Thematic
Working Groups
The INPACE Hub operates as an integrated eco-system structured around 3 Pillars, 5 Clusters, and 16 Thematic Working Groups (TWGs).
Co-led by a European and an Asian INPACE partner organisation, each TWG addresses key focus areas in digital technology, leading to strategic outputs, including policy briefs, panorama reports, and country-specific analyses based on comprehensive desk research and surveys. The Hub fosters collaboration both within and across TWGs.
Cluster 1 aims to serve as a bridge between the TWGs and other clusters and the policy-making level. The work of its TWGs cuts across all technical topics, focusing on the overarching institutional, legal, regulatory and educational tools needed for the implementation of the EU’s Digital Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.
Thematic Working Groups
The TWG 1 is a transversal working group dealing with standardisation activities. Development of international standards is a long-lasting activity whose timespan usually goes beyond the one of research projects. It has to be managed as a transversal activity, encouraging projects to make use of existing standards while being provided with effective means to contribute whenever relevant.
There already exist a number of initiatives involving EU Standard Development Organisations (SDO) (ETSI/CEN/CENELEC), Asia-pacific one (e.g. TTA in South Korea, ARIB in Japan, BIS in India and initiatives under the Smart Nation program in Singapore) at global level through SDOs (e.g. ITU-T, ISO) and fora (e.g. oneM2M).
The TWG acts as a facilitator between the thematic TWGs 5-16 and relevant standardisation bodies to identify priorities across the involved countries and support their implementation.
The role of the TWG 2 is to look at the legal, institutional and policy aspects relevant to the implementation of the EU’s Digital Partnership Agreements (DPAs) with Japan, the ROK and Singapore, and the TTC with India. Expert input is based on the analysis of relevant strategic documents in the EU and each of the regional countries, including national strategies and action plans related to security and defence (cyber security, EDT, AI, etc.), economic security, digital transformation and governance of new technologies. In cooperation with national experts, the TWG aims to a) map the legal and institutional environment in each of the target countries, b) identify the key players/ actors/ agencies, and c) identify enablers and challenges for advancing cooperation with the EU. In concrete terms, this involves desk research, in combination with input from webinars and in-person seminars including experts and policy practitioners from the EU and the target countries. The findings will be published in the form of Policy Briefs (1 per partner country), providing a condensed overview of the rationale, stakes, and challenges of each DPAs for the policy community and interested public. Within the INPACE HUB, involved European and regional policy experts and practitioners will also gain a networking opportunity enabling them to communicate directly and inject content on existing and future policies.
The Thematic Working Group on Joint Programming explores opportunities for joint calls for research and innovation projects between the Indo-Pacific Partner Countries and the European Union. These may be bilateral or multilateral calls. It will also discuss the mechanisms of funding and the needs and potential for alignment. The work will build upon the analysis and comparison of the funding landscape in digital technologies and their applications in the partner countries and in Europe.
The Thematic Working Group on Digital Education and skills aims to address the rapidly evolving landscape of digital education. The group’s focus is on the most recent and upcoming trends, such as AI-driven learning, virtual and augmented reality in education, and the use of data analytics in learning. Additionally, the group emphasizes promoting digital literacy to keep pace with technological advancements and bolstering cybersecurity , as well as the importance of upskilling and reskilling to ensure that both teachers and learners are continuously updated with the latest digital competencies to effectively and safely utilize new digital tools in education and at work. Through virtual meetings, collaborative online platforms, and periodic workshops, the group will leverage their combined expertise to create forward-thinking strategies and competence frameworks. Expected outcomes include use case sharing, developing a pilot curriculum incorporating the latest digital trends, and best practice guidelines to support policymakers, educators, and stakeholders in advancing digital education and upskilling and reskilling initiatives in both regions.
Cluster 2 is a transversal cluster focused on encouraging usage of technologies being tackled within technology clusters (3, 4 and 5) through innovation. It aims at feeding other clusters with identified challenges from thematic sectors detailed below and for which technologies under research and development are expected to contribute in the short to medium term. On an operational level, bidirectional interactions will take place with the organisation of events such as the INPACE co-creation workshops.
