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 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 85 Laboratory Facility Architecture + AE Firms for 2022
Flad Architects, HDR, DGA, and Payette top the ranking of the nation's largest science and technology (S+T) laboratory facility architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 Construction Management Firms for 2022
CBRE, Alfa Tech, Jacobs, and Hill International head the rankings of the nation's largest construction management (as agent) and program/project management firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 200 Contractors for 2022
Turner Construction, STO Building Group, Whiting-Turner, and DPR Construction top the ranking of the nation's largest general contractors, CM at risk firms, and design-builders for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 45 Engineering Architecture Firms for 2022
Jacobs, AECOM, WSP, and Burns & McDonnell top the rankings of the nation's largest engineering architecture (EA) firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
| Aug 8, 2022
Mass timber and net zero design for higher education and lab buildings
When sourced from sustainably managed forests, the use of wood as a replacement for concrete and steel on larger scale construction projects has myriad economic and environmental benefits that have been thoroughly outlined in everything from academic journals to the pages of Newsweek.
Laboratories | Jul 17, 2022
Renovation is filling the need for life sciences lab space
Three experts from the firm DiMella Shaffer discuss the advantages and challenges of converting existing buildings.
Laboratories | Jun 29, 2022
The "collaboratory" brings digital innovation to the classroom
The Collaboratory—a mix of collaboration and laboratory—is a networking center being designed at the University of Denver’s College of Business.
Museums | Jun 28, 2022
The California Science Center breaks grounds on its Air and Space Center
The California Science Center—a hands-on science center in Los Angeles—recently broke ground on its Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
University Buildings | Jun 7, 2022
Newfoundland university STEM building emulates natural elements, local traditions
Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) recently opened a new building that will provide interdisciplinary learning and research space for Faculties of Science and Engineering.
