At last week’s Embedded World in Nuremberg, Thundercomm, a Californian IoT product provider, announced a series of systems-on-module (SoMs) powered by Qualcomm Technologies platforms for smart retail and smart speaker applications.

In the IoT era, physical stores are becoming smarter, offering consumers innovative options to pay, search and shop for products with their smart devices. Tailored for smart retail devices, TurboX CM2150 and CM450 SoMs are said to be cost-effective and power-efficient, and offer comprehensive connectivity, as well as user experiences with computing, smooth graphics and camera quality.

With these SoMs, users have a one-stop shop for smart retail covering point-of-sale, vending machines, digital signage and handhelds.

“Thundercomm is providing innovative and cutting-edge IoT technologies for customers all over the world,” said Hiro Cai, CEO of Thundercomm. “With the evolution of 5G networks, we believe that IoT will grow faster in the future. We hope to build a credible partnership with our customers to help them seize the opportunities of 5G, and to develop more intelligent and connected IoT applications in the fields of smart speakers, smart wearables, smart retail and more.”

Today’s consumer expectations call for better audio quality combined with smarter end-user experiences. The TurboX C404 and C405 SoMs are powered by Qualcomm QCS404 and QCS405 quad core systems-on-chip (SoCs), which offer an integrated architecture, including Qualcomm’s artificial intelligence engine for machine learning-based speech recognition, high performance, low-power keyword detection pre-loaded and running on a DSP, support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive home audio, and connectivity with 2×2 wifi, Bluetooth and Zigbee.

Thundercomm offers SoMs based on the QCS404 and QCS405 SoCs, providing a one-stop for design services, software and application development, cloud services, and more.

The TurboX T95, built on the Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem, supports Cat M1, NB1 and NB2, and EGPRS, and is integrated with GNSS. With integrated form factor, T95 achieves a low-power performance that can extend battery life.

Based on TurboX T95, Thundercomm provides asset trackers, health monitors, security systems, smart city sensors, smart meters and wearable trackers. These support GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS and wifi, providing indoor and outdoor geolocation. Thanks to the integrated Arm Cortex A7 processor in the Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem, these allow LTE-M and NB-IoT devices to collect and process data at the edge, enabling cost-effective implementations that only send key information to the cloud. The TurboX T95 can reduce the complexity and streamline IoT project development.

Thundercomm, headquartered in San Diego, is a joint venture between Thunder Software Technology and Qualcomm (Guizhou) Investment. It was established to accelerate innovation in the IoT and automotive industry, providing one-stop products powered by Qualcomm Technologies’ mobile and automotive platforms.

Through its capabilities in operating systems including Android and Linux, a software and on-device AI technology portfolio acquired from Thundersoft, and a global sales and support network, Thundercomm says it aims to build high-quality, next-generation products and shorten time to commercialisation.