Thematic Working Groups
Smart cities and communities as defined by the European Commission, aim at the well-being of their inhabitants, businesses, visitors, organisations and administrators by offering digitally enabled services that contribute to a better quality of life. The concept of Local Digital Twins has recently emerged to provide virtual representations of the area’s physical assets, processes and systems. It drives the development of studies, architectures, standards, toolboxes and demonstration projects. When designing the digital twin, importantly the data foundation (availability, quality and interoperability) and the technical foundation (IoT, cloud computing, big data, AI, 5/6G) have to be addressed. Under the impulsion of the Living-in.EU initiative, which promotes Miniminum Interoperability Mechanisms, is now the Citiverse which aims at creating the European alternative for the metaverse, based on European principles and values. Globally, the world economic forum has set a net zero carbon cities framework for which a global KPIs framework would be relevant to agree upon and an ISO NWIP has been initiated to develop indicators for carbo-neutral cities. Aspects related to eIDAS v2 regulation which establish a framework for digital identity and authentication across Europe as well as new challenges related to On-Life human-centered vision which investigates “cold spots” and “disposable identities” should not be forgotten.
The Thematic Working Group on Digitalization for Sustainable Ecosystems focuses on how digital technologies can contribute to environmental protection, sustainable agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, as well as the monitoring and management of natural resources — particularly water — and biodiversity conservation. The scope includes the environmental impacts on human health, monitoring and reducing pollution and exposure to noxious substances, and improving quality of life through biodiversity preservation and habitat protection.
Digitalization is a major driver for enhanced productivity and sustainability of the industrial sector as well as for the safe, reliable and efficient operation of infrastructures and provision of services to businesses and to the citizens. The Thematic Working Group 7 investigates the state of the art and the research and innovation needs in the field of digital technologies for industrial application and in the management and operation of infrastructures (electric power, gas networks) and in the service industries. It is divided into two subgroups:
- Manufacturing industries
- Process industries and infrastructures.
The activities in the Clusters on Networks of the Future and on Trustworthy decision support are closely related to this TWG as these are key enabling technologies for the digitalization of industry, infrastructures and services.
Cluster 3 will push forward digital technologies in key areas of interest to Europe and the Indo-Pacific region related to AI and trustworthy decision support, including trustworthy and human-centered AI, trustworthy data value lifecycles, as well as advanced computing technologies that enable the implementation of trustworthy AI systems. Cluster 3 will establish regular exchanges between leading experts from Europe and the four partner countries on policies, further developments of key digital technologies, and their implementation and commercialisation.
Thematic Working Groups
Artificial intelligence (AI) methods and technologies are a key driver of innovation across sectors and disciplines, industries and societal systems. AI systems are “software (and possibly also hardware) systems designed by humans that, given a complex goal, act in the physical or digital dimension by perceiving their environment through data acquisition, interpreting the collected structured or unstructured data, reasoning on the knowledge, or processing the information, derived from this data and deciding the best action(s) to take to achieve the given goal. As a scientific discipline, AI includes several approaches and techniques, such as machine learning (of which deep learning and reinforcement learning are specific examples), machine reasoning (which includes planning, scheduling, knowledge representation and reasoning, search, and optimization), and robotics (which includes control, perception, sensors and actuators, as well as the integration of all other techniques into cyber-physical systems).
The ambition of TWG 8 is to foster, leverage and support such AI solutions, which are human-centered, trustworthy and explainable, through strategic partnership of mutual interest and benefit between EU and IndoPacific area.
The vision of the European data strategy is an independent European digital market where participants have full control over the use of their data (digital and data sovereignty). That means a Europe in which information is shared freely across borders and sectors for the greater good of the entire European economy. The deployment of European Data Spaces in several strategic fields enable a level playing field of Europe’s data strategy. Data Spaces enable participants to share complex data securely and, hence, free up vast amounts of data for the creation of wide range of new and exciting products and services across borders and sectors.
In a globalized world anyone should be able to share data with anyone through secured and self-determined data exchange activities. Japan, Korea, Singapore and India are intriguing destinations for European Data Spaces activities outside Europe. Some already provide essential services for data spaces in their countries, e.g., Japan, however, they generate and store data using vastly different systems. Collaboration to promote and support global data spaces activities that expand business partnerships and enhance the capacity of global participants for innovation, whether they are individual, a corporation, a non-profit research institution or a government agency, are needed.
High-performance computing TGW will discuss the problems we face in a very short time or even today. We want to open a forum for debate on the usage of high-performance computing sources in terms of sustainability, efficiency, and sharing. The energy consumption for computing is rapidly growing, and it will grow even faster as the new quantum computing techniques become more available, as well as the necessity for high-performance computing, data storage, and all techniques necessary for developing AI techniques. On the other hand, the world’s energy production is growing slower than the energy consumption for computing. The energy consumption problems and costs incurred for computing could limit high-performing computing development and usage. The problem is not only local but on a global scale. The aim is to find ways to ensure the sustainability of computing, prepare for the fast development of AI technologies from the point of view of carbon emissions trace, and find a way to share our computing resources.
