Intelligent Reliability 4.0 (iRel40) has the ultimate goal of improving reliability for electronic components and systems by reducing failure rates along the entire value chain. Trend for system integration, especially for heterogeneous integration, is miniaturization. Thus, reliability becomes an increasing challenge on device and system level and faces exceptional requirements for future complex applications. Applications require customer acceptance and satisfaction at acceptable cost. Reliability must be guaranteed when using systems in new and critical environments. In iRel40, 79 partners from 14 countries collaborate in 6 technical work packages along the value chain. WP1 focuses on specifications and requirements. WP2 and WP3 focus on modelling, simulation, materials and interfaces based on test vehicles. WP4 applies the test vehicle knowledge to industrial pilots related to production. WP5 applies the knowledge to testing. WP6 focuses on application use cases applying the industrial pilots. We assess and validate the iRel40 results. Reliable electronic components and systems are developed faster and new processes are transferred to production with higher speed. Crucial insight gained by Physics of Failure and AI methods will push overall quality levels and reliability. iRel40 results will strengthen production along the value chain and support sustainable success of Electronic Components and Systems investment in Europe. By collaboration between academy, industry and knowledge institutes on this challenging topic of reliability, the project secures more than 25.000 jobs in the 25 participating production and testing sites in Europe. The project supports new applications and reliable chips push applications in energy efficiency, e-mobility, autonomous driving and IoT. This unique project brings, for the first time ever, world-leading reliability experts and European manufacturing expertise together to generate a sustainable pan-European reliability community.

The overarching goal of PowerizeD is to develop breakthrough technologies of digitalized and intelligent power electronics, in order to enable sustainable and resilient energy generation, transmission and applications. PowerizeD enhances the level of mechanical and electrical integration of new driver circuits into power electronics and allows for the first time common optimization of all power switch functionalities. Regarding data sharing along the value chain, PowerizeD drives the novel approach of Federated Learning as a methodical approach to an intrinsically encrypted transfer of confidential and proprietary data. Also new is the usage of detailed electrical physical models in digital twins of real time digitally monitored and controlled power electronic devices. Unlike other projects focusing on competence and technology with limited effort on demonstration, this project will start from vital societal needs, by identifying and analyzing the key generic technology challenges from broad application scopes. Major effort will be spent on cross-domain research and innovation. The developed technologies will be demonstrated and evaluated via a large number of universally applicable results. To realize this ambition, a large project consortium will incorporate the needed competencies and resources along the whole value chain. 24 Large Entities, 19 Small Medium Enterprises and 22 research partners from 12 EU countries – representing the entire value chain from materials to “system of systems” – strive to demonstrate the applicability of these innovative approaches to multiple industrial domains. Among the concrete objectives are a 25% reduction or power losses, a device and system lifetime increase of 30%, a chip size reduction of at least 10% and a shortening of the design time by 50%. By this, PowerizeD addresses the three megatrends Independence, Sustainability and Digitalization, thereby opening pathways to massive economic and societal benefits for the EU.