HP Works with Swansea University

HP has announced a three-year collaboration program with Swansea University to explore the development of sustainable next-generation cities, communities and campuses using HP technology.

Taking advantage of sensor data management technology built at HP Labs and HP’s Smart Grid Solutions for transforming utility infrastructure, the project will leverage technology such as smart metering, intelligent cities, situational awareness, data analytics and security threat detection.

Swansea University is a world-class research-led university offering around 350 undergraduate courses and 100 post-graduate courses to 14,500 students. By September 2015, the University will have a new 65 acre Bay Campus to complement its upgraded Singleton Park Campus.

“Working with global enterprises like HP as well as academia and local small and medium businesses is a fundamental part of ensuring a sustainable community,” says Professor Javier Bonet, head of Swansea University’s College of Engineering, and the program’s strategic director. “This program will have direct economic benefits for Wales in terms of knowledge creation, innovation and exploitation, as well as the development of a highly-skilled work force.”

The first phase of the project will address the Welsh Government’s objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent before 2050. Leveraging HP’s experience from its own testbeds at HP Labs in Palo Alto as well as HP hardware and software, a testbed will be established to explore the optimal integration of smart meters, smart grid technologies, ultra-low-power wireless sensors, cyber security and resource management software to support the radical changes in energy provision and consumption required to achieve this target. Ultimately, this will contribute to the creation of a permanent environment for the development of next-generation digital economy products and services.

The initial proof of concept at Swansea University’s existing campus will be followed by an expansion into the new Bay Campus, a £500m project and one of the top five knowledge economy-based projects in Europe. Construction alone will generate approximately 4,000 direct jobs as well as indirect jobs. With the first phase due to be fully operational by September 2015, the campus will eventually be used by around 5,000 students and up to 900 staff, with facilities for use by local subject matter experts and new start-ups.

“We have long held that the future of our cities will require operating at the intersection of people, planet, profit and peta-data,” says Chandrakant Patel, HP Senior Fellow and Chief Engineer, HP Labs. “This program demonstrates yet another step on our journey towards city-scale resource management.”