Cluster 4 covers the enabling technologies for future chips targeting many electronic applications and societal challenges. A lot of innovations will be needed in the coming years to develop semiconductor technologies able to address high performance and/or low power reliable and sustainable systems, including novel functionalities and disruptive materials and device architectures. Therefore, Cluster 4 focuses on Advanced Computing, Advanced Functionalities and Ground-Breaking Technologies.
Thematic Working Groups
The TWG on advanced computing deals with some core technologies that we think are the most promising for many future applications in order to overcome the number of challenges we are facing for future ICs, in particular: High performance, Low/very low static and dynamic power consumption, Device scaling, Low variability, Affordable cost. Considering these challenges, the following nanodevices and technologies have been considered as very relevant for advanced computing, including logic and memories: FD (Fully Depleted) SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator) MOSFET for low power applications and low variability ; multi-gate devices for high performance and/or low power applications ; Nanowire and nanosheet FETs for high performance and low power applications and ultimate integration ; Charge-based and non-charge-based Resistive Memories or alternative charge-based Memories to replace charge-based memories using PCRAM (Phase Change RAM), RRAM (Resistive RAM using a nanofilament), MRAM (Magnetic RAM, especially STT/Spin Transfer Torque MRAM or SOT), or FeRAM or FeFET (using the polarization of a ferroelecric material) ; 3D integration for increasing device integration using 3D stacking.
The TWG dedicated to Advanced functionalities focus on the main functionalities added to logic and memories, for electronic systems in particular smart sensing, smart power, energy harvesting, flexible electronics, and heterogeneous integration of these technologies. In the sensors area, we cover many applications, especially healthcare, automotive, environment, agriculture and energy, including sensors for car internal system performance (Motion, Pressure and Position sensors), Advanced Driver Assistance System (Image, LiDAR and Infrared sensors), Environmental monitoring (Gas and Particulate Matter sensors), Physiological signal monitoring, Implantable sensors, Molecular diagnostics. The second domain is devoted to Power devices, which are based on silicon or wide bandgap semiconductors like GaN, SiC, which are poised to play an important role in future power electronics systems, for the following applications: Efficiently feeding-in wind and solar energy to the grids ; Stabilization of the power grids with increasing share of fluctuating renewable energy sources ; Highly efficient variable speed motor drives ; Energy efficient and low-emission mobility with hybrid and full electric vehicles ; Energy saving lighting technology ; Energy management of batteries. The third area deals with energy harvesting for autonomous systems. Targeting EH technologies with low fabrication cost, high efficiency, and without toxic/rare materials is the main challenge. Adding flexibility and/or transparency is also an increasing demand for compatibility with wearables applications. This field includes energy harvesting from Thermal, Mechanical, Photovoltaic, RF sources, micro-batteries, and power management circuits. The last domain covers flexible electronics, with very interesting properties such as light weight, low cost, stretchability, and wearability, especially suitable for the development of personalized wearable devices.
The TWG devoted to Ground-breaking technologies covers neuromorphic computing, quantum computing, very low power technologies (Tunnel FET, FeFET, etc.), and alternative materials for Beyond-CMOS technologies (2D, 1D, OD, etc.). As dimensional scaling of CMOS will eventually approach fundamental limits, new information processing devices and microarchitectures for both existing and new functions have to be explored. This is driving interest in new devices for information processing and memory, new technologies for heterogeneous integration of multiple functions, and new paradigms for system architecture. Alternative device and computing architectures are of particular interest, especially for reducing power consumption, which is one of the main challenges for future electronic systems. Novel materials will also be necessary in this Beyond-CMOS field, in particular 2D materials are very promising.
This cluster is devoted to the digital technologies for the connectivity required in the future – future networks. We live already in a hyperconnected world, so similarly to the other clusters this is also a very dynamically evolving area with significant challenges, where co-operation and collaboration plays a critical role.
Thematic Working Groups
Beyond 5G and 6G are designating the upcoming, future generation of wireless mobile communication. They are the planned successor of the current 5G standard (ITU-T IMT-2020) and are currently being developed and standardised by 3GPP and will eventually form the ITU-T IMT-2030 standard.
Whilst 5G notably addressed three main application areas with enhanced capabilities – being Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (uRLLC), and Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) – beyond 5G and 6G (or more precisely ITU-R, preparing the ground for IMT-2030) identifies three additional usage scenarios. These are Integrated Sensing and Communication; Integrated AI and Communication; and Ubiquitous Connectivity. At the same time eMBB becomes Immersive Communication, uRLLC becomes Hyper Reliable and Low Latency Communication and mMTC Massive Communication.
