© AIT/APA-Fotoservice/Arman Rastegar
Nefi Virtual Industry Lab Opens: XR and Digital Planning Tools Are Accelerating Industrial Transformation
The NEFI Virtual Industry Lab (VIL) has opened in Vienna, creating a new hub for industrial transformation. The XR showroom and digital tool hub not only visualise transformation pathways but also allow them to be experienced through immersive applications – from brick production through the pharmaceutical industry to the paper industry. Developed largely by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, the VIL supports companies in evaluating, planning and implementing sustainable energy and resource systems.
Digital experiences for real-world decisions
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XR Showroom: Immersive visualisations make complex plants, process chains and energy flows intuitively understandable – providing a basis for fact-based decisions in engineering, management and finance.
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Tool Hub: Curated access to assessment and optimisation tools supports the planning and implementation of measures in the areas of electrification, energy efficiency, flexibility, renewable gases, CCU/S, the circular economy and industrial symbiosis.
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Practical relevance: Case studies from the brick, pharmaceutical and paper industries demonstrate how data, simulation and visualisation lead to robust transformation pathways – both technically and economically.
“Innovation will determine tomorrow’s industrial competitiveness,” emphasised Andreas Kugi, Scientific Director of AIT, at the opening. “Our aim is clear: not only to develop technologies, but to scale them up in real-world operations and thereby achieve measurable impact for sites, value creation and climate protection.”
Simulation as a catalyst for transformation
The presentations by Manfred Tscheligi (Head of the Centre for Technology Experience at AIT) and Johannes Rath (CTO of Wienerberger AG) highlighted the growing role of data-driven simulation in industry:
- faster comparisons of variants and investment decisions,
- better risk assessment and planning,
- more efficient knowledge transfer between research, plant engineering and operations.
From the showroom to implementation
The VIL is designed not only to impress, but also to actively build bridges to practical application. Companies are provided with the structure and tools to:
- design and prioritise energy concepts across multiple sites,
- evaluate flexibility options (load management, storage, sector coupling),
- justify investments based on robust scenarios.
“NEFI demonstrates how research, business and policy can work together to pick up the pace: we pool knowledge and test technologies under real-world conditions,” says Bernhard Gahleitner. The VIL serves as both a showcase and a working environment – with the aim of accelerating transformation decisions and making their impact measurable.