Platforms

Abstract

From Airbnb to Amazon and Uber, digital platforms have disrupted many industries, including travel, retail, music and others. From an AIoT point of view, we are interested in digital platforms that connect to physical assets and products. An AIoT platform operator does not necessarily have to manufacture or operate the physical assets. This is why platforms are covered independently of the Digital OEM and Digital Equipment Operator roles introduced earlier, even though the approaches can of course also be combined. This chapter provides an overview of the different concepts and looks again at the why, what, and how of platforms (Fig. 9.1).