The Internet of Trust can be defined as a digital ecosystem where users, devices, applications, and services can interact with confidence, ensuring that security, privacy, and reliability are integral components of every interaction. Trust in this context is built key principles, among others authentication, integrity, confidentiality, resilience and availability. The cybersecurity discipline in a broader scope is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from digital attacks. These attacks aim at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information, interrupting normal business processes, stealing identities, or extorting monetary value from users. Lately digital attacks have been used to disrupt digital infrastructures of nations and whole societies, in a warfare manner with far-reaching implications and potentially devastating consequences. Effective cybersecurity measures are designed to counter these threats, ensuring the safety and integrity of digital assets.
In the realm of cybersecurity, ENISA is the most important European agency, having published guidelines and reports, such as the yearly ENISA threat landscape reports, foresight cybersecurity threats for 2030, cybersecurity resilience act requirements, various reports on 5G security as well as the EU risk management toolbox, Furthermore ENISA considers the landscape around AI, and has investigated the use of AI in cybersecurity, the threats arising from AI-powered attacks, as well as the cybersecurity of AI-based systems against adversarial attacks, data poisoning and other new forms of attacks. Other relevant organisations are the EC that has developed the EU Cybersecurity strategy in 2020 and the EU that enacted the Cybersecurity Act (EU 881 / 2019) as a European regulation that introduces a harmonised European system for the cybersecurity certification of ICT products, services and processes. Finally on the level of technology standards, ETSI is hosting technical committees on cybersecurity (TC CYBER), as well as groups working on digital signatures, quantum safe primitives, quantum key distribution, cryptographic algorithms, privacy and many more related technical areas.
The progress in quantum computing is inducing a severe risk to classical cryptography by leveraging properties and principles of quantum mechanics. Due to is sheer computational power quantum computing poses a significant threat to most current cryptographic systems. A new generation of so-called post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms aim to resist quantum computing-based attacks. Research and innovation work is in progress to increase the maturity of PQC algorithms, tools for large-scale implementation and deployment of PQC algorithms, as well as a secure and efficient ways for transition from pre- to post-quantum encryption. The most advanced recommendations concerning best practices are currently published by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). ENISA has published a study providing an overview of the current state of play on the standardisation process of PQC.
TWG16 is centered around the current convergence among the formerly separated Cloud, Edge and IoT domains. Cloud and Edge computing are essential technologies in a computing continuum to ensure data is managed more efficiently – closer to the originating source rather than transmitting raw data to remote data centres; moreover, improvements in the IoT segment can reduce communication and storage costs, energy consumption and yield benefits for citizens and businesses alike, thanks for example to the integration of AI and Machine Learning. Europe acknowledges the importance of this convergence, which can open up new opportunities but also present challenges, and in the last years has promoted and supported several initiatives in that direction: 1) the creation of the EUCloudedgeIoT.eu initiative which tries to help business users, industrial associations, tech providers and tech developers, research and innovation organisations, and policymakers access the benefits of Cloud Edge IoT convergence enhancing supply-demand dialogue and collaboration; 2) the creation of an Important Project of Common European Interest on the next generation cloud infrastructure services (IPCEI-CIS), with the aim of fostering a multi-provider cloud edge continuum in Europe, that can create an open environment where data is processed based on a network of interconnected clouds and edges; 3) forming the European Alliance for industrial Data, Edge and Cloud, among Member States representatives and experts from the industry to improve development and deployment of next generation edge and cloud technologies. In TWG16 EU experts in Cloud Edge IoT already involved in these EU initiatives will engage and interact with their counterparts in the Indo-Pacific region (specifically, Japan, Republic of Korea, India and Singapore) to identify common priorities and approaches towards the convergence of Cloud Edge and IoT but also to understand and assess the existing differences to derive insights and lessons to be learned.
| Clusters | Thematic Working Groups |
|---|---|
| 1. Digital Dialogues, Policies and Education | 1. Standardisation 2. Regulation, legislation, policy 3. Joint (bidirectional) Programming 4. Digital education and skills |
| 2. Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Well-Being | 5. Smart cities and communities 6. Digitalisation for sustainable ecosystems 7. Digitalisation of industry, infrastructures and services |
| 3. Digital Technologies – Trustworthy Decision Support | 8. Trusted AI 9. Data technologies 10. High performance computing |
| 4. Enabling technologies – chips for the future | 11. Advanced computing 12. Advanced functionalities 13. Ground-breaking technologies |
| 5. Digital technologies – Future network | 14. 5G and beyond 15. Internet of trust and security 16. Cloud, Edge, IoT |
Thematic
Working Groups
The INPACE Hub operates as an integrated eco-system structured around 3 Pillars, 5 Clusters, and 16 Thematic Working Groups (TWGs).
