Advisory Stakeholder Forum on the ECS-SRIA 2025 & Public Consultation Results
The 3 Industry Associations AENEAS, EPoSS, and INSIDE organized an online Advisory Stakeholder Forum on October 17th. You can find on this page the recording, the presentations and the answers to the questions collected during that event.
| Download Link |
|---|
| Introduction link |
| Download Link | Title |
|---|---|
| Introduction to session 1 | Introduction & Overview |
| Chapter 1.1 | Process Technology, Equipment, Materials And Manufacturing |
| Chapter 1.2 | Components, Modules and Systems Integration |
| Chapter 1.3 | Embedded Software and Beyond |
| Chapter 1.4 | System of Systems |
| Download Link | Title |
|---|---|
| Introduction to session 2 | Introduction & Overview |
| Chapter 2.1 | Edge computing and embedded Artificial Intelligence |
| Chapter 2.2 | Connectivity |
| Chapter 2.3 | Architecture and Design: Method And Tools |
| Chapter 2.4 | Quality, Reliability, Safety And Cybersecurity |
| Download Link | Title |
|---|---|
| Introduction to session 3 | Introduction & Overview |
| Chapter 3.1 | Mobility |
| Chapter 3.2 | Energy |
| Chapter 3.3 | Digital Industry |
| Chapter 3.4 | Health & Wellbeing |
| Chapter 3.5 | Agrifood And Natural Resources |
| Chapter 3.6 | Digital Society |
| Download Link | Title |
|---|---|
| Introduction to session 4 | Introduction & Overview |
| LTV Chapter | Long-Term Vision |
| Download Link |
|---|
| Wrap-up link |
Questions & Answers
Below are the questions and answers discussed during the ECS SRIA Advisory Stakeholder Forum sessions.
Q: What about advanced metrology and analytics? Is this integrated into the trends and challenges somewhere?
A: Answered during session – Please refer to recording.
Q: Do you consider manufacturing processes, which do not product IC's or electrical at the end, but optical components that are manufactured in IC processes and used for example in Augmented Reality glasses? (that is not silicon photonics or PIC, not SOI or connected to silicon)
A: In chapter 1.1 “Process Technology, Equipment, Materials and Manufacturing”, the key focus research areas of major challenge 3 “Advanced integration solutions” now includes AR/VR near eye and head-up displays as well as optical systems. The integration of optical components, e.g. for Augmented Reality glasses, is part of the integration chapter 1.2.
Q: Addressed to chapter 1.3 editing team : Do you consider interrogatable AI/ explainable AI ?
A: Answered during session – Please refer to recording.
Q: Where can we read the texts being summarized in the call now?
A: The full text is available at https://ecssria.eu/2025_draft
Q: Is RISC-V part of the foundational technologies?
A: Answered during session – Please refer to recording.
Q: Are you considering innovative circular manufacturing/packaging solutions for ICs?
A: The current version of chapter 1.1 “Process Technology, Equipment, Materials and Manufacturing” includes a major challenge devoted to the sustainable manufacturing. Its main objectives are the reduction of water and energy consumption, a better use of natural resources, recycling of water and chemical/gases… The reuse (Refurbishing) and recycling of process equipment modules for maintenance & servicing is also part of that major challenge.
The reuse and recycling of chips is not addressed in chapter 1.1, since we consider that only the recycling of PCBs is and will be meaningful…
There is a dedicated Major Challenge for Sustainability, including design for circularity in Chapter 1.2 “Components, Modules and Systems Integration”.
Q: Might the flexible electronics topic be expanded also to active components with non-standard materials (metal-oxides, organic, etc...) development for smart interposers and multicomponent integration?
A: Integration for flexible electronics is part of chapter 1.2, however the mentioned non-standard materials are not explicitly mentioned yet. Likewise, chapter 1.1 also mentions flexible electronics but no challenge is related to this topic. We welcome additional contributors to the SRIA in that area.
Q: We will be founding a new company in Finland soon on advanced packaging. How to collaborate with you?
