What you need to know
- Microsoft made several IoT-related announcements at CEATEC Japan today.
- The biggest announcement is general availability of Windows 10 IoT Core board packages for NXP processors.
- Microsoft also launched SWL Server IoT 2019.
During its keynote at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) conference in Japan today, Microsoft unveiled some big announcements for its IoT efforts. Most notably, the company today launched Windows 10 IoT Core board support packages for the NXP i.MX family of processors. The event also hosted the launch of SQL Server IoT 2019 and more.
"We are already seeing boards and devices using the NXP i.MX processors with over 15 boards available or in development from the partner ecosystem," Microsoft said in a blog post covering its announcements. "As an example, Diagramics has built an NXP i.MX8-based solution with Windows 10 IoT Core to build rich client devices, certified by Azure IoT Device Catalog, and enable IOT plug-n-play registration of these devices with Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service."
Additionally, Microsoft launched its new Windows ML Container as an Insider preview. "Windows ML container gives businesses a fast and agile platform to build enterprise-grade IoT solutions," the company said. "It combines the advanced features of Windows with the security of the Windows 10 IoT platform and the manageability of the Azure IoT Edge service."
SQL Server IoT 2019, which Microsoft calls the "binary equibalent to SQL Server 2019," is also launching today. Microsoft says that SWL Server 2019 will be licensed through OEM channels for use on edge devices and can be paired with Windows Server IoT 2019 to enhance edge devices with analytics, operational data, and more. SQL Server IoT 2019 is expected to be available "before the end of the year," Microsoft says.
The world of IoT will be an increasinly important sector for Microsoft in the years to come. In a report Microsoft commissioned earlier this year, the company projected that 94 percent of businesses will be using IoT by the end of 2021.
