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5G: A Sustainable Future?
Enterprise 5G connections are expected to more than double to 38.5 billion by 2030. Peggy talks about the rise of 5G and the impact it will have on businesses, narrowing in on the sustainability conversation around it all. She also discusses: Two vertical markets that will see the biggest 5G growth. A study that examines…
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Powering the Data Centers of Today
Bill Estes, global strategy and operations leader, Anderson Power, and Peggy talk about data centers and power, laying the groundwork surrounding emerging technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning). He says the demand for data centers was initially driven by the pandemic with people working from home and now there is demand driven…
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Building Data Centers
Nancy Novak, chief innovation officer, Compass Datacenters, and Peggy talk about Nancy’s journey in construction and data centers. She shares her very candid thoughts about building data centers. They also discuss: How data centers and digital infrastructure business can help pivot the construction industry into the future. How much carbon emissions are from the built…
What's Trending
As technology continues to evolve, so will the way construction professionals build our homes, buildings, cities, and infrastructure, brick by brick. Robotics are set to reimagine how contractors build both on-site and off-site. Let’s look at how AI (artificial intelligence) is powering autonomous construction robots to do work on jobsites across Europe. As one example, Monumental was founded in 2021 by CEO Salar al Khafaji and CTO Sebastiaan Visser. Together, they have brought together artificial intelligence, autonomous technology, and low-cost hardware to develop robots that are capable of working on-site. Earlier this year, the company raised $25 million to scale this technology across Europe. The funding will be used to grow the team, scale the number of robots, and increase the types of blocks and construction tasks the robots can manage. Here is how this can help in construction: Place bricks and mortar with precision, accuracy, and efficiency and small enough to go anywhere a human can. Could increase productivity by 50-60%. Monumental serves as a sub, removing the financial risk. This meets a big need today, as more than half of the countries in Europe are facing a severe shortage of bricklayers. In the U.K. alone, there’s an estimated lack of 75,000 bricklayers needed to build the 300,000 houses needed annually by 2025. Certainly, this isn’t necessarily a completely new concept. We first met SAM, the bricklaying robot from Construction Robotics back in 2016. SAM wasn’t alone either in the market. Another bricklaying counterpart is Hadrian X, developed by FBR in Australia. What is new is the rise of AI and how that could contribute to building structures in new and efficient ways. Stay tuned. The robots are sure to impact…
Automotive shipping could use a resurgence with AI (artificial intelligence). Consider this: What if a system could autonomously manage 85% of shipping orders, minimizing the need for manual intervention? One company aims to do this with AI. As one example, RunBuggy has launched RunBot, which is an AI system that integrates into RunBuggy’s transportation management platform. The company says this acts as the central nervous system for orchestrating the complexities of the automotive shipping process. Here is how it works: RunBot uses machine learning models to prioritize operational tasks, predict delivery challenges, and offer insights. The predictive capabilities ensure logistical bottlenecks are anticipated well in advance. This allows for better operations. Here is how this can help in automotive: Enhance user experience. Reduce operational overhead. Streamline operations for shippers and transport companies. Looking to the future, we will see this technology continue to speed up operations while also keeping an eye on ultimate sustainability, by reducing empty miles. The end result is better business workflows, reduced costs, and a better environment for…
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All about Pollinator Gardens
Stephanie Szkolnicki, owner, Southern Garden Solutions, and Peggy Smedley talk about building pollinator gardens. She says a pollinator garden is a garden designed with plants that provide food and shelter to our pollinators like bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, and more, which helps our edible gardens as well. They also discuss: Why a pollinator garden matters.…
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Grow Your Own Food
Stephanie Szkolnicki, owner, Southern Garden Solutions, and Peggy talk about the power of resilience and growing your own food. She explains the biggest trends surrounding growing fresh vegetables and what is driving these trends. They also discuss: The biggest benefits of having your own garden. The mindset change that comes along with it. How to…
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Resiliency and Technology
Don Bent, chief operating officer, Oshkosh Defense, and Peggy Smedley talk about resiliency and technology in manufacturing. He explains how Oshkosh Defense uses technology on the assembly line and in the facility. They also discuss: How it uses benchmark data to become more efficient in its layout. How robots can automate the line and work…
What You Missed
While there were a bevy of announcements at last week’s NAHB (National Assn. of Home Builders)…
The construction industry is getting connected with the rise of new equipment and technologies that enable…
ABI Research says cement producers will drive a surge in digitalization investment spend of $3.54 billion…