Taiwanese chip-maker MediaTek is wooing Indian start-ups and developers as it seeks to roll out build its platform that can enable any device maker to jump onto the Internet of Things (IoT) bandwagon.

MediaTek Labs is a part of MediaTek, which intends to create an ecosystem for developers to support different kinds of devices, developing applications for these devices and services around it.

Talking to BusinessLine on the sidelines of the Nasscom Product Conclave, Marc Naddell, Vice-President, MexiaTek Labs, said that India with its vast pool of tech talent and a strong local market has prompted the company to engage more with developers. Indian engineers have added the capability of understanding hardware complexities on top of their software skills, according to Sheng Fu, CEO of Cheetah Mobile.

Companies like MediaTek and others are seeing a rise in the number of devices that are connected to the internet, popularly called as IoT, which embeds sensors into devices used in sectors such as healthcare and agriculture, estimated to be more than a billion at present. But as this number is large, companies are starting to rely more on third party developers who can embed technologies of companies like MediaTek across different devices, help prototype it and also help them sell it.

“Initially, MediaTek Labs will stimulate and support the creation of wearable devices and IoT applications based on MediaTek LinkIt, a hardware and software development platform,” said Naddell.

In line with this, the Labs portal will be the hub for all developers, which includes Software Development Kits (SDKs), Hardware Development Kits (HDKs), technical documentation, as well as technical and business support to the device maker and application development community.

So, why would developers jump onto this platform, when other chip rivals are engaging in similar initiatives? Naddell believes that the opportunity to develop stuff across a range of consumer devices from TVs to smartphones and a go-to-market opportunity of 6-9 months with their product are some of the advantages of being on the MediaTek platform. The company, however, did not share the number of developers it is looking in India.

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