Tag: lifecycle

How digital twin technology integrated with (BIM) can transform building lifecycle management

Relocatable modular buildings (RMBs) represent a sustainable construction method where buildings are assembled and transported easily using prefabricated modules. However, challenges in management and logistics hinder their wider adoption. In a new study, researchers developed an innovative digital twin facility management system tailored specifically for RMBs.

This advanced framework integrates cutting-edge technologies to enhance management efficiency throughout the building lifecycle, establishing a foundation for wider digital twin integration in construction.

Relocatable modular buildings (RMBs) represent an innovative and growing solution for flexible and sustainable construction. These buildings can be quickly assembled from prefabricated “modules” and easily transported, minimizing costs and environmental impact while providing safer and cleaner construction environments. However, the management of assets and modular units for reuse and relocation across multiple lifecycles remains a major challenge in RMB projects.

To address this, a research team led by Associate Professor Yonghan Ahn from the School of Architecture & Architectural Engineering at Hanyang University ERICA in South Korea, developed a new digital twin (DT)-based framework for facility management of RMB projects. “Digital twin technology is a groundbreaking tool that offers a digital replica of physical assets, integrating real-time data, predictive analysis, and decision-making abilities,” explains Prof. Ahn. “Although digital twins are gaining popularity in other fields, their use in modular construction remains limited. We introduce a novel digital twin-enabled facility management system (DT-FMS) tailored specifically for RMBs.” The team also included contributions from Dr. Dennis Nguyen from Hanyang University. Their study was made available online on May 05, 2025, and published in Volume 176 of the journal Automation in Construction in August 01, 2025.

The new DT-FMS integrates building information modeling (BIM), internet of things (IoT), and geographic information systems (GIS) to create a detailed virtual model of RMBs. This model supports real-time monitoring, performance analysis, and logistics simulations across the building’s lifecycle. BIM offers robust 3D modelling and comprehensive building information. IoT provides real-time sensor data. GIS contributes critical geographic data, supporting effective logistics of modular units and location-based decision making.

This framework is structured across three interconnected layers: physical, digital, and service. The physical layer forms the foundation for real-time tracking and communication among different physical components such as resources, modular units, and people, including stakeholders, engineers, and workers. The digital layer includes modeling tools, data integration, and analytics. Finally, the service layer allows users to monitor, control, and interact with the DT framework, supporting effective decision making throughout the building lifecycle. 

To demonstrate the practical application of the framework, the researchers conducted a case study on a relocatable modular school system in South Korea. DT-FMS enhanced the decision making for module distribution and reuse, resulting in improved management efficiency. 

“Our research highlights the important role of digital twins in promoting a circular economy by enabling the reuse, reconfiguration, and optimal relocation of modular units, thereby minimizing waste and maximizing value throughout repeating project cycles,” remarks Dr. Nguyen.

Reference

Title of original paper: Digital twin framework to enhance facility management for relocatable modular buildings

Journal: Automation in Construction

DOI:  10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106249

Dell AI Data Platform Advancements Help Customers Harness Data to Power Enterprise AI with NVIDIA and Elastic

Dell Technologies, the world’s No. 1 provider of AI infrastructure, today announced updates to the Dell AI Data Platform to help customers better support the full lifecycle of AI workloads from ingestion and transformation to agentic inferencing to AI-powered knowledge retrieval.

Why it matters

Enterprise data is massive, growing rapidly and increasingly unstructured, but only a fraction of it is usable for generative AI today. To unlock its value, organisations need continuous indexing and a vector retrieval engine that converts content into embeddings for fast, precise semantic search. As workloads grow, organizations need infrastructure that streamlines data preparation, unifies data access across silos and delivers end-to-end enterprise-grade performance.

The latest updates to the Dell AI Data Platform enhance unstructured data ingestion, transformation, retrieval, and compute performance to streamline AI development and deployment – turning massive datasets into reliable, high quality real-time intelligence for generative AI.

Accelerating AI inferencing and analytics

The Dell AI Data Platform helps customers quickly move from AI experimentation to production by automating data preparation.

