The Oracle Industry Lab in Chicago, which provides customers in multiple industries the opportunity to test new technologies, recently opened. It is the first such facility for the IT giant that plans to add labs in England and Australia later this year. The lab provides customers a hands-on environment to develop new ideas and create solutions with technology from Oracle and more than 30 industry partners, according to a news release.
The new 30,000 sf facility located in Deerfield, Ill., supported by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, will first focus on the energy and water, construction and engineering, communications, and manufacturing industries. Customers can test robot dogs, artificial intelligence, and drones at the lab to apply to some of their most difficult challenges.
“The core technology used in the world’s most essential industries doesn’t run in an office, it runs on a construction site, in the utility operations center, on the manufacturing floor,” said Mike Sicilia, executive vice president of Oracle’s vertical industries. “The lab brings these scenarios to life so that collectively, customers, partners, and Oracle can create solutions to fuel opportunity and solve the really tough problems these industries are facing.”
Utilities applications
Water, gas, and electric utilities are facing unprecedented regulatory, environmental, and customer-driven demands. The lab provides simulated environments including a connected neighborhood and smart studio apartment for customers to experiment with technologies such as sensors to help relieve stress on the electric grid, drones and augmented reality to improve safety and efficiency in field work, and AI and behavioral science to guide households to be more energy efficient.
Communications applications
5G is an opportunity to add new, more reliable services and products to consumers, and also drive new revenue streams in the enterprise. The technology, for example, can power robotic surgeries and smart factories. Lab visitors can experiment with how cloud native communications technologies are enabling automation and scaling to meet expected growth in 5G subscribers, connected devices, and demand for rapid service innovation. They can explore how service providers can partner with other industries to co-create B2B2X (business-to-business-to-X) offers and business models.
Construction and Engineering applications
Oracle and its partners will explore the power of a connected ecosystem, leveraging technologies such as visual progress monitoring, sensor-based tracking, digital twins, autonomous laser scanning, augmented reality, IoT, and more. These offerings will enable visitors to test and validate new solutions to inform predictive decision-making, reduce inefficiency, mitigate risk, and foster better outcomes.
Manufacturing applications
A global pandemic, extreme supply chain and labor shortages, and increasing customer expectations are forcing manufacturers to adapt faster than ever. Companies must digitize their businesses and increase connectivity throughout their operations by embedding technologies such as IoT, AI, augmented reality, digital twins, predictive analytics, and factory automation.
Owner and/or developer: Oracle
Design architect: Nelson Worldwide
Architect of record: Nelson Worldwide
MEP engineer: Thorson Baker
Structural engineer: Thorson Baker
General contractor/construction manager: Pepper Construction
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Dec 31, 2021
2021 Science and Technology Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. S+T facilities sector
HDR, CRB, Jacobs, Skanska USA, and Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. top the rankings of the nation's largest science and technology (S+T) sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Laboratories | Nov 18, 2021
Tapping into the life sciences building boom
Paul Ferro of Form4 Architecture discusses how developers are pivoting to the life sciences sector, and what that means for construction and adaptive reuse.
2021 Building Team Awards | Nov 17, 2021
Caltech's new neuroscience building unites scientists, engineers to master the human brain
The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena wins a Gold Award in BD+C's 2021 Building Team Awards.
Laboratories | Nov 17, 2021
New report finds a biopharma industry being reshaped by disruption
Industry respondents to CRB’s survey weigh in on project delivery, digitization, and off-site manufacturing for life sciences construction.
Laboratories | Oct 14, 2021
‘Next-generation’ Quest Diagnostics lab unveiled in New Jersey
Mark Cavagnero Associates designed the project.
Laboratories | Aug 31, 2021
Pandemic puts science and technology facilities at center stage
Expanding demand for labs and life science space is spurring new construction and improvements in existing buildings.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Laboratories | Aug 30, 2021
Science in the sky: Designing high-rise research labs
Recognizing the inherent socioeconomic and environmental benefits of high-density design, research corporations have boldly embraced high-rise research labs.
Laboratories | Aug 25, 2021
Lab design strategies for renovations and adaptive reuse
Lab design experts in HOK’s Science + Technology group outline the challenges organizations must understand before renovating a lab or converting an existing building into research space.
Architects | Aug 5, 2021
Lord Aeck Sargent's post-Katerra future, with LAS President Joe Greco
After three years under the ownership of Katerra, which closed its North American operations last May, the architecture firm Lord Aeck Sargent is re-establishing itself as an independent company, with an eye toward strengthening its eight practices and regional presence in the U.S.
