The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology today announced that it is hosting the 2017 IFIP/IEEE International Conference on Very Large Scale Integration-System on Chips, VLSI-SoC, on the theme of, ‘The Internet of Things: SoC Opportunities and Challenges’. Masdar Institute is part of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology.

The Internet of Things, IoT, refers to the interconnection of sensing devices embedded in everyday objects to networks that allow them to send and receive data for analysis and subsequent informed actions by the people or systems that receive the data. IoT is a rapidly growing area of technology innovation that research firm, IDC, recently predicted would receive US$800 billion in global spending in 2017 and $1.4 trillion by 2021.

More than 100 engineers, scientists, and electrical and computer sciences professionals will be gathering to discuss IoT and other important topics at the 2017 IFIP/IEEE International Conference, which is to be held in Abu Dhabi from 23rd to 25th October. The conference programme includes two special IoT events: IoT@UAE, featuring presentations on IoT-related research in the UAE, and IoT demos contributed by graduate students from UAE universities.

Speaking on the announcement, Dr. Steve Griffiths, Interim Executive Vice President of Research at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said, "IoT is a key research focus of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology, as we know it plays a key role in connecting the physical world of materials, machines and living things to a world of information. Consequently, IoT will be integral to many industries of relevance to the UAE’s development and economic prosperity, like transportation, healthcare, and advanced energy. That is why we are especially pleased to sponsor this event, where experts in this new and growing field can share insights, and dynamic local research can be showcased, leading to potentially even greater innovations."

The keynote addresses will be given by industry and academy leaders from Mubadala, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM, Synopsys, and Columbia University. They will present visionary outlooks on IoT from various perspectives, including design automation, robustness, Big Data, and security.

Dr. Ibrahim Elfadel, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and General Co-chair of this year’s conference, said, "We are proud that the UAE capital Abu Dhabi has been selected to host the 25th version of VLSI-SoC. This selection is both a testimony to, and a recognition of, how far Abu Dhabi has come as a vibrant hub of research and innovation in areas related to highly integrated circuits and semiconductors."