The Kit was unveiled at the opening of Peking University's new PKU-ARM-ST-Nordic Smart Device Innovation Lab. The IoT Education Kit and the new innovation lab facility are both supported by ARM and semiconductor partners STMicroelectronics and Nordic.

"ARM-based technologies are providing the foundation for IoT deployments worldwide and it is important that we give young engineers everywhere the knowledge of the same foundational technologies as their professional peers," said Mike Muller, chief technology officer, ARM.

"The education kit will provide an IoT-centered approach to learning, giving students knowledge and tools that are interoperable with real-world applications. This will create engineers who are industry-ready straight from university."

"The ARM IoT Education Kit is an excellent platform for students taking Electronic System Design-related courses at the PKU-ARM-ST-Nordic Smart Device Innovation Lab," said Prof. Duan Xiaohui, vice director, center of experimental electronics and information, Peking University.

"Students can learn about the cutting-edge technology that surrounds the IoT and use the resources provided by the ARM ecosystem to implement fast prototypes to bring their innovative ideas to life. This kind of training is crucial for our students as they are the future of Chinese innovation."

The kit contains ARM mbed Enabled boards from STMicroelectronics and Nordic Semiconductor, ARM Keil MDK software licenses, and a complete set of teaching materials. It is designed to help lecturers deliver practical lessons around key IoT technologies.

This includes teaching students how to work with ARM mbed, the most widely-used developer platform for ARM Cortex-M processor based IoT devices. The course also provides a deep dive on technologies such as Bluetooth Smart and an understanding of current industry standards.

Peking University's new innovation lab will be used by more than 200 students from the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science with supporting courses including mobile computing, digital system design, embedded systems and digital signal processing. It is backed by ARM, STMicroelectronics and Nordic, who are offering ARM-based products. The ARM University Program, in particular, is supporting the lab with academic expertise and courseware for a variety of academic topics, including those focused around IoT technologies.

"China is set to become a leader in IoT deployments worldwide, so supporting the development of the Chinese engineering community is vitally important," said Khaled Benkrid, worldwide university program manager, ARM.

"Partnering with STMicroelectronics and Nordic enables us to deliver sustained access to diverse, low-cost, and high quality educational kits to universities in the region. It is excellent to see Nordic Semiconductor getting involved so quickly as they are a new member of our expanding Global University Partners Alliance."