most prestigious research universities will strengthen wireless infrastructure city-wide and open the door for the development of new, innovative smart products, accessories and other wearable sensors," said Broadcom CEO and President Scott McGregor.
ShanghaiTech, a small-scale research institution, opened in September 2013. The Wi-Fi City program will roll out a carrier-grade wireless LAN on ShanghaiTech's new campus, adding networks to other geographic areas once the pilot project is completed.
According to the South China Morning Post, the university will enroll 2,000 undergraduate students and 4,000 graduate students over the short term. ShanghaiTech is expected to have a 1:10 to 1:12 teacher-to-student ratio, with up to 1,000 faculty members.
The joint innovation center being set up by ShanghaiTech and Broadcom will develop reference designs for wearables and other connected devices.
Broadcom is one of the chipmakers working on Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) new Android Wear mobile software platform for wearable computing. Other chip companies that are collaborating with Google include Imagination, Intel, MediaTek and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM).
In a recent blog post, Monika Gupta, senior director of product marketing, mobile platforms, at Broadcom's mobile and wireless group, said Broadcom engineers have zeroed in on power consumption and size "to make a difference in how wearable devices are getting to market."
She said Broadcom has developed a highly-integrated chipset platform for wearables. "Broadcom has been working with Android engineers to minimize the SoC's footprint and power usage on the board, and reducing the board size itself, so that manufacturers can make small form-factor products that can be worn on the body," Gupta added.
For more:
- see this Broadcom release and blog post
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