Lab To Life

Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) and Purdue University have launched “Lab To Life” (L2L), a real-world test bed that is attracting leading companies wanting to explore the potential of the Discovery Park District at Purdue. L2L is the next step in creating one of the most connected innovation communities in the nation through the evolution from 5G to 6G.

“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 Mung Chiang, Purdue’s president-elect. “This group of prominent industry partners and their leaders will turn the Discovery Park District at Purdue 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.”

L2L leverages the unique governance structure and open, neutral-host technology infrastructure being deployed across the entire 400-plus acres of the district to advance the development of next-generation wireless networks and digital applications.

A partnership was created with neutral-host infrastructure provider Tilson to deploy more than 15 miles of high-capacity fiber, emanating from an edge data center, and with SBA Communications for deployment of private CBRS networks throughout the district. Over the next decade, this community infrastructure will provide products and services to the approximately 20,000 people who will live, work, learn and visit in the district.

David Broecker, chief innovation and collaboration officer at PRF, said, “We want to create an innovation community with a set of capabilities and assets to advance digital solutions in collaboration with leading technology companies and industrial partners.”

Troy Hege, vice president for innovation and technology at PRF, agreed, saying, “The combination of being adjacent to the Purdue campus and advancing innovation leveraging the district’s infrastructure platform provides the perfect environment for testing and evaluating next-generation technology solutions.”