A: A dedicated exchange with Matthias Kühnel was initiated on that topic.
Q: One topic will be how much energy AI will use? The energy consumption due to data centres is increasing
A: In general, the demand for ECS is set to grow considerably to serve environmentally sustainable applications, and we cannot allow this to translate into an equivalent increase in the resources consumed in their production and operation. This is true in particular for AI, but not limited to it. The SRIA clearly puts energy efficiency of ECS as a top priority, reflecting the ECS sector focus on improving its own energy performance and disposability of electronic components and reducing its environmental footprint by means of cleaner and greener production processes, more circularity and less energy and material consumption. Further device scaling, new embedded NVM technologies, new power electronics devices and improved integration technologies are some examples of the R&I directions followed to meet this challenge.
Q: For the connectivity DECT-2020 / NR+ should be added
A: Answered during session – Please refer to recording
Q: Where are the corresponding RDI challenges AI and Gen-AI SW stack components with standardized interfaces to application SW described in the SRIA?
A: We will address such stack in the upcoming year in chapter 1.3 “Embedded software and beyond”
Q: How is hardware security at this level connected to technological measures or solutions that could be applied in the foundational technologies sector
A:
The following analysis highlights how hardware security serves as a foundational element that enables and supports higher-level security measures while requiring specific technological solutions to address emerging threats and requirements.
Hardware security's connection to technological measures in foundational technologies can be analyzed through the following key areas:
Root of Trust and Hardware-Level Security
Hardware security serves as the crucial building block for a continuous chain-of-trust from hardware up to applications. Trustworthy design IPs (including source code, documentation, and verification suites) are essential for establishing secure foundational technologies. The chiplet-based approach mentioned in the ECS SRIA Chapter 2.4 offers new opportunities for implementing security functions at the hardware level.
Integration with AI and Machine Learning
- Hardware security measures need to support and protect AI/ML implementations.
- Security considerations must be built into hardware architectures that support AI functions; hardware-level protections are needed against AI-specific threats like data poisoning and adversarial inputs.
Quality and Reliability Measures
Hardware security is tightly coupled with production quality and reliability testing. In-situ and real-time assessment capabilities at the hardware level are crucial. Process and materials variability need to be characterized to understand their effects on hardware security.
Technological Solutions
The following technological solutions are foreseen for hardware security implementation:
- Robust cryptographic modules at the hardware level
- Development of quantum-safe cryptography solutions in hardware
- Integration of security features in dedicated hardware (e.g., RISC-V and other open-source hardware architectures)
Supply Chain Security
Hardware security measures need to be implemented across the entire supply chain, for example, through standard verification and validation of hardware components from different suppliers or by implementing traceability mechanisms at the hardware level.
Q: Training new LLMs and other foundation models will use a lot processing power, but also use of them
A: See answer above related to the energy efficiency of ECS
Q: Should battery recycling/circularity be pre-designed?
A: Batteries are not in the main scope of the ECS SRIA, while they are the focus of the co-programmed Battery partnership. Life Cycle Assessment in general (not restricted to batteries) is one of the research areas to be addressed, and is cited in Section 3.2.2: “Energy technologies in the circular economy approach: predictive and condition-based maintenance with repair, refurbish, reuse and recycle capabilities, LCA of ECS and reduction of environmental impact.”
Q: How is Software Defined Vehicle a "new topic", if there have been Calls and there are running projects on this?
A: Focus topics are topics with a high relevance to Europe. It shall have a vision and roadmap document. The implementation requires typically more than one project, therefore several calls are planned in a focus topic. The first implementation project call was related to the HW/SW abstraction layer, the second implementation call according to the roadmap is related to the middleware/API-layer in the non-differentiating part of the SDV SW stack.
A CSA (Coordination and Support Action) complements the projects so far. Several other projects are envisioned in CCAM, 2Zero and Chips-JU to implement the roadmap.
The SDV focus topic is well aligned with the RISC-V focus topics, which has also already 3 projects running.
