GE Vernova cut the ribbon on its new Frontier Campus research facility in Niskayuna on Thursday.
The campus will be used to research a variety of topics ranging from data center power management and artificial intelligence-integrated manufacturing to wind turbines and carbon capture.
The facility is equipped with simulators and laboratories to test prototypes, including a chamber that can simulate various outdoor conditions by changing the temperature, air flow, humidity and dust levels.
“We can take technology that’s developed at universities, that’s developed internally, but we can actually put it out in the field,” said Krishna Jonnalagadda, GE Vernova chief technology officer. “We have this capacity to do that, working with our customers. So that’s a big part of what we do.”
GE Vernova will add 75 new research employees — most of them working at the new campus. Research work began at the new facilities in January, but hundreds of researchers are expected to work there as the company ramps up operations.
GE Vernova invested nearly $100 million into the new facilities, which were also supported by just under $10 million in state tax credits.
According to GE Vernova Vice President of Advanced Research Dave Vernooy, the AI technologies developed at the Frontier Campus and elsewhere will change the nature of work in many parts of the economy, but he doesn’t expect it to lead to job losses in upstate New York.
“It’s really about — instead of elimination — augmentation,” Vernooy said. “So, you'll see these technologies working in partnership with the people in these factories to make their jobs — maybe more effective would be one way to say it, and they may be able to do more things that they weren’t doing before.”
The campus’ visitor and security centers are still being built, and work on the power infrastructure is still underway – but Vernooy said the facility will continue to evolve.
“I would say this campus, just like the company, is constantly going to be a work in progress,” Vernooy said. “As the needs of the company evolve in terms of R&D, we’ll be looking at what to do on this campus, OK? So ... you can imagine that happening over a long period of time.”
