Accelerating the Future: Toshiba and Qualcomm Collaborate on Bold New Vision for Retail Technology Innovation

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 9, 2025--

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. are collaborating to bring advanced, scalable AI-powered IoT solutions to the retail industry. Retailers will benefit from accelerated time-to-market solutions and cutting-edge technologies, providing significant advantages in the rapidly evolving retail landscape. This collaboration marks a new era that utilizes Toshiba’s edge computing devices powered by Qualcomm Technologies’ state-of-the-art IoT chipsets to deliver high-performance, energy-efficient computing at the edge.

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“Retailers are navigating an industry where agility, efficiency, and innovation are essential to success. By combining Toshiba’s advanced edge computing devices with Qualcomm Technologies’ foundational innovations, we are enabling retailers to accelerate innovation through scalable, cost-effective solutions. This collaboration paves the way for a new era of edge-first retail capabilities,” said Yevgeni Tsirulnik, SVP of Innovation and Incubation at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “Edge computing reduces the need for costly servers and extensive cloud computing. Combined with AI and computer vision capabilities, these innovative edge solutions enable real-time, on-device processing, allowing retailers to respond instantly to security alerts or insights on customer behavior while maintaining seamless connectivity with cloud services for post-transactional analysis.”

Toshiba and Qualcomm Technologies are setting the stage for the next generation of retail innovation by combining powerful edge computing with cloud-integrated IoT platforms. As part of this collaboration, Toshiba and Qualcomm Technologies are exploring new ways for Qualcomm® IQ processors to be used in a roadmap of Toshiba intelligent cameras, edge devices/servers, and other retail touchpoints. Combined with the scalability of Toshiba’s IoT platform, thousands of devices can be deployed across multiple locations, managed, and optimized effortlessly.

“The retail industry is at a pivotal moment where the need for smarter, more connected systems is driving demand for innovation. Together, we’re making advanced technologies like computer vision and AI more accessible, delivering options that lower costs and expand capabilities for retailers,” stated Art Miller, Vice President, Business Development and Head of Retail, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Through Qualcomm Technologies’ infrastructure with Toshiba’s retail capabilities, retailers can quickly innovate to transform in-store operations and create better shopper experiences. Retailers can now harness AI to enhance security, reduce shrink, and deliver personalized consumer experiences faster and more effectively than ever before.”

Qualcomm Technologies is augmenting its world-class silicon with groundbreaking solutions through its software platforms Aware and FoundriesFactory. Additionally, Qualcomm Aware and Foundries.io will look to support Toshiba’s advanced solutions like ELERA® Commerce Platform and ELERA® IoT Suite, enabling digital transformation by efficiently handling complex operations and streamlined processes at scale.

The collaboration between Toshiba and Qualcomm Technologies also extends to the Toshiba Commerce Marketplace, a convenient one-stop shop for scalable solutions where retailers, developers, integrators, and partners will benefit from early access to cutting-edge technologies, providing a significant advantage in the rapidly evolving retail landscape.

Toshiba offers a comprehensive range of professional and field services, including tailored service packages and time-and-material consulting. These services guarantee smooth implementation, helping retailers achieve operational excellence at scale. By combining powerful edge computing devices with a scalable, cloud-integrated IoT platform and robust field and professional services, Toshiba and Qualcomm Technologies are setting the stage for next-generation retail innovation. Retailers can now harness AI to enhance security, reduce shrinkage, and deliver personalized consumer experiences at scale—faster and more effectively than ever before.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patents are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

About Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions:

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions empowers retail to thrive and prosper through a dynamic ecosystem of smarter, more agile solutions and services that enable retailers to resiliently evolve with generations of consumers and adapt to market conditions. Supported by a global organization of devoted employees and partners, retailers gain more visibility and control over operations while enjoying the flexibility to build, scale, and transform retail experiences that anticipate and fulfill consumers’ ever-changing needs.