Q: USA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) passed a regulation to making emergency breaking systems able to detect pedestrian in low visibility conditions mandatory on new vehicles in 2029. It will generate a huge demand for systems able to detect Vulnerable Road Users at night.
A: We have included robust perception especially for the detection of vulnerable road users and all traffic situations. Following the above input, we have added now as additional specification ”(especially also at night or in adverse weather)”.
Q: Technologies able to manufacture devices such as thermal infrared imaging sensors in large volume and at low cost will need to be developed. This will be a major challenge since today's technologies are for niche markets. Is it taken into account in the 2025 version of the SRIA ?
A: Thermal IR imaging sensors are included in chapter 1.1 as optical and image sensors since we consider that it is very important for the ECS community and for the EU sovereignty. No challenge in terms of pitch, sensitivity… are mentioned in the current version of chapter 1.1, since the sensor domain is so huge in the ECS community. We welcome additional contributors to the SRIA in that area.
Q: With regards to ECS for distributed renewable energy systems, an important aspect should be to closely collaborate with grid operators
A: Partners setting up the grid control systems have significantly contributed to the chapter 3.2 (Energy) of the ECS SRIA – Grid operators can contribute to collaborative R&I projects by bringing end applications use cases.
Q: We need to sensorize and do condition monitoring of renewable energy components (generation, transmission, storage, power management)
A: Condition monitoring is covered as a research topic in the section 3.2.3.5.2, “Key focus areas in the cross-sectional tasks”.
Q: Energy flow and improve interaction and inter-operability, detect anomalies and do predictive maintenance. WSN nodes offer opportunity to retrofit such sensors.
A: This point is covered in several parts of chapter 3.2 “Energy”:
- Retrofit is covered in the 1st major challenge “Smart & Efficient - Managing Energy Generation, Conversion, and Storage Systems, in the section smart energy systems”;
- Energy flow is covered in the Multi Energy systems, in Major Challenge 4 “Achieving Clean, Efficient & Resilient Urban/Regional Energy Supply”;
- Predictive maintenance is covered in the Resilience Section of Major Challenge ”Future Transmission Grids”;
- Connectivity is in the Key focus areas for achieving efficient community and regional energy management, major challenge 4.
Q: Where are AR/VR topics (technology/ applications chapters) addressed in the SRIA currently? What are the main challenges for AR/VR adoption?
A: Chapter 1.2 “Components, Modules and Systems Integration” includes integration of technologies like waveguides and display technologies for small-form factor and low-power applications. In Chapter 3.3 “Digital Industry”, AR/VR is cited as a support to workers in the “field” of the production line of remotely connected to the production line, but also for design of new products and as a valid support to increase production performances in general (e.g. quality checks, production speed).
Q: Since AI & Robotics is mentioned in Chapter 3.3, is there a link between the ECS SRIA and the Adra (AI, Data & Robotics partnership) SRIDA?
A: There is a specific mention to the Adra SRIDA with the link to the latest version in term of news and updates of ADRA Strategic Orientation for years 2025-2027, in addition to the more extensive SRIA published in 2020 and described also in term of contents in figure 3.3.2.
Q: Digitization is great but we have a collective responsibility to figure out what data we collect, where and when, how we process. There are energy constraints thereby processing and storage and communications limits. We need to build an ecosystem & a clear framework for collaboration to do it.
A: Energy efficiency is a theme present across the ECS SRIA. For example, the role of software system architecture is discussed briefly in chapter 1.3, “Embedded software and beyond” while Chapter 2.1 “Edge computing and embedded AI” discusses the impact of AI and embedded intelligence in sustainable development.
Q: The farmer’s satisfactory livelihood should be included as the one key enabler for all green deal changes. Farmer with economical dire is not able to execute the transformation. Thus, farm system perspective with optimization and resource efficiency is crucial for cost savings and enabler for change
A: This is addressed in the chapter 3.5 “Agrifood and natural resources”, since it discusses providing low cost technological solutions for small scale farmers including provision of Farming-as-a-service options where the farmer cannot afford a large outlay of costs required to purchase sensors/robotics etc.