Co-led by a European and an Asian INPACE partner organisation, each TWG addresses key focus areas in digital technology, leading to strategic outputs, including policy briefs, panorama reports, and country-specific analyses based on comprehensive desk research and surveys. The Hub fosters collaboration both within and across TWGs.
Cluster 1 aims to serve as a bridge between the TWGs and other clusters and the policy-making level. The work of its TWGs cuts across all technical topics, focusing on the overarching institutional, legal, regulatory and educational tools needed for the implementation of the EU’s Digital Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.
Thematic Working Groups
The TWG 1 is a transversal working group dealing with standardisation activities. Development of international standards is a long-lasting activity whose timespan usually goes beyond the one of research projects. It has to be managed as a transversal activity, encouraging projects to make use of existing standards while being provided with effective means to contribute whenever relevant.
There already exist a number of initiatives involving EU Standard Development Organisations (SDO) (ETSI/CEN/CENELEC), Asia-pacific one (e.g. TTA in South Korea, ARIB in Japan, BIS in India and initiatives under the Smart Nation program in Singapore) at global level through SDOs (e.g. ITU-T, ISO) and fora (e.g. oneM2M).
The TWG acts as a facilitator between the thematic TWGs 5-16 and relevant standardisation bodies to identify priorities across the involved countries and support their implementation.
The role of the TWG 2 is to look at the legal, institutional and policy aspects relevant to the implementation of the EU’s Digital Partnership Agreements (DPAs) with Japan, the ROK and Singapore, and the TTC with India. Expert input is based on the analysis of relevant strategic documents in the EU and each of the regional countries, including national strategies and action plans related to security and defence (cyber security, EDT, AI, etc.), economic security, digital transformation and governance of new technologies. In cooperation with national experts, the TWG aims to a) map the legal and institutional environment in each of the target countries, b) identify the key players/ actors/ agencies, and c) identify enablers and challenges for advancing cooperation with the EU. In concrete terms, this involves desk research, in combination with input from webinars and in-person seminars including experts and policy practitioners from the EU and the target countries. The findings will be published in the form of Policy Briefs (1 per partner country), providing a condensed overview of the rationale, stakes, and challenges of each DPAs for the policy community and interested public. Within the INPACE HUB, involved European and regional policy experts and practitioners will also gain a networking opportunity enabling them to communicate directly and inject content on existing and future policies.
The Thematic Working Group on Joint Programming explores opportunities for joint calls for research and innovation projects between the Indo-Pacific Partner Countries and the European Union. These may be bilateral or multilateral calls. It will also discuss the mechanisms of funding and the needs and potential for alignment. The work will build upon the analysis and comparison of the funding landscape in digital technologies and their applications in the partner countries and in Europe.
The Thematic Working Group on Digital Education and skills aims to address the rapidly evolving landscape of digital education. The group’s focus is on the most recent and upcoming trends, such as AI-driven learning, virtual and augmented reality in education, and the use of data analytics in learning. Additionally, the group emphasizes promoting digital literacy to keep pace with technological advancements and bolstering cybersecurity , as well as the importance of upskilling and reskilling to ensure that both teachers and learners are continuously updated with the latest digital competencies to effectively and safely utilize new digital tools in education and at work. Through virtual meetings, collaborative online platforms, and periodic workshops, the group will leverage their combined expertise to create forward-thinking strategies and competence frameworks. Expected outcomes include use case sharing, developing a pilot curriculum incorporating the latest digital trends, and best practice guidelines to support policymakers, educators, and stakeholders in advancing digital education and upskilling and reskilling initiatives in both regions.
Cluster 2 is a transversal cluster focused on encouraging usage of technologies being tackled within technology clusters (3, 4 and 5) through innovation. It aims at feeding other clusters with identified challenges from thematic sectors detailed below and for which technologies under research and development are expected to contribute in the short to medium term. On an operational level, bidirectional interactions will take place with the organisation of events such as the INPACE co-creation workshops.