At the core of the Dell AI Data Platform’s architecture are specialized storage and data engines that help seamlessly connect AI agents to high quality enterprise data. Together, the Dell AI Data Platform and the NVIDIA AI Data Platform reference design provide a validated, GPU-accelerated solution that integrates storage engines and data engines with NVIDIA accelerated computing, networking and AI software to power generative AI systems.

Expanding the capabilities of the Dell AI Data Platform is the new unstructured data engine, designed to provide real-time, secure access to large-scale unstructured datasets for inferencing, analytics, and intelligent search. This engine, made possible through a new collaboration with open-source Search AI leader Elastic, will offer customers advanced vector search, semantic retrieval and hybrid keyword search capabilities—key capabilities for powering AI applications. Additionally, the unstructured data engine will leverage built-in GPU acceleration to deliver breakthrough performance.

The unstructured data engine works alongside the platform’s other tools, like a federated SQL engine for querying scattered structured data, a processing engine for handling large-scale data transformation, and storage designed for fast, AI-ready access.

Powering enterprise AI discovery

As AI becomes increasingly crucial for business-as-usual operations, Dell PowerEdge R7725 and R770 servers featuring NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs provide the mainstream computing foundation for accelerated enterprise workloads, from visual computing, data analytics and virtual workstations, to physical AI and agentic inference. These servers are ideal for running NVIDIA AI reasoning models such as the latest NVIDIA Nemotron models for agentic AI, as well as NVIDIA Cosmos world foundation models for physical AI.

Offering better price for performance for a wide range of enterprise use cases, these air-cooled systems make flexible high-density AI compute more attainable. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 offers enterprises up to six times the token throughput for LLM inference,[ii] double the capacity for engineering simulation performance[iii] and can support four times the number of concurrent users compared to the previous generation with support for MIG.

The Dell PowerEdge R7725 server will also be the first 2U server platform to integrate the NVIDIA AI Data Platform reference design. When the Dell PowerEdge R7725 server featuring NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs is paired with the Dell AI Data Platform and its new unstructured data engine, enterprises can take advantage of a turnkey solution without the need to architect and test their own hardware and software platforms. The combination of the two delivers faster inferencing, more responsive semantic search and support for larger, more complex AI workloads.

See innovation in action at SIGGRAPH 2025

Dell Technologies is showcasing how customers can accelerate media production pipelines and power intelligent asset management at scale using the Dell AI Data Platform, NVIDIA Omniverse software and Dell infrastructure at this year’s SIGGRAPH conference (August 10-14) in Vancouver, Canada. Dell will also feature the new Dell Pro Max high-performance PC portfolio, including laptops, desktops and the upcoming Dell Pro Max with GB10, a compact AI developer workstation.

“The key to unlocking AI’s full potential lies in breaking down silos and simplifying access to enterprise data,” said Arthur Lewis, president, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies. “Collaborating with industry leaders like NVIDIA and Elastic to advance the Dell AI Data Platform will help organizations accelerate innovation and scale AI with confidence.”

“Enterprises worldwide need infrastructure that handles the growing scale and complexity of AI workloads,” said Justin Boitano, vice president of enterprise AI at NVIDIA. “With NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 GPUs in new 2U Dell PowerEdge servers, organizations now have a power efficient, accelerated computing platform to power AI applications and storage on NVIDIA Blackwell.”

“Fast, accurate, and context-aware access to unstructured data is key to scaling enterprise AI,” said Ken Exner, Chief Product Officer at Elastic. “With Elasticsearch vector database at the heart of the Dell AI Data Platform’s unstructured data engine, Elastic will bring vector search and hybrid retrieval to a turnkey architecture, enabling natural language search, real-time inferencing, and intelligent asset discovery across massive datasets. Dell’s deep presence in the enterprise makes them a natural partner as we work to help customers deploy AI that’s performant, precise, and production-ready.”

Availability

  • Unstructured data engine in Dell AI Data Platform will be available later this year.
  • Dell PowerEdge R7725 and R770 servers with NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 GPUs will be globally available later this year.

HP Report Unveils Critical Gaps in Printer Platform Security

HP Wolf Security has released a new report – Securing the Print Estate: A Proactive Lifecycle Approach to Cyber Resilience – highlighting the challenges of securing printer hardware and firmware (platform security), and the implications of these failures across every stage of the printer’s lifecycle. Based on a global study of 800+ IT and security decision-makers (ITSDMs), the findings show that platform security is being overlooked, leaving concerning security gaps.

