Carnegie Mellon partners to build first academic cloud

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Emerald Cloud Lab (ECL) recently partnered to build the first cloud lab in an academic setting for $40 million. The remote-controlled lab is part of Carnegie Mellon’s $250 million investment in state-of-the-art science facilities.

“Carnegie Mellon University is a world leader in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science and the foundational sciences,” Rebecca W. Doerge, Glen de Vries Dean of the Mellon College of Science, said. “Bringing this technology, which I’m proud to say was created by CMU’s alumni, to our researchers and students is part of our commitment to creating science for the future.”

The Carnegie Mellon University Cloud Lab will be built using ECL software which allows researchers to direct experiments online.

Once completed, the lab will provide a platform for artificial intelligence-driven experimentation using more than 100 types of scientific instruments. Trained operations personnel and robotic instrumentation will be used to conduct research. Data will be sent to cloud-based servers where scientists can access it.

Construction on the lab, which will be housed in a Carnegie Mellon-owned building in Pittsburgh, will begin shortly and is expected to be completed next summer.

ECL also will provide input on the facility’s design and construction, equipment installation, and laboratory management and operations.