Amazon is getting into the home building business, almost certainly with an eye toward equipping those houses with the smart home technologies it has been developing.
Some estimates are that the smart home industry is expected to exceed $50 billion in just the next four years.
CNBC reports that Amazon’s Alexa Fund has invested in Plant Prefab, described as “a Southern California company that says it uses sustainable construction processes and materials to build prefabricated custom single- and multifamily houses. The start-up is aiming to use automation to build homes faster and bring down costs.”
The story goes on to say that this “a new market for Amazon and the Alexa Fund, which typically backs start-ups focused on voice technology. The investment comes less than a week after Amazon launched more than a dozen Alexa-powered smart home devices, including a microwave oven and an amplifier that can be controlled by the Alexa voice assistant. Earlier this year, Amazon acquired the smart doorbell maker Ring, and the company is also reportedly working on a secretive home robot.”
Some estimates are that the smart home industry is expected to exceed $50 billion in just the next four years.
CNBC reports that Amazon’s Alexa Fund has invested in Plant Prefab, described as “a Southern California company that says it uses sustainable construction processes and materials to build prefabricated custom single- and multifamily houses. The start-up is aiming to use automation to build homes faster and bring down costs.”
The story goes on to say that this “a new market for Amazon and the Alexa Fund, which typically backs start-ups focused on voice technology. The investment comes less than a week after Amazon launched more than a dozen Alexa-powered smart home devices, including a microwave oven and an amplifier that can be controlled by the Alexa voice assistant. Earlier this year, Amazon acquired the smart doorbell maker Ring, and the company is also reportedly working on a secretive home robot.”
- KC's View:
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Very smart. I wonder how long it will be before we can start buying prefab houses, fully equipped with smart home technologies, via Amazon Prime.
Not that long, I’d guess.