Thematic Working Groups
Smart cities and communities as defined by the European Commission, aim at the well-being of their inhabitants, businesses, visitors, organisations and administrators by offering digitally enabled services that contribute to a better quality of life. The concept of Local Digital Twins has recently emerged to provide virtual representations of the area’s physical assets, processes and systems. It drives the development of studies, architectures, standards, toolboxes and demonstration projects. When designing the digital twin, importantly the data foundation (availability, quality and interoperability) and the technical foundation (IoT, cloud computing, big data, AI, 5/6G) have to be addressed. Under the impulsion of the Living-in.EU initiative, which promotes Miniminum Interoperability Mechanisms, is now the Citiverse which aims at creating the European alternative for the metaverse, based on European principles and values. Globally, the world economic forum has set a net zero carbon cities framework for which a global KPIs framework would be relevant to agree upon and an ISO NWIP has been initiated to develop indicators for carbo-neutral cities. Aspects related to eIDAS v2 regulation which establish a framework for digital identity and authentication across Europe as well as new challenges related to On-Life human-centered vision which investigates “cold spots” and “disposable identities” should not be forgotten.
The Thematic Working Group on Digitalization for Sustainable Ecosystems focuses on how digital technologies can contribute to environmental protection, sustainable agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, as well as the monitoring and management of natural resources — particularly water — and biodiversity conservation. The scope includes the environmental impacts on human health, monitoring and reducing pollution and exposure to noxious substances, and improving quality of life through biodiversity preservation and habitat protection.
Digitalization is a major driver for enhanced productivity and sustainability of the industrial sector as well as for the safe, reliable and efficient operation of infrastructures and provision of services to businesses and to the citizens. The Thematic Working Group 7 investigates the state of the art and the research and innovation needs in the field of digital technologies for industrial application and in the management and operation of infrastructures (electric power, gas networks) and in the service industries. It is divided into two subgroups:
- Manufacturing industries
- Process industries and infrastructures.
The activities in the Clusters on Networks of the Future and on Trustworthy decision support are closely related to this TWG as these are key enabling technologies for the digitalization of industry, infrastructures and services.
Cluster 3 will push forward digital technologies in key areas of interest to Europe and the Indo-Pacific region related to AI and trustworthy decision support, including trustworthy and human-centered AI, trustworthy data value lifecycles, as well as advanced computing technologies that enable the implementation of trustworthy AI systems. Cluster 3 will establish regular exchanges between leading experts from Europe and the four partner countries on policies, further developments of key digital technologies, and their implementation and commercialisation.
Thematic Working Groups
Artificial intelligence (AI) methods and technologies are a key driver of innovation across sectors and disciplines, industries and societal systems. AI systems are “software (and possibly also hardware) systems designed by humans that, given a complex goal, act in the physical or digital dimension by perceiving their environment through data acquisition, interpreting the collected structured or unstructured data, reasoning on the knowledge, or processing the information, derived from this data and deciding the best action(s) to take to achieve the given goal. As a scientific discipline, AI includes several approaches and techniques, such as machine learning (of which deep learning and reinforcement learning are specific examples), machine reasoning (which includes planning, scheduling, knowledge representation and reasoning, search, and optimization), and robotics (which includes control, perception, sensors and actuators, as well as the integration of all other techniques into cyber-physical systems).
The ambition of TWG 8 is to foster, leverage and support such AI solutions, which are human-centered, trustworthy and explainable, through strategic partnership of mutual interest and benefit between EU and IndoPacific area.
The vision of the European data strategy is an independent European digital market where participants have full control over the use of their data (digital and data sovereignty). That means a Europe in which information is shared freely across borders and sectors for the greater good of the entire European economy. The deployment of European Data Spaces in several strategic fields enable a level playing field of Europe’s data strategy. Data Spaces enable participants to share complex data securely and, hence, free up vast amounts of data for the creation of wide range of new and exciting products and services across borders and sectors.
In a globalized world anyone should be able to share data with anyone through secured and self-determined data exchange activities. Japan, Korea, Singapore and India are intriguing destinations for European Data Spaces activities outside Europe. Some already provide essential services for data spaces in their countries, e.g., Japan, however, they generate and store data using vastly different systems. Collaboration to promote and support global data spaces activities that expand business partnerships and enhance the capacity of global participants for innovation, whether they are individual, a corporation, a non-profit research institution or a government agency, are needed.
High-performance computing TGW will discuss the problems we face in a very short time or even today. We want to open a forum for debate on the usage of high-performance computing sources in terms of sustainability, efficiency, and sharing. The energy consumption for computing is rapidly growing, and it will grow even faster as the new quantum computing techniques become more available, as well as the necessity for high-performance computing, data storage, and all techniques necessary for developing AI techniques. On the other hand, the world’s energy production is growing slower than the energy consumption for computing. The energy consumption problems and costs incurred for computing could limit high-performing computing development and usage. The problem is not only local but on a global scale. The aim is to find ways to ensure the sustainability of computing, prepare for the fast development of AI technologies from the point of view of carbon emissions trace, and find a way to share our computing resources.
