IBM opened a 21,000-sf commercial technology R&D facility in Nairobi in November of 2013. The lab will house researchers leveraging powerful analytical tools, such as cognitive computing systems, to develop solutions to Africa's unique challenges for energy, healthcare, agriculture, water, transportation, and public safety. The facility is located at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and features a dynamic cloud-enabled computing hub.
Samsung Research America broke ground in October of 2013 on its new research and development campus in Mountain View, Calif. The 385,000-sf project includes two six-story office buildings and will be constructed to attain a minimum of LEED Gold sustainable design certification. Occupancy is expected in December of 2014. Samsung Research America is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics is investing $4.4 million to build five new research and development facilities in South Korea. The R5 campus in Suwon will include two centers, a smart device research lab and a materials and components development building. A $1.1 million facility in southern Seoul will accommodate approximately 10,000 designers, software developers, and strategists engaged in the maximization of research productivity.
The State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) broke ground on the $125 million Computer Chip Commercialization Center in June of 2013. The three-story, 200,000-sf facility will provide research laboratories, classrooms, offices, and a 50,000-sf nanotechnology cleanroom. Located in Marcy, N.Y., the facility is created in partnership with the University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CNSE) and will foster collaborative research and development with industry partners.
The average lifespan of a building is 60 years, but the forces that drive the workplace may change as often as every six months. The challenge, whether for new construction or renovation, is to design a workplace that will adapt to a fluctuating timetable of changes in technology, business goals, and the workforce. The keys to success are a flexible workplace and a strong change management process.
The Performance Guaranteed Facility (PGF) model is a relatively new type of public/private partnership that allows the occupants to own a building the moment construction begins, while private-sector partners commit to its design, construction, financing, and ongoing maintenance, including future rehabilitation. The model goes by different names, but the concept involves an interactive partnership designed to benefit all parties for the long term.
Ohio State University is creating three-dimensional models of its existing buildings as part of a comprehensive plan to address space management needs and to make informed decisions regarding renovation, construction, and maintenance projects.
Australia's Griffith University is nearing completion of the world's first zero-emission teaching and research facility powered entirely by photovoltaic solar energy and stored hydrogen. In addition to being a practical demonstration of innovative energy technologies, the $40 million Sir Samuel Griffith Centre will serve as a campus cornerstone and collaborative social hub that integrates business, engineering, and environmental science disciplines around the core issues of sustainability.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. broke ground in April of 2012 on a fifth phase of expansion at Fab 14 GigaFab in Taiwan. The facility will provide commercialized 20-nanometer process technology when it begins volume production in early 2014. Upon completion, a sixth phase of expansion will commence at Fab 14 for a combined construction value of $11.6 billion. The two phases will provide a total of 936,460 sf of cleanroom space.
Toppan Photomasks announced plans in November of 2011 to expand its Shanghai manufacturing operation to better serve China's rapidly growing semiconductor industry.
Intel Corp. will begin construction in mid-2011 on the $5 billion Fab 42 in Chandler, Ariz. The facility will be the most advanced high-volume semiconductor manufacturing plant in the world and will produce microprocessors with 14-nanometer transistors. Completion is expected in 2013.
Networking solutions provider Brocade opened its 75,000-sf R&D laboratory and data center in August of 2010 in San Jose, Calif. Five engineering labs and three data centers were consolidated with the new facility, resulting in a 37 percent reduction in energy consumption and eliminating 4,450 tons of CO2 emissions annually. The data center has a calculated Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metric of 1.3, while comparable data centers usually have a PUE greater than 1.5.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company broke ground on a $9.3 billion chip production plant in Taiwan in July of 2010. Featuring 104,000 sm of cleanroom space, the facility will be able to manufacture chips at the 28 nanometer scale. The construction cost of the facility is estimated at 15 percent of the project cost, with 85 percent of the $9.3 billion funding equipment.
Imec opened its new 300mm cleanroom facility in June of 2010 in Leuven, Belgium. The 10,000-sm project includes a clean processing area of 1,200 sm and 1,600 sm of laboratories for research on biomedical electronics and silicon and organic solar cells. Additionally, Imec will begin construction in fall of 2010 on a 16-story office building designed by Austrian firm Baumschlager-Eberle. The completed Leuven research campus will provide 18,000 sm of cleanroom, laboratory, and office space.
GlobalFoundries will begin construction in June of 2010 on a 90,000-sf expansion of Chip Fab 8. Providing additional cleanroom space, the $75 million project represents an expansion of GlobalFoundries' semiconductor manufacturing center currently under construction at the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta, N.Y. Completion is expected in mid-2012. The project will bring the total cleanroom footprint at the Malta fab to 300,000 sf.
