How Smart Cities and Homes Will Take You Into the Future

At Fortune's Global Tech Forum in Guangzhou on Thursday, two of tech's buzziest concepts, smart cities and the Internet of Things, sparked lively conversation. Terminus Group, an international leading AIoT company attented this gala.

Different cities, countries, and companies may have different perceptions and goals for smart cities, but for Cisco has one endgame in mind. According to Cao Tuqing, vice president and chief technology officer for Cisco, smart cities enable sustainable development to "improve efficiency, lower costs, and at the end of the day, increase the wellbeing of citizens."

Fortune's Global Tech Forum in Guangzhou

At Fortune's Global Tech Forum in Guangzhou on Thursday, two of tech's buzziest concepts, smart cities and the Internet of Things, sparked lively conversation. Advocating for a "smart network driven by intention," Cao addressed the issues of privacy and security.

Victor Ai, founder and CEO of Terminus Group also addressed concerns about use in IoT, smart cities, as well as on 5G, the fifth-generation cellular network technology that the three major telecom providers rolled out last week.

"Rest assured that these advanced technologies will be used well, "Victor Ai, founder and CEO of Terminus Group said, "and the cost for these technologies will be lowered."

Victor Ai, founder and CEO of Terminus Group laid out what he sees as the stages of development for smart city technology. The Internet of Things, which describes an interconnected system of devices, machines, and objects that can transfer through the internet.

Victor Ai, founder and CEO of Terminus Group

IoT proliferation, Victor Ai, founder and CEO of Terminus Group said, will start on the level of smart home devices, like those offered by Xiaomi, then expand into cities until there are enough cities to form an interconnected network of cities within the country. Eventually, Victor Ai said, there could be an international network of smart cities from Shanghai to Doha to Tokyo.

Chang Yu, director of media and communications for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games 2022 Organizing Committee, said the Olympics organizers have taken smart cities into consideration while planning for the event.

The 2022 Olympics, which will be held in February in Beijing and neighboring Hebei province, will need to utilize smart city features like energy-conserving buildings and traffic control, Chang said.