NTT Com Demonstration Test to Link GAIA-X Platform’s “IDS Connector” Technology and SDPF Based on Data Trust®

NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group (TOKYO:9432), announced today that beginning October 1 it will collaborate with the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA)¹ in a demonstration test as the first phase of contributing to the development of a secure, global data-management platform² that assures interoperability between data platforms built and managed in countries worldwide.

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The test environment for sharing highly confidential data securely will include IDS Connectors³, the core technology of GAIA-X⁴, a federated data infrastructure for Europe, and NTT Com’s Things Cloud^® IoT platform and Smart Data Platform (SDPF)⁵, the later incorporating Data Trust^®6 policies. The demonstration, in addition to assessing the practicality and operability of a new structure for appropriately controlling the access rights of each data based on related laws and contracts, will shed new light on the requirements, etc. of platforms designed for international data management. The results are expected to lead to the establishment of global data management platforms that smoothly link local data platforms in countries across the globe.

In the demonstration, a test environment will be built to test various cases of international data sharing, such as remote monitoring of machines overseas, etc., to verify the practicality and operability of data sharing. Initially, in collaboration with the NTT Software Innovation Center,⁷ IDS Connector and SDPF will be deployed in a test environment in Japan to test system interoperability and the management of specific data-usage rights. The test environment in Japan will then be connected to IDSA’s test environment in Germany and a separate test environment at the Swiss nonprofit Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne⁸ to test the system’s practicality and operability in controlling data access rights internationally via NTT Com’s networks.

Thereafter, NTT Com will proceed with further verification and testing by applying the current test’s findings in a test operation environment (test bed), aiming to verify the interoperability of various hardware and software using the IDS Connector. The new global data management platform will be jointly developed by Japanese and overseas companies and organizations. At the same time, NTT Com will determine concrete requirements for the platform together with various organizations and companies active in Japan and overseas, including the Robot Revolution & Industrial IoT Initiative.⁹ Going forward, NTT Com hopes to support the formulation of basic specifications through public-private-academic collaboration. Ultimately, NTT Com aims to contribute to the realization of a smart world by developing and providing a platform for broad sharing and usage of data in wide-ranging fields worldwide.

Technologies for IoT, artificial intelligence and data utilization are increasingly being applied in diverse fields, including manufacturing, logistics, transportation, medical care, energy, cities and government. To facilitate advanced, multipurposed data use, systems are needed to ensure the safe, reliable exchange of data among industries, businesses and countries. Simultaneously, the rights of data providers and users must be protected and observed by managing when, where, who, why and under what conditions specific data can be used. Currently, legal systems and technologies are being developed worldwide to create such data infrastructure. Eventually, data exchange in international business may require compliance with data-infrastructure specifications according to the laws and regulations of relevant countries.

1	The International Data Spaces Association (IDSA), originating in Europe, has defined a reference architecture and a formal standard to be used for creating and operating virtual data spaces. The International Data Spaces (IDS) Architecture is based on commonly accepted data governance models facilitating secure exchange and easy linkage of data within business ecosystems. IDSA counts over 120 member organizations from 21 countries.
2	Global data-management platform is a function for mutually linking data platforms across borders so that each country can internationally distribute data safely, fairly and appropriately while protecting national assets and human rights.
3	IDS Connector provided by IDSA is the core element of a data ecosystem designed to facilitate the secure exchange of data between trusted parties. Deployed in the GAIA-X infrastructure as well as in clouds, on edge computers or on devices, etc. that send and receive data, it provides settings for managing access to specific data based on laws and contracts.
4	GAIA-X is an initiative announced by the German and French governments in October 2019 to build decentralized data infrastructure for data sharing and utilization protected by European data laws.
5	Smart Data Platform (SDPF) is NTT Com’s next-generation platform that offers comprehensive, one-stop functions for corporate digital transformation (DX).
6	DATA Trust® is a registered trademark of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT).
7	The NTT Software Innovation Center is an NTT laboratory engaged in researching and developing IT infrastructure technologies, such as DX acceleration, software infrastructure, AI infrastructure and next-generation computers, that are becoming important infrastructure.
8	Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne is a Swiss private nonprofit organization that carries out and supports primarily industry-oriented applied research and development.
9	The Robot Revolution & Industrial IoT Initiative is a private organization established in 2015 at the initiative of the Japanese government to facilitate the use of industrial IoT, robots, etc. NTT Com has been active as the secretariat of the Global Data Management Platform Sub-Working group since October 2019.

About NTT Communications

NTT Communications solves the world's technology challenges by helping enterprises overcome complexity and risk in their ICT environments with managed IT infrastructure solutions. These solutions are backed by our worldwide infrastructure, including industry leading, global tier-1 public and private networks reaching over 190 countries/regions, and more than 500,000m² of the world's most advanced data center facilities. Our global professional services teams provide consultation and architecture for the resiliency and security required for your business success, and our scale and global capabilities in technology world are unsurpassed. Combined with NTT Ltd., NTT Data, and NTT DOCOMO, we are NTT Group.
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Contact information

For more information
Akira Sakaino, Hideaki Niitsuma
Smart Factory Office
Business Planning, Business Solution Division
NTT Communications
smart-factory@ntt.com