DAVIS, Cali. — IoT standards organization The Zigbee Alliance has announced that IKEA has joined its board of directors.
Zigbee says the retailer, known for its furniture, is committed to universal open IoT standards for its smart home products.
“The world is constantly changing, and our home furnishing designs are also ever-evolving with specific intent to create a better life at home for everyone,” said Ulf Axelsson, IoT Architect at IKEA Home Smart, in a prepared statement. “Elevating our membership within the Zigbee Alliance to the board level enables our company to play a larger role in influencing the global IoT movement that’s connecting technology, design, and imagination. Our goal is to democratize smart home technology by offering affordable products to everyone.”
The IKEA Home Smart portfolio includes smart lighting, smart blinds, smart speakers, and wireless accessories. In 2018 alone, IKEA sold more than five million Zigbee devices.
“As the curators of enjoyable home design and enriched living, IKEA is a tremendous gain to the Alliance leadership. Their ability to make imaginative, affordable connected home products accessible to consumers across all classes and categories forms the core of great connected device experiences,” said Tobin Richardson, president and CEO, Zigbee Alliance, also in a statement. “We’re excited for IKEA to bring that innovation and consumer-centricity to our open IoT standards, and help facilitate collaboration between smart products and the innovative companies behind them. Our shared commitment to align and move companies to open standards at product design is what helps ensure that all IoT products ‘just work’ once installed.”
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