Cluster 4 covers the enabling technologies for future chips targeting many electronic applications and societal challenges. A lot of innovations will be needed in the coming years to develop semiconductor technologies able to address high performance and/or low power reliable and sustainable systems, including novel functionalities and disruptive materials and device architectures. Therefore, Cluster 4 focuses on Advanced Computing, Advanced Functionalities and Ground-Breaking Technologies.
Thematic Working Groups
The TWG on advanced computing deals with some core technologies that we think are the most promising for many future applications in order to overcome the number of challenges we are facing for future ICs, in particular: High performance, Low/very low static and dynamic power consumption, Device scaling, Low variability, Affordable cost. Considering these challenges, the following nanodevices and technologies have been considered as very relevant for advanced computing, including logic and memories: FD (Fully Depleted) SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator) MOSFET for low power applications and low variability ; multi-gate devices for high performance and/or low power applications ; Nanowire and nanosheet FETs for high performance and low power applications and ultimate integration ; Charge-based and non-charge-based Resistive Memories or alternative charge-based Memories to replace charge-based memories using PCRAM (Phase Change RAM), RRAM (Resistive RAM using a nanofilament), MRAM (Magnetic RAM, especially STT/Spin Transfer Torque MRAM or SOT), or FeRAM or FeFET (using the polarization of a ferroelecric material) ; 3D integration for increasing device integration using 3D stacking.
The TWG dedicated to Advanced functionalities focus on the main functionalities added to logic and memories, for electronic systems in particular smart sensing, smart power, energy harvesting, flexible electronics, and heterogeneous integration of these technologies. In the sensors area, we cover many applications, especially healthcare, automotive, environment, agriculture and energy, including sensors for car internal system performance (Motion, Pressure and Position sensors), Advanced Driver Assistance System (Image, LiDAR and Infrared sensors), Environmental monitoring (Gas and Particulate Matter sensors), Physiological signal monitoring, Implantable sensors, Molecular diagnostics. The second domain is devoted to Power devices, which are based on silicon or wide bandgap semiconductors like GaN, SiC, which are poised to play an important role in future power electronics systems, for the following applications: Efficiently feeding-in wind and solar energy to the grids ; Stabilization of the power grids with increasing share of fluctuating renewable energy sources ; Highly efficient variable speed motor drives ; Energy efficient and low-emission mobility with hybrid and full electric vehicles ; Energy saving lighting technology ; Energy management of batteries. The third area deals with energy harvesting for autonomous systems. Targeting EH technologies with low fabrication cost, high efficiency, and without toxic/rare materials is the main challenge. Adding flexibility and/or transparency is also an increasing demand for compatibility with wearables applications. This field includes energy harvesting from Thermal, Mechanical, Photovoltaic, RF sources, micro-batteries, and power management circuits. The last domain covers flexible electronics, with very interesting properties such as light weight, low cost, stretchability, and wearability, especially suitable for the development of personalized wearable devices.
The TWG devoted to Ground-breaking technologies covers neuromorphic computing, quantum computing, very low power technologies (Tunnel FET, FeFET, etc.), and alternative materials for Beyond-CMOS technologies (2D, 1D, OD, etc.). As dimensional scaling of CMOS will eventually approach fundamental limits, new information processing devices and microarchitectures for both existing and new functions have to be explored. This is driving interest in new devices for information processing and memory, new technologies for heterogeneous integration of multiple functions, and new paradigms for system architecture. Alternative device and computing architectures are of particular interest, especially for reducing power consumption, which is one of the main challenges for future electronic systems. Novel materials will also be necessary in this Beyond-CMOS field, in particular 2D materials are very promising.
This cluster is devoted to the digital technologies for the connectivity required in the future – future networks. We live already in a hyperconnected world, so similarly to the other clusters this is also a very dynamically evolving area with significant challenges, where co-operation and collaboration plays a critical role.
Thematic Working Groups
Beyond 5G and 6G are designating the upcoming, future generation of wireless mobile communication. They are the planned successor of the current 5G standard (ITU-T IMT-2020) and are currently being developed and standardised by 3GPP and will eventually form the ITU-T IMT-2030 standard.
Whilst 5G notably addressed three main application areas with enhanced capabilities – being Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (uRLLC), and Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) – beyond 5G and 6G (or more precisely ITU-R, preparing the ground for IMT-2030) identifies three additional usage scenarios. These are Integrated Sensing and Communication; Integrated AI and Communication; and Ubiquitous Connectivity. At the same time eMBB becomes Immersive Communication, uRLLC becomes Hyper Reliable and Low Latency Communication and mMTC Massive Communication.
