December 9, 2016, 16:00 (CET)
- Purpose-built Global ICT Center in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec will spur development of the next generation of cloud infrastructure and services
- Location enables more than 20,000 R&D engineers globally to accelerate innovation cycles, reduce cost and better support Ericsson's customers
- Supports engineering on virtual platforms with global test labs and IT hubs connected via a single virtual environment - supporting Ericsson to host 5G development under one roof
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today officially inaugurated its Global Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Center in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. The purpose-built, highly scalable and sustainable facility demonstrates Ericsson's ongoing commitment to R&D investment across the globe.
The site, which covers 20,000 square meters, is the third Ericsson Global ICT Center to be inaugurated. It follows the opening of the Global ICT Centers in Linköping, Sweden in September 2014, and Rosersberg, Sweden in January 2016.
The Global ICT Centers allow Ericsson to emulate an operator's mobile network and to test new solutions as if they were running on a live network. In the near future, Ericsson's customers will be able to connect remotely for interoperability testing, trials, early access and innovation on new offerings from any location.
The Global ICT Centers are powered by Ericsson's cloud solutions and will host a substantial part of the company's product portfolio. The Global ICT Centers will use the Ericsson Hyperscale Datacenter System 8000, which provides significant cost savings.
As a result of this extensive rationalization and virtualization effort, Ericsson will be able to shorten innovation cycles and increase global collaboration while also reducing R&D costs. Currently, the company's test environments are spread across more than 50 locations worldwide. In addition to the consolidation of physical facilities, the Ericsson cloud portfolio is being utilized to transform IT from a static supply function to a dynamic, economically driven function.
Ericsson's Global ICT Centers are an important step toward achieving the company's sustainability goals. The cutting-edge design of the centers, combined with modular and scalable construction, secures efficient use of energy and space. Ericsson estimates, when all three Global ICT Centers are in operation, it will result in a 40% reduction in energy usage compared to 2012 test lab energy baseline.
Martin Johansson, Head of Engineering IT and Test Environments, Ericsson, says: "With the opening of our third Global ICT Center today in Vaudreuil-Dorion, joining the first two in Linkoping and Rosersberg in Sweden, Ericsson is now in a unique position to deliver our technology expertise to customers across the world faster than ever before. Our current test environments are spread across more than 50 locations worldwide. These new state-of-the-art facilities allow seamless collaboration across borders in a 24/7, online R&D environment."
About Hyperscale Datacenter System 8000
Hyperscale Datacenter System 8000, a software-defined infrastructure based on Intel® Rack Scale Design. The platform provides improved efficiency and utilization resulting in lower TCO and business agility. For more information, please see:
https://www.ericsson.com/cloud
https://www.ericsson.com/transformative-it/trends-insights/general/hyperscale-cloud
Location
Vaudreuil-Dorion was selected as a location due to numerous benefits. Ericsson can both capitalize on and contribute to Canada as a center of engineering expertise, as well as strengthening the Montreal area as a key R&D engineering hub.
Investment
Over the past three years, Ericsson has invested approximately SEK 100 billion in research and development. Ericsson holds over 37,000 granted patents, including more standard-essential patents for mobile communication than any other company. Innovation is the foundation of Ericsson's technology and services leadership, and supports the company's position as an enabler of the Networked Society.
Ericsson has operated in Canada since 1953 and today has more than 3,500 employees. In 2015, Ericsson invested more than $317 million in Canadian R&D, and ranks as one of the Top 10 R&D investors in the country with a total R&D investment in Canada of more than $4 billion CAD.
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