Next Generation Open Tender

NexTArc
Grant agreement ID: 101194287

DOI
10.3030/101194287

EC signature date
18 May 2025
Start date
1 September 2025
End date
31 August 2028
Description:
Europe’s push for sustainability hinges on smarter, more connected urban and industrial spaces. However, ensuring that AI and data-driven technologies are not only powerful but also trustworthy, energy-efficient and secure, remains a major challenge. In this context, the EU-funded NexTArc project will promote the adoption of edge AI and IoT across three use cases: sustainable neighbourhoods, transparent industry, and eco-friendly mobility, linking people, places and production. With 38 partners in 10 countries, NexTArc is developing low-power, secure and open technologies in line with the EU Chips and Cybersecurity Acts. The goal is to boost performance, cut energy use and put Europe at the forefront of climate-resilient digital innovation.
Objective

Data and AI-driven smart technologies, with an emphasis on (i) the connection between the urban space and the industrial space, (ii) sustainable living and (ii) sustainable industrial production, hold the transformative potential to enhance the sustainability and climate resilience across EU, in private and work spaces. Assuming this, NexTArc is devoted to augmenting the adoption of Trustworthy edge AI and IoT across 3 complementary and interrelated application domains, organised as Use Cases (UC): SLN - Smart, sustainable and Liveable Neighbourhood in Urban Spaces; STI - Smart, sustainable and transparent industrial Spaces; and TEM - Trustworthy and Eco-friendly Multimodal Connectivity of Urban and Industrial Spaces through people and freight mobility, incl. the inter and intra-mobility. Building on this vision, NexTArc aims to promote the cross-fertilization of ideas among a broad spectrum of stakeholders, 38 partners in 10 countries, integrated over a four-fold Innovation Module (IM) approach: i) cyber-resilience on chip; ii) low-power embedded AI; iii) improved computation and dependability covering the high-performance needs; iv) holistic solution stack to enable trustworthy services, which resonate with the EU Chips Act, etc. NexTArc has identified 6 Specific Objectives: 1) Driving adoption of AI while enhancing connectivity preparedness; 2) Targeting a 40% increase in data transmission rates and a 30% reduction in energy use during data processes, while ensuring robust architectural resilience; 3) Fortifying cyber-physical security with an aim for full-compliance with EU’s Chip and Cybersecurity act; 4) Realising open HW/SW to ensure designs that are secure, safe, private, and accountable; 5) Proactively adapting to the dynamic landscape of open-source innovations and key industry standards; 6) Orchestrating 4 IM, unveiling 15 Key Innovations to develop the solutions that are needed for Europe to take the technological lead towards a sustainable society.