IDSA member NTT is developing a new data sharing platform to work together with European platforms like Catena-X. NTT is going to provide a secure framework that uses hardware encryption technology to process data, keeping the data itself secret – and therefore protected.
European initiatives and Japanese challenges
Gaia-X and IDSA (International Data Space Association) are getting attention with their secure data sharing initiatives between companies and organizations. German automakers and IT companies are building the Catena-X platform using IDS, one of the key technologies developed by IDSA. The platform is operated by German car manufacturers and suppliers and will enable hundreds of companies in the automotive industry to exchange data securely. The launch is this summer.
Japanese business partners of the German car companies will be part of the Catena-X network. However, when Japanese companies use Catena-X to share data, it is managed under European policies not the Japanese ones. The challenge for NTT was to develop a solution that allows both: to be connected with the European data space and securely manage data under Japanese policies.
IDS Connector and DAPS
NTT conducted tests, built a platform, and developed technologies with the companies that require secure data sharing. In April 2022, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NTT succeeded in securely sharing data containing aerodynamic information from JAXA in Japan to its company branch based in the Netherlands via a data sharing platform prototype built on the Smart Data Platform with the help of with Trust ® (a set up for securely distributing highly confidential data).
It is using the IDS Connector, which is an essential tool of the IDS compliant data space, and its authentication system DAPS. This is the world’s first international cross-continent connection between data spaces. It allows DAPS and IDS Connectors to be managed and data sovereignty protected regarding to each country’s policies.
Invitation to participate
NTT has established the world’s first protocol that can process data while encrypting the data owned by multiple providers and the programs that analyze it. The technology was developed enables high-speed and safe analysis while maintaining data sovereignty.
Companies and organizations in various industries such as manufacturing, energy and healthcare are invited to participate in the Japanese data space. In collaboration with European organizations such as TNO, Fraunhofer Institute, and IDSA, NTT will continue to develop a data platform that enables secure connection between European and Japanese data spaces and will promote the implementation globally.
