In Silicon Valley’s large technology companies, they all started to build their own laboratories when they reached a certain scale. The purpose of these laboratories is usually based on basic research. There is no need to consider short-term benefits for the company, and more attention is paid to Technological evolution and business exploration in the next 5-10 years or even longer.
For example, Google’s well-known Google X Labs has had a lot of sensational projects such as Google Glass, driverless cars, Wi-Fi balloons, etc. The confidentiality of these projects even before the advent of the project is comparable to that of the CIA. The Intelligence Bureau), only a few senior Google executives grasp the situation, ordinary employees are ignorant of the situation, and the personnel working in them are the top experts in various industries.
In addition to Google, Silicon Valley, another company based on social networking, Facebook, has not been idle. It quietly established a mysterious laboratory named Area 404. Its name comes from the 404 error encountered when browsing the web. Not long ago, this lab was open to the media for the first time.
What does Area 404 do for?Mikal Greaves, Manager of Machinery and Power at Facebook, said at the press conference at the time that the Area 404, which is based in Monroe Park, Calif., occupies an area of ​​22,000 square feet. After 18 months of development, it started construction 9 months ago. Facebook employees The laboratory was only used since July of this year.
The laboratory floor is about 0.9 meters thick and is made of reinforced concrete with more than 100 columns supporting. Facebook employees mentioned that the construction of such a solid floor is due to the placement of heavy-weight equipment such as nine-axis turning and milling machines. For example, a nine-axis turning and milling machine used to make complex components can weigh up to 27 tons.
Area 404 is divided into two areas: electrical engineering laboratory and prototype testing area. Electrical engineering labs provide space and equipment for different teams to test and adjust their designs. The prototype test area is equipped with a large number of different mechanical tools, including multi-axis computer numerical control machines, to help the team quickly iterate complex problems.
According to Jay Parikh, Facebook's director of engineering and infrastructure, the area 404's significance for the company is mainly in the following two points:
1. Create a large enough space for cooperation and concentrate various projects in the same laboratory so that the hardware engineers of the entire company can work collaboratively and solve common problems.
2. Create the most advanced hardware laboratory in the world today, with the equipment necessary for prototype design, conduct various tests on the early design of the upcoming equipment.
Speaking of this, surely everyone must be very curious about what the machines in the Area 404 are. Titanium Geek Xiaobian has collected some of the lab's internal real-life maps for everyone. (Photo quoted from foreign media techinsider)
Water jet cutting machine, the water jet pressure reached 60,000 PSI, equivalent to more than 4000 standard atmospheric pressure, cutting it without effort. This 30-ton machine requires strict security measures and usage specifications, including Xiao Zha. Currently, only 10 individuals in the company have access to it.
The Facebook brand CNC machine is used in conjunction with a water jet cutter to perform further processing on the cut and formed parts.
With a CT scanner in the lab, you can see through X-rays to see anything. This device, which was usually found in hospitals, was also moved by Facebook to the lab. It seems that this may be to prepare for the detection of alien bodies.
There is also an electron microscope. There is a physics laboratory that suddenly switches to the biological laboratory.
In addition to high-precision equipment in the laboratory, there are also a variety of intimate devices that are matched with it, such as rail lifting equipment, as well as all kinds of tools placed neatly.
Large equipment in the laboratory needs to wear protective goggles to operate. The photo shows the technical experts.
With these heavy equipment, Area 404 laboratories will have the ability to fully engage in R&D. This will not require the participation of outside factories to increase work efficiency. Second, it will increase the confidentiality of projects and allow engineers to move forward with the project process more freely.
This reminds people of Facebook’s founder Zuckerberg's 10-year development strategy at the annual developer conference this year. Specifically, these plans include:
3 years: Build the Facebook ecosystem;
3 to 5 years: Deepen development in videos, search, groups, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram;
5 to 10 years: 1 Connecting the world, using drones, satellites, lasers, terrestrial solutions, infrastructure construction and basic knowledge; 2 Artificial intelligence, developing visual, verbal, reasoning, and planning capabilities; 3 VR/ AR, develop mobile VR, Oculus Rift.
Ten years is not short for an Internet. It represents the judgment of the company and its strength. From the establishment of the Area 404 lab, we can see that Facebook is a mission-oriented company with long-term orientation. Ambition is also more than just internet products.
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