Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Roads, railways and broadband might come to mind when you hear the word “infrastructure,” but at Duke Energy, the first thing that comes to mind is the energy grid – the largest machine ever built. It’s the infrastructure that powers nearly every part of society, enabling communities to grow, businesses to thrive and families to live comfortably.

Business 4.0 – also known as the fourth industrial revolution for the digital age – has upended much of what we thought we knew about industries. It is an era marked by big leaps in technology, significant upswings in data, hyperconnectivity, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, automation and the rapid and agile development of products and solutions.

Just as SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals, so does Dell. From powering five Academy Award-winning films for visual effects, to helping musicians push the boundaries of live electronic performance, to enabling an entrepreneur to create a renewal in wallpaper popularity and anything in between.

For decades, the definition of “infrastructure” has remained unchanged and was used to define roads, bridges, electricity and water delivery systems, among other examples. But as cities continue to build upon smart city efforts, the concept and very definition of infrastructure is changing.

Leslie Turner has more than 20 years of experience in planning, permitting, design, project management, and construction management for water programs throughout the Southeastern United States. She has served in a senior management role for numerous engineering programs including water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, reclaimed water, and aquifer storage and recovery. She has extensive experience assisting clients with utility master planning and developing funding and capital improvement programs.

It is evident that the emergence of technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) has disrupted – or will soon disrupt – every sector and every business across the world. We’re seeing a digital transformation that is reshaping markets and transforming how people live and work. Although IoT technology is relatively young, there are countless deployments underway globally that are accelerating the path to economic growth and improved living conditions for millions.

Some think of the technology as disruptive, but at its current level of maturity, AI is really more of a “foundational technology,” says Brian Tessier, vice president of global supply chain innovation at Schneider Electric. You could place it on the maturity curve near blockchain, he says.

Sustainability challenges grow more pressing by the day. Research shows that global temperatures are on track to increase by 2 degrees C by the end of the century — and some scientific models are predicting up to 6 degrees. Antea Group’s blog showcases 9 companies to watch in 2018 for their innovative efforts towards achieving sustainability.

Is the smart city hype cycle over? Have concerns about cost, security and public skepticism finally won out over the benefits of efficiency, sustainability and public safety? It is fair to consider whether the futuristic visions of hyper- connectivity and advanced livability, enabled by accessibility to vast streams of data, can withstand the very real concerns that municipalities cannot afford the technologies behind smart city projects.