INDUSTRY

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and local dignitaries attended the official ground-breaking event Tuesday for the $20 million technology center. The newly renamed Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise, a 3-D data visualization facility, is set to open early next year in Lafayette, Louisiana. The center will feature the world's first six-sided, digital virtual reality cube, as well as the world's largest 3-D auditorium, powered by one of the fastest supercomputers in the world, said Gregg Gothreaux, president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. Called LITE, the public facility will feature several visualization environments that will allow researchers to manipulate complex data into workable 3-D models, and is the result of a collaboration between government, universities and industry, Gothreaux said. About 100 people came to the groundbreaking, including City-Parish President Joey Durel, his predecessor Walter Comeaux Jr., University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Ray Authement and Wayne Denton, LEDA's chairman of the board. Although in its early stages, the LITE facility already has attracted worldwide attention and several energy and technology strategic partners, Gothreaux said. Among these partners are Fenstermaker and Associates, Merlin Oil and Gas Inc., Stone Energy, James River Technical, Christie Digital, Global Data Systems and Silicon Graphics Inc. Merlin Oil and Gas Inc. and Global Data Systems. Blanco said the 70,000-square-foot facility is helping to change the perception of Louisiana for companies outside the state and will bring more businesses here. "The future of Louisiana is vested in high technology for workers, students and businesses," she said. "This is a great tool for researchers, but also to connect businesses to universities and will be a leader of innovative research." Besides the one-of-a-kind 3-D immersive cube, the LITE will also host the world's largest 3-D immersive auditorium, with 175 seats; a 30-seat immersive collaboration teleconference room; and a long list of computer and networking equipment. University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Ray Authement said having LITE connected to the $40 million Louisiana Optical Network Initiative and the National Lambda Rail -- both networks built from high-speed fiber-optics -- is a "giant step forward."