Purdue launches lab for 6G research
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation have launched the “Lab to Life” in the Discovery Park District. The university says the digital innovation platform will work to advance the development of next-generation wireless networks as the nation evolves from 5G to 6G.
Mung Chiang, executive vice president for strategic initiatives and dean of the College of Engineering at Purdue, says the university wants to be at the forefront of 6G research.
“6G will go from a domain to a foundation to many vertical domains, from one network to a heterogeneous network of networks. From dynamic sharing and new spectra to edge intelligence and open architecture, 6G research needs to be accelerated through deployment in the U.S.,” said Chiang. “This group of prominent industry partners and their leaders will turn Purdue’s Discovery Park District into the country’s first at-scale 6G deployment zone, and, along with other essential elements like learning and the arts, create a work-live-play connected community.”
As part of its ongoing technology infrastructure efforts, Purdue and the PRF have also established the Technology Leaders Advisory Board, which is comprised of top technology companies, including AT&T, Celona, Dell, Ericsson, Intel, SBA Communications and Tilson. Purdue says the board will advise on how to further built out networks and infrastructure “in ways that will maintain the open nature of the platform.”
“Over time, we want to expand this group to include others,” said Troy Hege, vice president for technology and innovation at the PRF. “The combination of being adjacent to the campus of Purdue and advancing innovation leveraging the district’s infrastructure platform provides the perfect environment for testing and evaluating next-generation technology solutions.”
The university will this fall host a competition for universities and companies to develop deployment-ready innovations in 5G, WiFi6 and 6G.