DECADE-X brings together industry stakeholders with a clear mission: to enable secure, standards-based data exchange that works across company sizes and IT environments, without compromising data control or interoperability.
Supply chains under strain
The aerospace and defense sector has been under mounting pressure. A surge in demand has caused shipping delays, material shortages, and cost volatility. Expectations around sustainability are rising, especially when it comes to emissions and material traceability. At the same time, export controls and regulatory requirements are becoming more demanding, pushing companies to offer transparency across multiple supply chain tiers. On top of all this, fragmented digital systems limit the continuity of data across lifecycles and organizations.
In response, a group of companies began exploring ways to align their digital transformation efforts across organizational boundaries.
From exploration to execution
The story of DECADE-X began in 2022, when a small group of aerospace and defense firms started investigating new approaches to improve supply chain collaboration. By early 2023, the group had grown to 18 partners under the name NextErA. Together, they identified four shared priorities:
- accelerate development and industrialization,
- enhance supply chain resilience,
- improve traceability and conformity, and
- support sustainability objectives.
These efforts were formalized in 2025 with the launch of DECADE-X, now an association responsible for governance, coordination, and the continued development of the ecosystem.
A framework with ambition
DECADE-X is building a data-sharing framework designed for scale. It aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises as well as large companies, ensure participants maintain control over their data, and enable interoperability through standardized formats and protocols.
An initial prototype is currently being tested. The goal is to validate basic functionality and use the results to shape more advanced use cases.
Not an exception, but part of a broader trend
DECADE-X reflects a wider move toward sector-specific data spaces that respond to concrete operational needs.
Across industries, new initiatives are emerging to support structured data sharing within defined domains. Healthcare is one example, with the European Health Data Space introducing a regulated framework for using patient data in care and research. Similar efforts are taking shape in areas such as automotive, mobility, manufacturing, agriculture, and public procurement, each shaped by its own challenges and requirements.
These developments often address fragmented data landscapes, interoperability issues, or regulatory complexity. Like DECADE-X, they are designed with usability, governance, and practical application in mind.
Founding members of the DECADE-X association include Airbus, BoostAeroSpace, Collins Aerospace, Liebherr, and Thales. They are responsible for keeping stakeholders aligned, guiding technical development, and ensuring that the initiative reflects shared industry needs.
While DECADE-X is still at an early stage, it illustrates how data space concepts can be tailored to the realities of a specific industry. Whether the model proves scalable and sustainable remains to be seen. Still, it is already offering valuable insights for other sectors facing similar challenges in multi-party data exchange, regulatory compliance, and digital infrastructure coordination.
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