In this latest edition of the magazine:
Europe's semiconductor strategy: a software blind spot - by Paolo Azzoni, Jean-Luc di Paola Galloni, Jerker Delsing & Remi Cornubert
The inevitable rise of engineering automation - by Paolo Azzoni
INSIDE Industry Association shines at Embedded World 2024 - by André Hebben and Heidi Teunissen
The next big step in digital transformation is taking shape – by Thomas Gutt
H2TRAIN – by Juan Antonio Montiel Nelson, Marco Ottella and Chris Horgan
ACORDE Technologies – by Fernando Herrera
Adding trust in a connected world – by Markus Pistauer and Chris Horgan
Building bridges to shape Europe's future – by Paolo Azzoni and Josh Grindrod
Innovating the Edge to Cloud Continuum - by Paolo Azzoni and Josh Grindrod
The Future of the Edge Computing: A United Effort – by Paolo Azzoni
Dear reader,
In this magazine issue we want to focus your attention on a dual transformation that is shaping the digital landscape. On the one hand, Europe is grappling with securing its semiconductor supply chain, with a strategy that overlooks the critical software international dependencies and
hidden vulnerabilities across the technology stack. This represents a crucial software blind spot that threatens EU
technological autonomy and requires a holistic EU strategy that encompasses both hardware and software, ensuring true strategic autonomy, security and safeguarding the full technological stack in the rapidly evolving geopolitical and economic landscapes. On the other hand, the ever-growing complexity of software in the Electronic Components and Systems (ECS) domain and their applications demands innovative solutions and we examine how, supported by artificial intelligence, engineering automation and hyperautomation can empower engineers, and address the insatiable demand for experts, the limited pool of available talents and the lack of appropriate solutions to alleviate these problems. Hyper-automation will become ubiquitous in almost every organisation’s process (decision-making, research and development, critical operations, customer management, etc), and it is here to stay as a powerful ally, empowering people to achieve more, and to be more efficient and productive.
We also report the continuous effort to promote and support SMEs, which represent a key asset for Europe and for our Association. At Embedded World 2024 we organised an
initiative aimed to subsidise SME participation in a highprofile and very expensive event, showcasing the benefits of the Association membership and its core values. The
intention was to provide great visibility to four SMEs (Ropardo, Abinsula, Virtual Vehicle and Verum Software) showcasing cutting-edge products and solutions, and opening up new
business prospects. The initiative was successful, and we plan to expand our presence at Embedded World 2025 to offer more space for our SME members. In this issue we
also present two SMEs, ACORDE and CISC, who valuably contributed to several research projects and representimportant members of our community.
ACORDE, an SME based in Santander (Spain), is a designer and manufacturer of RF subsystems for the defence, space and telecommunications sectors. Here, we look at the
ingredients for success from its origins around a cutting edge RF communication lab of the University of Cantabria, to a team of interdisciplinary experts in highly complex RF technologies, which transformed in a company operating in fields as diverse as PCB design & manufacturing, mechanical design and embedded system development. CISC Semiconductor is presented through an interview with the CEO, Dr Markus Pistauer, explaining how the company has grown over the past 25 years to become a leader in the area of communication and security, and an active member of various fora and platforms, including INSIDE. Looking back to CISC’s foundation in 1999, Markus recalls how he
“couldn’t have imagined that one day companies within the top 50 of the fortune 500 list would be our customers” and how being an INSIDE member “helps us determine our strategy and influence the environment in which we operate at the same time. Here you have the opportunity to create, to be part of the process.”
As always, we provide insights about research projects involving our members: in this issue we focus on AIMS 5.0 and H2TRAIN. AIMS 5.0 focuses on the adoption of AI to find solutions for a more sustainable, efficient, and user friendly production towards Industry 5.0 and European digital sovereignty. H2TRAIN addresses the impact of demographic ageing in Europe and aims at developing enabling digital technologies in a holistic health-lifestyle
supported by AI, where various advanced wearable devices and biosensors allow continuous and smart monitoring of health, rehabilitation and sports activities. This market is expected to achieve double-digit growth at least until 2030. Finally, we look back at the ECS Brokerage Event in Brussels, which represented for our community an important moment for networking, information about the future calls and preparation of future project proposals: 48
new ideas were presented in a vibrant environment that gathered together more then 550 people. In this context, we organised the EUCEI RIAs Challenge 2024, an initiative to bridge important projects in the Edge to Cloud Computing Continuum domain with the industry to identify prospects for further exploitation. The articles in this magazine represent the diversity and allure of the topics that punctuate our INSIDE community. We are fortunate that you, our members, are enthusiastic contributors willing to share your stories and successes. As we continue to grow and develop, we hope more of you will share your experiences and continue to be actively involved.
Paolo Azzoni
Secretary General
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