During the last decades, supply chains have become huge networks of heterogeneous organisations involved in the manufacturing and delivery of products to end users. The appearance of IoT is transforming every sector subject to be digitalized. After a period of evaluation of the use of IoT, companies are now moving to complete digitalization of their supply chains. Under this paradigm, iNGENIOUS (Next-GENeration IoT sOlutions for the Universal Supply chain) will exploit some of the most innovative and emerging technologies in line with the standardised trend, contributing to the Next-Generation IoT (NG-IoT) and proposing technical and business enablers to build a complete platform for supply chain management. iNGENIOUS embraces the 5G Infrastructure Association (5G IA) and Alliance for Internet of Things Innovation (AIOTI) vision for empowering smart manufacturing and smart mobility verticals. The iNGENIOUS network layer brings new smart 5G-based IoT functi¬onalities, federated Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) nodes and smart orchestration, needed for enabling the projected real-time capable use cases of the supply chain. Security and data management are fully recognized as important features in the project. iNGENIOUS will create a holistic security architecture for next-generation IoT built on neuromorphic sensors with security governed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms and tile-based hardware architectures based on security by design and isolation by default. In the application layer, iNGENIOUS new AI mechanisms will allow more precise predictions than conventional systems. Project outcomes will be validated into 4 large-scale Proof of Concept demonstration, covering 1 factory, 2 ports, and 1 ship, encompassing 6 uses cases. iNGENIOUS is formed by 21 partners from eight countries, including three telecom vendors and manufacturers, two network operators, four logistics partners, two universities, three research institutes and seven high-tech SMEs.

The objective of Car2TERA is to develop emerging sub-THz (150-330 GHz) smart electronic systems based on latest semiconductor, microsystem and nanoelectronics technologies, and to implement TRL-4 demonstrators in two high-potential application scenarios: (1) a new class of compact, high-resolution, electronic-beam-steering short-range car radar sensors, with the primary application being in-cabin passenger monitoring (currently fastest growing car sensor market) for individually and real-time adjusted crash mitigation measures; (2) short-distance, high data-rate THz-over-plastic data links for telecommunication radio-access and backbone networks facilitating the data growth demanded by 5G and IoT. Car2TERA combines, for the first time, the results of recent achievements in semiconductor, micro- and nanoelectronics scientific projects, including the Graphene Flagship, an ERC and several EU collaboration projects, with the following emerging THz technologies: (1) 600-GHz-fmax SiGe monolithic-microwave integrated circuits (MMICs); (2) silicon micromachining for system integration, packaging and phased-array antenna front-end; (3) integrated MEMS reconfigurability; and (4) large-bandwidth, high-linearity graphene MMICs; (4) advanced signal processing including OFDM radar signals and AI sensor fusion. The consortium: Veoneer, world’s largest car safety equipment manufacturer; Ericsson, world leading in telecommunication systems; Infineon, world’s largest manufacturer of SiGe radar chip sets; the academic partners Chalmers and KTH, leading in MMIC design and micromachining/THz MEMS; and three SMEs leading in sub-THz technologies and 2D-materials. With European car module manufacturers holding a market share of 79% on car radars, and European semiconductor manufacturers 90% on SiGe car-radar chip sets, this project aims at extending Europe’s success story on advanced, smart electronic sensor systems into the sub-THz frequency spectrum and into new emerging applications.

STARLight is a major opportunity to establish Europe at the forefront of 300mm Silicon Photonics (SiPho) innovation and thus “Solidify the European photonics ecosystem and accelerate its industrial deployment”. The main STARLight vision is to contribute to European sovereignty relying on the achievement of an efficient and resilient ecosystem and a sustainable society by driving excellence and innovation in the implementation of 300mm silicon photonics manufacturing capacity in Europe (STMicroelectronics, France). The main STARLight goals are: -To offer Europe a realistic solution ensuring its independency on the sourcing of SiPho and other needed optical module compounds (EIC, laser), based on a true European end-to-end value chain, tailored to the global market. -To give Europe the opportunity to move forward with industrial and academic players by joining in the risk-taking necessary for the growth dynamics of SiPho optical modules in Europe, addressing applications such as Data Centers including Hyperscalers, Artificial Intelligence, Telecom, Automotive Lidar, Inter-Satellites communication. -To expand the European photonics technology platform family in terms of accessibility, upscaling and high yield, packaging assembly and providing modelling tools to converge on a mainstream simulation flow. -To be ready for future applications with 200 GBaud (400 Gbps PAM4/lane) by leveraging leading-edge SiPho technology innovations using the integration of heterogeneous non-silicon materials. -To demonstrate the benefit of SiPho optical modules sustainability, providing a better energy-saving, reliability, limited usage of copper and aluminium materials, and reducing the usage of polluting material and water. The STARLight project makes it possible to promote a concept of collaboration, which is based on an ecosystem bringing together the various actors of the supply chain ranging from the technologies, the circuits providers to the manufacturer of modules and systems.

The project aims to establish a robust security framework for 6G ecosystems, underpinned by the zero-trust principle and emphasizing core tenets like resilience, privacy, and dependability. Dynamic access control via a context-aware risk-based policy engine, leveraging rich cyber-threat intelligence and behavioral insights gathered from the 6G infrastructure, is at the core of the proposed approach. Micro-segmentation of vulnerable virtualized functions from critical O-RAN assets is a primary goal to prevent attackers’ lateral movement capabilities and minimize damage. Proactive security measures, will be deployed alongside sophisticated AI tools to optimize attack surface reduction and enhance intrusion detection capabilities. An intelligent extended detection and response solution will be developed, covering all layers of a 6G network; this entails the integration of collaborative intrusion detection networks and graph-based threat models, facilitating real-time and optimal responses to sophisticated multi-stage attacks targeting the 6G ecosystem. Automation will be pivotal in various aspects, including threat modeling, and response orchestration, aided by blockchain to secure integration and lifecycle management of 6G applications. Moreover, the project will prioritize supply chain security by implementing automated vulnerability scanning and introducing O-RAN application certification. Quantum-safe technologies (QKD and PQC) and AI-driven solutions will be employed to safeguard against physical layer attacks, ensuring uninterrupted and secure data transmission in 6G networks. Additionally, privacy-preserving and trusted AI/ML schemes will be developed upholding principles like fairness, explainability, and sustainability to ensure high energy efficiency and minimal environmental footprint of the proposed solutions. These efforts aim to ensure that critical 6G communications infrastructure achieves high security and resilience of against evolving cyber-threats.