The European Union has launched an €8 million project to develop advanced security features for 6G networks, a critical step towards ensuring the reliability and resilience of next-generation connectivity infrastructure. The Shield-6G project, led by University College Dublin (UCD), aims to establish foundational security guidelines for 6G networks using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms.
The European Commission has identified 6G as a key area of focus for the continent's digital strategy, with the goal of making Europe a leading provider of 6G technology by 2030. The Shield-6G project is part of this broader effort to develop the necessary security standards and protocols for 6G networks.
What Happened
The Shield-6G project was awarded €8 million in funding under the Horizon Europe Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) call, a highly competitive program aimed at supporting research and innovation initiatives in the field of 6G. The project brings together 19 international partners from academia, industry, and small-to-medium enterprises to develop an AI-native, privacy-preserving, and energy-aware platform for securing 6G networks.
The consortium is led by Associate Professor Madhusanka Liyanage, Director of UCD NetsLab, who emphasized the importance of embedding security, trust, and resilience at the foundation of future 6G networks. "6G will be far more than the next step in mobile connectivity; it will form the intelligent digital nervous system of future society," he said.
Background and Context
The development of 6G is a complex task that requires significant investment in research and innovation. The European Commission has established the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) to support the shift to 6G, with an ambitious EU budget of €900 million between 2021-2027. The SNS JU aims to foster Europe's technology sovereignty in 6G by implementing related research and innovation, as well as boost 5G deployment throughout Europe.
The European Union has also launched several initiatives to support the development of 6G, including the €8 million Shield-6G project. This project is part of a broader effort to develop the necessary security standards and protocols for 6G networks, which will be critical in ensuring the reliability and resilience of next-generation connectivity infrastructure.
Why it Matters
The development of advanced security features for 6G networks is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, 6G will form the connective tissue between cloud infrastructure, autonomous systems, edge compute, and critical national infrastructure, making security a top priority. Secondly, the increasing complexity of 6G networks will require more sophisticated security protocols to prevent cyber threats.
The Shield-6G project addresses these challenges by developing an AI-native, privacy-preserving, and energy-aware platform for securing 6G networks. This platform combines automated zero-touch security orchestration with privacy-preserving analytics, including federated learning, secure multi-party computation, and differential privacy. The ambition is to allow multi-stakeholder networks to share threat intelligence and self-heal against cascading vulnerabilities without ever transmitting raw, sensitive data between parties.
What Comes Next
The Shield-6G project will run for several years, with the goal of establishing foundational security guidelines for 6G networks. The consortium will work closely with industry partners to develop and test the platform, ensuring that it meets the needs of future 6G networks.
Key Facts
- The Shield-6G project was awarded €8 million in funding under the Horizon Europe Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) call.
- The project brings together 19 international partners from academia, industry, and small-to-medium enterprises to develop an AI-native, privacy-preserving, and energy-aware platform for securing 6G networks.
- The consortium is led by Associate Professor Madhusanka Liyanage, Director of UCD NetsLab.
- The Shield-6G project aims to establish foundational security guidelines for 6G networks using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms.
- The project will run for several years, with the goal of ensuring that security, trust, and resilience are embedded at the very foundation of future 6G networks.
