The aim of creating artificial intelligence in Europe has just received a boost through a revolutionary project that is set to change the way scientists access and share data. The European Union has developed its most extensive research data infrastructure ever, whose objective is to eliminate some of the barriers that have long hampered AI research in Europe. The need to have AI in Europe has been one of the most acute challenges in European innovation initiatives.
European Open Science Cloud launches federated network
The European Open Science Cloud has been established with the launch of the initial 14 data nodes within its data federation through a memorandum of collaboration on November 3. A data federation is a system that gives scientists access to data sets through nodes while retaining control and management over data sources. A framework for cross-border services has been established through this memorandum and is set to provide a foundation for building a sustainable infrastructure within the research data framework in Europe.
Nodes represent an infrastructure that offers specialized services to the network at large. The first 14 nodes are comprised of the EOSC EU node that has been contracted by the European Commission, as well as the respective national-level EOSC nodes for countries such as Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia. In addition to this, there are the theme-related nodes, such as CERN and the digital twin of the Ocean. EOSC runs on the concept referred to as “system of systems,” whereby existing storage systems within Europe for scientific data are interconnected.
Data Union Strategy resolves AI development bottlenecks
It is also introducing the Data Union Strategy for the EU, an innovative strategy with the objective of promoting the availability of quality data for the development of AI systems in various economic sectors. Three core priority areas are essential, and these include the scaling up of access to data for AI systems, the simplification of data regulations, and the protection of EU data sovereignty in the international market.
The EU is investing about EUR 100 million in scaling up common European data spaces, and this is particularly aimed at sectors such as defense and the creation of flagship data labs that will bring together private as well as public sector resources to ensure high-quality sectoral data is available to companies as well as to research personnel who work on innovative AI applications.
Infrastructure safeguards European data sovereignty and security
In particular, the initiative, said EOSC Association President Klaus Tochtermann, “secures the European sovereignty on research data and represents ‘the European data space for research and innovation in Europe’ developed and serving European researchers and providers.”
Reflecting concerns about the reliance of Europe on externally controlled data storage, especially in the United States, which would expose the EU to geopolitical and commercial choices, the new approach is “intended to position the EU on the global scene with a strategic approach on international data flows that combines openness and strength.”
Examples of collaborative data would include satellite and sensor data for tracking the recovery of tropical ecosystems, maritime and oceanographic data contributed by European research infrastructure, and citizen and expert observations of biodiversity on a large scale. It is worth adding that the database contains social sciences and humanities data, which is a huge opportunity for collaboration between different disciplines.
The European research data infrastructure marks a critical point for digital transition on the continent, putting the EU at the forefront of responsible AI development with control over essential research infrastructure. The holistic approach seeks to leverage technology as well as policy frameworks with a view to ensuring that European researchers compete favorably internationally with the highest data protection standards.