Exploring four lifecycle stages, the report reveals that during the Ongoing Management stage, just 28% of UK ITSDMs apply firmware updates promptly. This is despite IT teams spending 4 hours per printer per month managing hardware and firmware security issues. Failure to promptly apply firmware updates to printers unnecessarily exposes organisations to threats that could lead to damaging impacts, such as cybercriminals exfiltrating critical data or hijacking devices.

Further security gaps revealed across the other stages of the printer’s lifecycle include:

Supplier Selection & Onboarding stage: 

  • Lack of procurement collaboration: Only 34% of UK ITSDMs say procurement, IT, and security collaborate to define printer security standards – with 63% warning that this lack of collaboration puts their organisation at risk.
  • RFPs going unchecked: 47% of UK ITSDMs fail to involve IT/security teams in vendor presentations; 57% fail to request technical documentation to validate security claims; and 58% fail to submit vendor responses to security teams for review.
  • Inability to verify the printer’s integrity: Once the printer arrives 51% of ITSDMs cannot confirm if the printer has been tampered with in the factory or in transit.

Remediation stage:

  • Inability to detect and remediate threats:  Many organisations are struggling to keep on top of patching devices. Only 31% of UK ITSDMs globally are able to identify vulnerable printers based on newly published hardware or firmware vulnerabilities, not to mention zero-day threats that are unknown to the vendor or the public.  Only 35% can track unauthorised hardware changes made by users or support teams, and only 30% of ITSDMs can detect security events linked to hardware-level attacks.
  • Not just cyber – print risks are physical too: 66% of UK ITSDMs are increasingly worried about offline threats, such as employees printing and mishandling sensitive company information.

Decommissioning and Second Life stage

  • End of life risk: 88% of UK ITSDMs say data security is a barrier to printer reuse, resale or recycling – a big problem, given that on average ITSDMs report having approximately 103 printers that are redundant or are in the process of being decommissioned within their organisations.
  • Lack of confidence: ITSDMs lack confidence in current sanitisation solutions, with 37% saying they are uncertain whether printers can be fully and safely wiped. Meanwhile, more than 1-in-4 (28%) believe it’s necessary to physically destroy printer storage drives, and nearly 1-in-10 (9%) insist on destroying both the device and its storage drives to ensure data security.

“Printers are no longer just harmless office fixtures – they’re smart, connected devices storing sensitive data,” warns Steve Inch, Global Senior Print Security Strategist at HP Inc. “With multi-year refresh cycles, unsecured printers create long-term vulnerabilities. If compromised, attackers can harvest confidential information for extortion or sale. The wrong choice can leave organisations blind to firmware attacks, tampering or intrusions, effectively laying out the welcome mat for attackers to access the wider network.”

The report offers recommendations on how to address these security challenges across the printer’s lifecycle, including:

  • Ensure IT, security and procurement teams collaborate effectively to define security and resilience requirements for new printers.
  • Require and leverage manufacturer provider security certificates for products and / or for supply chain processes.
  • Apply firmware updates promptly to minimise exposure to security threats.
  • Leverage security tools to streamline printer policy-based configuration compliance.
  • Deploy printers that can continuously monitor for zero-day threats and malware with the ability to prevent, detect, isolate and recover from low-level attacks.
  • Select printers with built-in secure erasure of hardware, firmware and stored device data to enable safe second life and recycling.

“By considering security at each stage of a printer’s lifecycle, organisations will not only improve the security and resilience of their endpoint infrastructure, but also benefit from better reliability, performance, and cost-efficiency over the lifetime of their fleets,” comments Boris Balacheff, Chief Technologist for Security Research and Innovation at HP Inc.

For further insights and recommendations, download the full report “Securing the Print Estate: A Proactive Lifecycle Approach to Cyber Resilience” here.

SK tes Launches New Circular IT Facility in Shannon- Boosting Ireland’s Sustainable Tech Sector

SK tes, a global leader in sustainable IT asset disposition (ITAD) and technology lifecycle services, has announced plans to open a new 36,000 square foot purpose-built facility in Shannon, marking a major vote of confidence in Ireland’s thriving data and technology sector.

