British-based ARM has partnered with Chinese smart device firm Thundersoft to launch an Internet of Things accelerator in Beijing.

The ARM Innovation Ecosystem Accelerator is an IoT one-stop shop for startups and OEMs in Beijing. The Beijing facility is the first of four planned and is aimed at further advancing China's IoT industry. Financial terms of the arrangement were not released by either company.

The first IoT office in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing will offer an ARM mbed IoT Device Platform innovation lab and an ARM Cortex-based IoT system on chip design lab alongside joint facilities with ecosystem partners.

The accelerator will also provide workshops, training, and design services for mbed OS and Cortex processor-based development platforms. System integration services aligned to the needs of the local design environment will also be available to further facilitate and speed up the path from prototype to production.

Neither company has yet provided a roadmap for the opening or location of the other three planned IoT accelerators.