The launch of Soracom Flux in July 2024 was showcased at the latest iteration of Hardware Pioneers; a low-code application builder that enables non-technical users to build AI-integrated IoT applications in real-time. Takashi Serizawa, Head of Europe Region at Soracom spoke to IoT Insider about Soracom Flux, and democratising IoT x AI application building.
The rise of low-code
The explosion in AI hardware and software has represented, for many IoT companies, opportunities ranging from sorting through data to gain actionable insights to speeding up operations processes and coding. However, building AI-integrated IoT applications represents a high barrier to entry that many companies struggle to overcome.
This has consequently fuelled a rise in low-code, a software development approach that enables users to create applications with minimal coding, and is especially valuable for non-technical users.
ZJ, CEO of FlowFuse, who spoke on the IoT Unplugged podcast last year, referred to the “fragmentation” of the IoT industry as being especially notable, and how low-code platforms can bridge the gap; subsequently democratising software development., This perspective also resonates with the vision Serizawa shared during his interview about the decision-making behind releasing Soracom Flux.
The low-code application builder integrates multiple data sources with GenAI engines including OpenAI from ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Azure AI, and Amazon Bedrock; the aim being to allow users to create AI-integrated IoT applications in a much shorter period of time.
Generative AI (GenAI) represents a significant opportunity for Soracom, who see it as a useful tool to analyse data and gain insights, particularly for companies who may feel overwhelmed looking at the data that needs sorting through and don’t know where to start.
“We see this huge movement in GenAI and we knew it would help with the decision-making process,” explained Serizawa. “But the challenge with GenAI is it’s still difficult for customers to integrate the IoT with GenAI.”
Integrating GenAI with IoT
Worker safety is a notable area for Soracom’s customers operating in industrial environments. Soracom Flux can support use cases such as worker safety monitoring, for instance if a worker is not wearing a helmet in a factory but needs to be.
“Let’s say there’s a camera in the factory monitoring warehouse workers who are not wearing a helmet,” said Serizawa. “We connect the camera using our cellular network to store the data in our Cloud … it’s connected with GenAI engines using Flux in the middle. If it senses anyone that’s not using the helmet, it triggers an alarm.”
This kind of scenario would be extremely challenging to build from scratch, but using Soracom Flux, the builder allows this to be built quicker.
“With GenAI you can use natural languages, so you don’t need any specific technologies or skill set,” added Serizawa.
One customer case study where Soracom has collaborated with a company on integrating GenAI with IoT includes its work with Mitsubishi Electronics on a proof-of-concept (POC) in Japan. The POC entailed using GenAI to determine the optimal air conditioning settings, resulting in a 48% electricity saving.
“They’re [Mitsubushi] using our cellular network to connect their air conditioners and heat pumps,” said Serizawa. “With this POC, we installed sensors in the office area and collected the data using our connectivity. It’s using AI to control the temperature automatically, to reduce the cost and efficiency.”
Currently this is an example of where GenAI can be integrated with IoT, Serizawa noted, but it needs some work with specialists.
Looking ahead, Soracom plans on leveraging Soracom Flux to support its customers who want to take advantage of integrating GenAI with IoT, but are unsure of where to start and how to get maximum use out of it.
“We want them [customers] to focus on what they are good at, not the connectivity side or building their software side,” concluded Serizawa.
If you’re interested in other interviews conducted at Hardware Pioneers 2025, we also spoke to Nordic Semiconductor about their low-power portfolio, Blecon commencing their 11-month anniversary at the show, and Memfault, about the importance of observability.
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