Sep 10 2025
SC4EU Showcases Innovation at INSIDE Connect 2025 in Málaga!
1. A Dynamic Conference Environment
The two-day event at Hotel Barceló brought together leading minds in semiconductor technology, digital transformation, and supply chain innovation. The INSIDE Industry Association created a vibrant platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange across multiple technology domains.
The conference opened with an inspiring keynote by Paolo Azzoni, the Secretary General, who established the foundation for two days of collaboration, innovation, and forward-thinking discussions. This set the tone for an event that would demonstrate Málaga’s emerging role in digital transformation and innovation.
2. Comprehensive Program Addressing Key Technologies
The first day featured diverse sessions covering Málaga’s digital transformation journey. Marc Collier Sanderson from Málaga’s Municipality presented the city’s innovative path, while Guillermo Gómez Fontecha from SETT, Spanish Ministry for Digital Transformation, discussed collaborative innovation applied to industry. Juan Salvador Domínguez Morales from Fundación INNOVA IRV highlighted how Imec is driving innovation in Málaga.
A significant highlight was Karel van Gils from Imec introducing MicroNanoSpain: the new Microelectronics Chips Competence Center in Spain, alongside Alfonso Gabarrón González from AESEMI. These presentations showcased the collaborative power between municipalities, ministries, research foundations, and industry leaders in shaping Spain’s digital innovation future.
The first day concluded with parallel sessions exploring forward-looking topics including the Digital Vehicle of the Future, advances in Quantum Technologies, Quantum Computing developments, Quantum Sensing innovations, open discussions, and project exhibitions with pitches. The day ended with a cultural visit to the Alcazaba of Málaga, followed by a networking reception that facilitated continued conversations and meaningful connections.
3. Day Two: Strategic Focus and Future Directions
The second day maintained strong momentum with parallel sessions on harnessing Edge AI applications and engineering automation. The morning featured strategic foresight presentations from the Scientific Council, including embedded intelligence discussions on federated and continuous learning by Jon Imaz Marín from IKERLAN S. Coop., and safety and cybersecurity insights from Dimitrios Serpanos from CTI.
The afternoon thematic workshops addressed next steps in key areas including mobility, edge-to-cloud cognitive continuum, healthcare, cybersecurity, and additional community-driven themes. The conference concluded with closing reflections and a forward outlook session.
4. SC4EU’s Innovative Contribution
Thomas Gutt and Anna Lackner’s presentation positioned SC4EU as a significant contributor to European semiconductor supply chain resilience. The project addresses the critical challenge of the bullwhip effect through innovative anonymous data sharing using Multi-Party Computation technology and semantic web integration through the Digital Reference ontology.
Their presentation demonstrated how SC4EU’s True Demand Framework enables companies to share critical demand and inventory information without compromising sensitive business data. This approach addresses fundamental trust issues in supply chain collaboration while providing unprecedented visibility into supply chain dynamics.
5. Distinguished Speaker Participation
The conference featured an impressive roster of visionary speakers who shared their expertise and insights. Notable participants included Jean-Luc di Paola-Galloni, Paolo Azzoni, Michael Paulweber, Andreas Eckel, Alberto Bianchi, Mauro Tortonesi, André van Schaik, Dirk Walliser, Per Delsing, Rihards Novickis, Pal Varga, Udayanto Dwi Atmojo, Gianvito Urgese, Mohammed Abuteir, Juan Morales, Michael Karner, Maarten Bonnema, Juan A. Montiel-Nelson, Eike Schultz, Markus Tauber, Benny Akesson, Boris Baldassari, Dimitrios Serpanos, Jon Imaz Marín, Petri Solanti, Guillermo Gómez Fontecha, Jan Lukas, Karel van Gils, Carl Borngrund, and Thomas Gutt.
6. Impact on European Digital Innovation
The conference demonstrated the power of collaboration between municipalities, ministries, research foundations, and industry leaders in shaping the future of digital innovation in Spain and beyond. The conversations and connections built during the event will continue to drive progress in digital innovation, Edge AI, mobility, healthcare, sustainability, and other critical technology areas.
7. SC4EU’s Strategic Positioning
The project’s presentation within this context highlighted how SC4EU serves as a foundational element for future semiconductor supply chain innovation. The comprehensive approach to addressing supply chain challenges through semantic web technologies and anonymous data sharing has established important precedents for collaborative industry solutions.
The Digital Reference ontology and True Demand Knowledge Graph concepts demonstrated at the conference provide templates for integrating diverse data sources and enabling comprehensive supply chain visibility. This technological foundation supports broader visions of digital transformation and resilient supply chain ecosystems.
8. Looking Forward
The success of INSIDE Connect 2025 reinforced the importance of collaborative innovation in addressing critical industry challenges. SC4EU’s contribution to the conference demonstrated how advanced research projects can provide practical solutions to real-world problems while building foundations for continued innovation.
The event’s emphasis on quantum technologies, edge AI, digital transformation, and supply chain resilience aligns with the strategic priorities that projects like SC4EU address. As the semiconductor industry continues to face evolving challenges, the collaborative approaches and innovative solutions showcased at the conference provide essential building blocks for future technological sovereignty and competitiveness.
The conference concluded with gratitude to all participants whose energy, ideas, and dedication to shaping the future of technology and innovation were at the heart of INSIDE Connect. The connections and conversations established in Málaga will continue to drive progress across multiple technology domains, with projects like SC4EU serving as catalysts for broader innovation ecosystems.