The new facility will deliver comprehensive ITAD, data center decommissioning, and technology lifecycle management services to some of Ireland’s largest enterprises, including hyperscale data center operators, while supporting national sustainability and circular economy goals. It will also create over 25 skilled jobs in one of the country’s fastest-growing tech regions.

“Ireland is at the forefront of Europe’s digital economy, and our investment in Shannon reinforces our commitment to helping Irish companies manage technology securely, sustainably, and at scale,” said Eric Ingebretsen, Chief Commercial Officer at SK tes. “This facility will allow us to meet the unique needs of Ireland’s tech sector, especially large data centers, with world-class services delivered locally.”

Strategically located in Shannon, County Clare, the new site positions SK tes to offer rapid, secure, and compliant services for every stage of the IT lifecycle—from equipment deployment and maintenance, to decommissioning and certified data destruction. With its ability to quickly scale operations, the facility is built to meet the evolving needs of both indigenous Irish companies and multinationals operating within the country.

“This isn’t just another facility—it’s a statement of intent,” said Thomas Holberg, Chief Operating Officer at SK tes. “We’re here to support Ireland’s technology leaders as they build a more sustainable digital future. Our Shannon site will support Irish businesses in achieving their reuse and sustainability targets while creating meaningful employment and strengthening the region’s role as a technology and innovation hub.”

SK tes’ investment comes as Ireland continues to attract major global data center infrastructure and tech companies, while placing increased emphasis on sustainability and resource recovery. With its ability to extend the lifecycle of technology assets, securely destroy data, and responsibly recycle materials, the new site directly supports the goals set out in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan and Circular Economy Strategy.

The Shannon site joins SK tes’ growing global network, which includes over 40 owned facilities across 22 countries, providing consistent, secure, and sustainable IT lifecycle solutions to customers around the world.

Fenergo and Deloitte join forces to deliver greater efficiency through client lifecycle management automation

Fenergo, the leading provider of digital solutions for Know Your Customer (KYC), Transaction Monitoring (TM) and Client Lifecycle Management (CLM), and Deloitte Ireland, have announced an agreement to deliver Fenergo’s AI-powered CLM solutions to financial institutions across EMEA.

The alliance combines Fenergo’s best-in-class technology with Deloitte’s technology-enabled business transformation expertise to create a Centre of Excellence for CLM

The alliance responds to increasing demand for optimised digital client onboarding and the need to drive efficiency across KYC and AML operations. Fenergo’s research has found that slow and inefficient onboarding processes have caused nearly half (48%) of global financial institutions to lose clients. To address this challenge, Fenergo and Deloitte Ireland will deploy AI-powered Software as a Service (SaaS) CLM, which will digitalise client onboarding and lifecycle management journeys, and in turn accelerate the time it takes to generate revenue while enabling firms to better identify and mitigate risk.

“We’re excited to collaborate with Deloitte Ireland to deliver our AI-powered CLM solutions to financial institutions and corporates across EMEA,” said Matt Edwards, Global VP of Partnerships and Alliances, Fenergo. “With the unrelenting evolution of global regulation and the need for firms to simultaneously drive growth, the demand for our CLM solutions has risen exponentially and expanded beyond financial services. With the addition of AI, the transformative power of CLM is even more accessible and rapid. Our alliance agreement with Deloitte will enable us to accelerate implementation while helping firms build a more sustainable and compliant future, while delivering a step change in customer experience.”

“Transforming organisations by using AI is something we’re committed to in Deloitte. Our collaboration with Fenergo and the launch of our Centre of Excellence illustrates our focus on providing innovative technology solutions to our clients that drive competitiveness and efficiency,” said Graham Healy, Consulting Partner, Deloitte Ireland. “We believe our mutual clients will also benefit from our broader expertise across financial advisory, business change and target operating model services.”

Financial institutions will also benefit from Fenergo’s unrivalled Perpetual KYC capabilities which streamline and automate periodic KYC review cycles by continuously monitoring client profiles for risk using real-time data. Firms can also leverage Fenergo to more effectively manage ESG requirements in response to growing demand for sustainable and socially responsible investing.