The Internet of Trust can be defined as a digital ecosystem where users, devices, applications, and services can interact with confidence, ensuring that security, privacy, and reliability are integral components of every interaction. Trust in this context is built key principles, among others authentication, integrity, confidentiality, resilience and availability. The cybersecurity discipline in a broader scope is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from digital attacks. These attacks aim at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information, interrupting normal business processes, stealing identities, or extorting monetary value from users. Lately digital attacks have been used to disrupt digital infrastructures of nations and whole societies, in a warfare manner with far-reaching implications and potentially devastating consequences. Effective cybersecurity measures are designed to counter these threats, ensuring the safety and integrity of digital assets.
In the realm of cybersecurity, ENISA is the most important European agency, having published guidelines and reports, such as the yearly ENISA threat landscape reports, foresight cybersecurity threats for 2030, cybersecurity resilience act requirements, various reports on 5G security as well as the EU risk management toolbox, Furthermore ENISA considers the landscape around AI, and has investigated the use of AI in cybersecurity, the threats arising from AI-powered attacks, as well as the cybersecurity of AI-based systems against adversarial attacks, data poisoning and other new forms of attacks. Other relevant organisations are the EC that has developed the EU Cybersecurity strategy in 2020 and the EU that enacted the Cybersecurity Act (EU 881 / 2019) as a European regulation that introduces a harmonised European system for the cybersecurity certification of ICT products, services and processes. Finally on the level of technology standards, ETSI is hosting technical committees on cybersecurity (TC CYBER), as well as groups working on digital signatures, quantum safe primitives, quantum key distribution, cryptographic algorithms, privacy and many more related technical areas.
The progress in quantum computing is inducing a severe risk to classical cryptography by leveraging properties and principles of quantum mechanics. Due to is sheer computational power quantum computing poses a significant threat to most current cryptographic systems. A new generation of so-called post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms aim to resist quantum computing-based attacks. Research and innovation work is in progress to increase the maturity of PQC algorithms, tools for large-scale implementation and deployment of PQC algorithms, as well as a secure and efficient ways for transition from pre- to post-quantum encryption. The most advanced recommendations concerning best practices are currently published by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). ENISA has published a study providing an overview of the current state of play on the standardisation process of PQC.
TWG16 is centered around the current convergence among the formerly separated Cloud, Edge and IoT domains. Cloud and Edge computing are essential technologies in a computing continuum to ensure data is managed more efficiently – closer to the originating source rather than transmitting raw data to remote data centres; moreover, improvements in the IoT segment can reduce communication and storage costs, energy consumption and yield benefits for citizens and businesses alike, thanks for example to the integration of AI and Machine Learning. Europe acknowledges the importance of this convergence, which can open up new opportunities but also present challenges, and in the last years has promoted and supported several initiatives in that direction: 1) the creation of the EUCloudedgeIoT.eu initiative which tries to help business users, industrial associations, tech providers and tech developers, research and innovation organisations, and policymakers access the benefits of Cloud Edge IoT convergence enhancing supply-demand dialogue and collaboration; 2) the creation of an Important Project of Common European Interest on the next generation cloud infrastructure services (IPCEI-CIS), with the aim of fostering a multi-provider cloud edge continuum in Europe, that can create an open environment where data is processed based on a network of interconnected clouds and edges; 3) forming the European Alliance for industrial Data, Edge and Cloud, among Member States representatives and experts from the industry to improve development and deployment of next generation edge and cloud technologies. In TWG16 EU experts in Cloud Edge IoT already involved in these EU initiatives will engage and interact with their counterparts in the Indo-Pacific region (specifically, Japan, Republic of Korea, India and Singapore) to identify common priorities and approaches towards the convergence of Cloud Edge and IoT but also to understand and assess the existing differences to derive insights and lessons to be learned.
| Clusters | Thematic Working Groups |
|---|---|
| 1. Digital Dialogues, Policies and Education | 1. Standardisation 2. Regulation, legislation, policy 3. Joint (bidirectional) Programming 4. Digital education and skills |
| 2. Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Well-Being | 5. Smart cities and communities 6. Digitalisation for sustainable ecosystems 7. Digitalisation of industry, infrastructures and services |
| 3. Digital Technologies – Trustworthy Decision Support | 8. Trusted AI 9. Data technologies 10. High performance computing |
| 4. Enabling technologies – chips for the future | 11. Advanced computing 12. Advanced functionalities 13. Ground-breaking technologies |
| 5. Digital technologies – Future network | 14. 5G and beyond 15. Internet of trust and security 16. Cloud, Edge, IoT |