Chipmaker ARM is using its headquarters campus to demonstrate how its low-power chip technology can slash energy costs for the automated office environments of the future. ARM is installing sensors to automate the infrastructure that manages its meeting rooms, parking lots and HVAC systems. The company ARM will deploy network technology and more than 600 connected sensors across its UK campus in Cambridge, all controlled by smart ARM-based chips.
ARM Holdings' office complex in Cambridge will be outfiitted with sensors to monitor and automate much of its infrastructure. (Photo: cmglee via Wikipedia)
The project will provide information and control of the site and its 75 car park lights, 40 meeting rooms, heating and water management systems. ARM believes the project will help it save money by reducing energy usage. The systems will be based on open internet standards and designed to help application developers mobilize connected assets of all kinds. The API specification will be made public to achieve broader deployment and to benefit businesses and individuals around the world.
Three ARM partners will work together to create an environment for reducing inefficiencies and energy consumption - AlertMe, EnLight and IntelliSense.io. The collaboration between some of the UK's most advanced technology companies will also provide the technology industry with key lessons on how a new generation of intelligent, connected products and services can be fully implemented, with the potential for worldwide adoption.
- AlertMe is providing smart solutions to detect occupancy of ARM meeting rooms. This technology will show employees when rooms are in use via an online booking system, enabling more efficient use of office space. AlertMe is also providing 75 kits for ARM employees that will enable them to monitor their own homes’ temperatures, energy consumption patterns and occupancy levels.
- EnLight is upgrading ARM’s outdoor lighting in car parks and around building exteriors with a lighting management solution that will reduce energy consumption and enable ARM to intelligently control the lighting. The technology will enable ARM to remotely monitor data such as operating temperature, lamp status and energy consumption, plus lamps can be controlled and light levels adjusted during periods of low use to make additional savings.
- Intellisense.io are providing solutions to measure pressure and flow in ARM’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This technology will enable building temperatures to be read, zone-by-zone and will also enable the tracking of real-time maintenance needs, plus rates of water consumption and ARM’s overall carbon performance.
"ARM is delighted that, together with our partners, we have won the backing of the Technology Strategy Board to deploy IoT devices to improve the efficiency of our buildings in Cambridge," said Graham Budd, chief operating officer at ARM. "To create a smart efficient building you need a great many sensors distributed throughout the system, all sharing information to improve decision-making. ARM technology and its ecosystem create the bedrock of this smart intelligence that will enable others to build unique services and applications to help the IoT flourish."
