Larry Ellison, founder of software giant Oracle, plans to funnel US$165 million into research across four areas at Oxford University. Could it have far-reaching implications for the wine trade? Larry Ellison, who is the fourth richest person in the world, made his billions in software, co-founding Oracle (formerly Software Development Laboratories) in 1977 before acquiring multiple other software companies to expand his empire. Oracle is a leading player in cloud management and artificial intelligence. In 2022 the firm shared a joint US$9 billion contract issued by the US Department of Defence for the purposes of cloud computing with Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Today, Ellison is still chairman, chief technology officer and cofounder of Oracle, of which he owns around 40%, and he has also previously sat on the board of directors at Tesla. According to Forbes, he is worth around US$231.1 billion. Important innovation Ellison once famously said: “When people start telling you that you’re crazy, you just might be on to the most important innovation in your life.” That theory might be put to the test once again as this week he announced he would be investing up to US$165 million into research projects at Oxford University. The research, which relates to four specific areas, will be carried out via his own Ellison Institute of Technology, which is on track to open a new campus in Oxford in 2027. According to Professor Irene Tracey, vice chancellor at Oxford university, the Ellison Institute of Technology will inject millions into research
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