Bloomington, Ind. (May 25, 2021) – IN3 has added I-Light, Indiana’s high-speed fiber optic research and education network, to its WestGate@Crane Technology Park facilities to connect to university research computing resources and facilitate high-speed data transfers via a dedicated and secure network.
“I-Light will improve our capability to help foster innovative collaboration among our partners. It’s also a powerful addition to the NavalX Midwest Tech Bridge environment, led by NSWC Crane,” said Stephen E. Kelly, IN3’s president and CEO. “We greatly appreciate the support of Indiana University in enabling this connectivity that is crucial to those organizations developing, testing and prototyping the new technologies that will solve critical defense priorities.”
I-Light is a collaboration among Indiana colleges and universities, state
government, and private sector broadband providers to create a network that connects members to state, national and international research and education communities. I-Light member site users have enhanced capabilities such as high-quality video connections, the ability to exchange large data files, and access to supercomputers and scientific data storage facilities.
Kelly said those capabilities are critical pieces in IN3’s current work as well as to further expand capabilities to create deployed solutions for defense, national intelligence, and broader U.S. government and commercial sectors.
“I-Light is excited to be part of this initiative to develop technologies that will serve and protect our nation and support the growth of our state’s technology sector,” said Marianne Chitwood, director of I-Light. “Researchers at colleges and universities throughout Indiana will be able to do high-performance data transfers with those who are developing new technologies that expand and solve problems for critical defense projects all because I-Light was built with the research community and its requirements in mind.”
The I-Light network will make it possible to connect to Indiana University’s Big Red 200 supercomputer, as well as to other high-speed research networks and high-performance computers. NSWC Crane and the NavalX Midwest Tech Bridge, both located in Crane, Indiana, will be among those to see dramatic benefits from those capabilities.
The network connection will flow through the WestGate Academy building at WestGate@Crane Technology Park. IU occupies the location in support of its partnership agreement with NSWC Crane.
“This is a project that has been years in the making, and is a major step forward in our ability to connect to and support NSWC Crane’s national security missions,” said Kirk White, assistant vice president for strategic partnerships at Indiana University. “We are pleased IU’s strengths in supercomputing and high-speed networks will play a role in advancing research and development within the Crane ecosystem.”
“The I-Light network promises to provide a tangible network to link together our ecosystem partners across the state of Indiana,” said Dr. Jon Dilger, NSWC Crane director of research. “Such a capability will enrich our existing strategic regional partnerships, while also enabling the creation of new communities of innovators to contribute, collaborate and accelerate technology developments to solve national defense problems.”
NSWC Crane is a Navy federal laboratory with a reputation for national technical leadership in the areas of expeditionary warfare, strategic missions, and electronic warfare. NSWC Crane works directly with warfighters to create comprehensive, innovative solutions at the speed of relevance. The Midwest Tech Bridge encompasses an innovation ecosystem closely aligned to Navy and Marine Corps interests and facilitates broad, collaborative partnerships to accelerate the development and transition of technology to Department of Defense end users.
About IN3
IN3 (Indiana Innovation Institute) works with academia, industry, and government to create a hub of national security innovation that helps solve critical defense priorities. IN3 connects regional, state, and national partners through a variety of means including convening research and business teams to solve emerging technical challenges for the Department of Defense. IN3 is focused on hypersonics, cyber-physical systems, trusted microelectronics and artificial intelligence. Learn more at www.ari-tech.org and follow us on Twitter @IN3indiana and LinkedIn.
About I-Light
For 20 years, I-Light has been Indiana’s high-speed fiber optic research and education network. Today, through operations managed at Indiana University, I-Light provides reliable connectivity to nearly every college and university campus in the state. The I-Light network connects its 40-plus member institutions seamlessly to each other as well as to the Indiana GigaPOP, which gives them access to national and international R&E networks and enables collaborative research with partners across the country and around the world. Learn more about I-Light at https://ilight.net.