04/19/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/18/2024 19:07
Kawasaki, April 19, 2024
Fujitsu today announced the development of a new technology that will enable Japanese companies to more easily participate in European Data Spaces, which form a digital framework for cross-company data sharing across different industries.
To verify the new technology, which converts corporate digital identity credentials, Fujitsu conducted a technology trial as Architectural Study, as part of the Global PoC for Catena-X, a data space for the automotive industry.
Within the trial, Fujitsu contributed the new technology into Tractus-X (1), an open-source project used by Catena-X.
As part of the trial, Fujitsu created a hypothetical case study in which Japanese companies to participate in a European data space, by conducting authentication in a simulated gBizID (2) system environment. As a result of the trial, Fujitsu confirmed that it is the first in the world to successfully connect to the Data Space built using Tractus-X. NTT Communications Corporation (3) supported with the OSS survey as part of the trial.
Fujitsu will present the results of the trial of the "Catena-X" initiative at its showcase for Hannover Messe 2024, held in Germany from April 22 to April 26, 2024. During the event, Fujitsu will further introduce solutions for the different phases of the manufacturing process (planning, design, manufacturing, and management), including smart inspection solutions and assistive technologies that support sustainable transformation for manufacturing customers.
In the European automotive industry, consortia including Catena-X started to develop data spaces to share information on carbon footprints and data in the automotive supply chain, following a wider industry trend of sharing data in common with other companies while protecting data sovereignty of each participating company.
For companies from different countries and industries to easily and securely interconnect in the Data Space, however, both the development of rules and guidelines as well as reliable interoperability among participants pose an ongoing challenge. While the verification of the authenticity of companies using credentials issued by an existing trust service represents an important step towards secure and trusted data sharing, different countries and industries utilize different formats, protocols, and verification processes, which made it difficult for Japanese companies, for example, to participate easily in these frameworks (4).
Fujitsu has developed a technology that addresses these challenges with the following unique functions and characteristics:
As part of the new technology, Fujitsu created and verified a way to convert corporate credentials created using OpenID Connect (OIDC) (6), a widely used authentication mechanism in Japan and around the world, into Verifiable Credentials (VC). Using this implementation, Fujitsu confirmed successful connection to a data space built using Tractus-X in a scenario where a Japanese company using gBizID authentication connects to a European data space, a world first.
When a Japanese company connects to a data space using VCs, the technology converts authentication information into VCs if the company is certified as authentic by a corporate credential issuing organization for Japanese companies. The converted VC can be presented to the European data space to complete the company verification and to connect to the data space. Once connected, data providers and data consumers in the data space can exchange VCs and data after verifying each other's authenticity.
Moving forward, Fujitsu aims to establish and standardize advanced trust technology using this trial to build a system that makes it easier for non-European companies to participate in European data spaces such as Catena-X. In this way, Fujitsu aims to enable a trustworthy world where companies can exchange data in a secure and trustworthy way.
As part of its vision for Fujitsu Uvance, which aims to realize a sustainable world, Fujitsu will continue to advance its Hybrid IT initiatives, connecting the world seamlessly and safely with digital infrastructure to realize a connected society.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 represent a set of common goals to be achieved worldwide by 2030.
Fujitsu's purpose - "to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation" - is a promise to contribute to the vision of a better future empowered by the SDGs.
Fujitsu's purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers in over 100 countries, our 124,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: Computing, Networks, AI, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.7 trillion yen (US$28 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share. Find out more: www.fujitsu.com.
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