NexTArc
Next Generation Open Innovations in Trustworthy Embedded AI Architectures for Smart Cities, Mobility and Logistics
Shaping trustworthy AI and IoT for sustainable cities, industries, and mobility in Europe.
About the Project
NexTArc is a Chips-JU Horizon Europe project bringing together 38 partners from 10 countries to advance the next generation of trustworthy edge AI and IoT technologies for sustainable and climate-resilient societies.
The project focuses on three key domains:
- Smart, sustainable and liveable neighbourhoods (SLN)
- Smart, sustainable and transparent industrial spaces (STI)
- Trustworthy, eco-friendly multimodal mobility (TEM)
By combining:
- Low-power embedded AI
- Cyber-resilient architectures
- Dependable high-performance computing
- A holistic solution stack
NexTArc supports the EU’s vision under the Chips Act and the Cybersecurity Act.
Objectives
NexTArc aims to:
- Accelerate adoption of AI and connectivity technologies
- Improve data transmission efficiency (+40%) while reducing energy use (–30%)
- Ensure secure, safe, and open hardware/software designs
- Align with open-source innovation and key industry standards
Through this integrated approach, NexTArc will deliver 15 Key Innovations to strengthen Europe’s leadership in sustainable, trustworthy digital technologies for urban life, industry, and mobility.
Project Information
| Organization | European Commission |
| Program | Horizon Europe |
| Grant ID | 101194287 |
| AEI Reference: | PCI2025-163248 |
| Financing | European Union |
| Start date | 2025-09-01 |
| End date | 2028-08-31 |
| DOI | |
| Links |
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Contribution
UPM, through the GRyS Research Group, contributes to NexTArc in several key areas:
- Research Management: Participation in project coordination and scientific/technical management (WP1).
- Semantic Modelling: Leading the specification of trustworthiness and resilience needs (T2.3) and supporting requirements definition (T2.4).
- Edge & Explainable AI:
- AI-optimised hardware design (T5.1)
- Embedded intelligence and edge AI solutions (T5.3) – contributing to Key Innovation 2.2 (situational awareness based on AI)
- Scalable, modular, explainable AI in distributed environments (T5.4)
- Validation & Demonstration: Design of UC3 validation scenarios and mobility/logistics demonstrations (T7.1, T7.2).
- Dissemination: Publishing scientific outputs and contributing to project-wide dissemination activities (WP9).
Use Case Contributions
- UC1: Provide semantic modelling expertise for trustworthiness and resilience.
- UC2: Contribute edge AI methods and semantic interoperability frameworks.
- UC3: Lead contributions on autonomous navigation, explainable AI, CPS safety, AI-based decision support for mobility, human-in-the-loop AI for trust, and semantic interoperability across transport modes.
Key People at UPM
- Dr. Néstor Lucas-Martínez – Associate Professor, Principal Investigator for NexTArc at UPM
- Prof. José Fernán Martínez-Ortega – Full Professor, GRyS Research Group Lead
Other team members include Vicente Hernández-Díaz, Pedro Castillejo Parrilla, Mario San Emeterio, and Yiting Wang.
Funding
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101194287, and from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under grant agreement No. PCI2025-163248.