Visit commerce.toshiba.com and engage with us on:
LinkedIn - YouTube - Facebook - Instagram: @toshibacommerce
X/Twitter: @ToshibaCommerce

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Tec Corporation, which is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Qualcomm is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. are collaborating to bring advanced, scalable AI-powered IoT solutions to the retail industry. This collaboration marks a new era that delivers high-performance, energy-efficient computing at the edge. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Firefighters battled early Thursday to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.

Ferocious winds that drove the flames and led to chaotic evacuations have calmed somewhat and were not expected to be as powerful during the day. That could allow firefighters to make progress reining in blazes that have hopscotched across the sprawling region, including massive ones in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

Here's the latest:

Aaron Samson, 48, was in Pacific Palisades at his father-in-law’s home caring for him when the time came to flee Tuesday. They had no car, however, and were unable to secure a ride through Uber or by calling 911. Samson flagged down a neighbor, who agreed to give them and their two bags a lift.

After a little more than half an hour in traffic, the flames closed in. The tops of palm trees burned like giant sparklers in the incessant wind.

With vehicles at a standstill, police ordered people to get out and flee on foot. Samson and his father-in-law left their bags and made their way to the sidewalk. The father-in-law, who is recovering from a medical procedure, steadied himself against a utility pole as Samson retrieved his walker and recorded the ordeal on his cellphone.

“We got it, Dad, we got it,” Samson said.

They walked for about 15 minutes before another good Samaritan saw them struggling, stopped and told them to get in his vehicle.

By Wednesday afternoon, Samson did not know if the home survived. But he said they were indebted to the two strangers.

“They saved us,” he said. “They really stepped up.”

▶ Read more stories from those who escaped the fire

President Joe Biden will gather senior White House and administration officials for the briefing after he returns from delivering the eulogy at the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter.

He was briefed earlier Thursday on the latest updates of the wildfires across Los Angeles.

Many communities, including several in California, have warning alert systems that allow residents to sign up for push notifications to their mobile phones or email accounts.

FEMA has a downloadable app that provides real-time alerts on mobile phones, and public safety agencies can also push alerts to television, radio and wireless devices through the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System. The NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast continuous weather information as well as official Weather Service warnings, forecasts and other hazard information.

A battery- or crank-operated portable radio can also be a critical tool for receiving emergency alerts, especially in areas where cellular service is unreliable or when regional cellular towers might be threatened by wind, fire or other hazards.

The latest flames broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, striking closer to the heart of the city and the roots of its entertainment industry and putting densely populated neighborhoods on edge during exceptionally windy and dry conditions.

Within a few hours, firefighters had made major progress on the Sunset Fire in the hills. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said they were able to keep the fire in check because “we hit it hard and fast and mother nature was a little nicer to us today than she was yesterday.”

The dramatic level of destruction in some places was apparent in a comparison of satellite images before and after the fire.

A swath of about 250 homes in an Altadena neighborhood dotted with the green canopies of leafy trees and aquamarine swimming pools was reduced to rubble. Only a few homes were left standing and some were still in flames in the images by Maxar Technologies.

Along a stretch of about 70 wall-to-wall homes overhanging the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, fewer than 10 appeared to be intact.

ADDS THE NAME OF A PERSON - Zuhayr Khan cuts down bushes as structures are seen on fire during the Eaton fire in Altadena, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

The Eaton Fire burns a Bank Of America branch Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Pedestrians help a firefighter stretch a hose as an apartment building burns, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Topanga Canyon inhabitants look on as the Palisades Fire burns in the hills between Pacific Palisades and Malibu Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Topanga, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

The Palisades Fire burns houses in the hill next to the Getty Villa Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

A house burns in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

A firefighter battles the Eaton Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A resident hoses down hot spots in a fire-ravaged property after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)

Fallon Prockiw-Kline gets emotional in front of her home which was damaged by the Palisades Fire, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Residents embrace outside of a burning property as the Eaton Fire swept through Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Water is dropped by helicopter on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Firefighters work from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)