Skip to main content

GE’s new industrial cloud will power planes, trains, and hospitals

When you pin something on Pinterest, watch something on Netflix, or send a message to your co-worker on Slack, it’s all powered by the cloud, and specifically by Amazon Web Services. Cloud computing now has a new entrant, as GE announced today that it’s expanding its own Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Predix Cloud, targeting industrial companies.

While anyone who’s watched 30 Rock knows GE makes microwaves and other appliances, it also manufactures everything from locomotives to turbines to oil-drilling equipment to MRI machines. The company has been fitting much of its equipment with sensors for years, allowing a locomotive to send data on its oil levels, for example, or a wind turbine to move its blades based on the direction and speed of the wind. While Predix originally just let third parties harness data through applications they built, GE will now run the applications on its own infrastructure.

Recommended Videos

“A more digital hospital means better, faster healthcare,” said Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE, in a statement. “A more digital manufacturing plant means more products are made faster.”

A more digital hospital also means bigger fears about hacking. The first concern with the cloud is always security, and with these industrial machines, that worry is as big as the equipment itself. GE plans to create “layers” in the applications that can’t access each other. “Each layer will go with the stringent assumption that every other layer has already been breached,” Harel Kodesh, CTO of GE Software, tells Wired. This level of security will make the cloud more expensive, so expensive in fact that it’s priced for the industrial market. While AWS is more egalitarian, offering pricing for small and big businesses alike, GE will have to content itself with a smaller pool of customers.

These clients, however, weren’t finding what they needed when it came to the cloud, according to GE. The company’s customers wanted something “built by an industrial player for industrial players,” Kodesh tells TechCrunch.

All this means that GE’s cloud will process lots and lots of data, leading to better service for these big devices, as it receives alerts right when something goes wrong and learns what conditions caused the machine to break in the first place. On the flip side, this opens the door to someone unwanted gaining access to that industrial equipment.

Jenny McGrath
Former Senior Writer, Home
Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…
Samsung Memorial Day sale: The best washer, dryer, and refrigerator deals
Samsung front-load washer and dryer set in chapagne finish in a laundry room.

The Samsung Memorial Day sale is finally online, so now's the perfect time to make some upgrades in your home. The brand, which is known for making some of the best phones and best TVs, is also a reliable name in the world of appliances, including washer, dryers, and refrigerators. No matter your budget and the amount of space you have, something will surely catch your eye in this year's Memorial Days deals for Samsung appliances.

You can take a look at all the home appliances that are on sale for Memorial Day from Samsung through the link below, but we've also highlighted our recommendations below if you want to finish your purchase quickly. That's actually a good idea, because we're not sure how much longer stocks will remain available. You shouldn't wait until the last minute of these Samsung Memorial Day deals before you proceed with your transaction, as you'll be in danger of missing out.

Read more
How to use the robotic arm of the Roborock Saros Z70
The Saros Z70 picking up a sock.

While the Roborock Saros Z70 didn’t exactly live up to the hype, there’s no denying its robotic arm is still a cool piece of technology. Capable of picking up small objects in its path, moving them to a new location, then continuing its cleaning process, the Saros Z70 and its robotic arm might be the coolest feature we’ve ever seen in a robot vacuum. But how exactly does it work? And what are the robotic arm’s limitations?

Here’s a closer look at how to use the robotic arm of the Roborock Saros Z70 and ways you can improve its performance.
Limitations of the Roborock Saros Z70’s robotic arm

Read more
The new Blink Video Doorbell offers two-year battery life, person detection
Close up of Blink Video Doorbell

The Blink Video Doorbell is a popular choice for frugal shoppers, and its next-generation successor is looking to follow in its footsteps. Available today, the new Blink Video Doorbell offers a remarkable two-year battery life, an improved field of view, a reworked design, and the low price of just $70.

If you’ve ever been shopping for an affordable video doorbell, you’ve probably stumbled upon the old Blink Video Doorbell. Available for just $60, it was a great alternative to premium devices from Nest and Ring. Blink is looking to build on that success with the new Video Doorbell. Its price has crept up $10, but it also picked up some nice new features. The biggest improvement is its field of view -- it’s been enhanced to a 150-degree head-to-toe perspective, compared to the 135-degree horizontal view of its predecessor.

Read more