NTT DATA Successfully Demonstrates Interoperability between Japan’s “Battery Traceability Platform” and “Catena-X”

TOKYO, Japan -April 22, 2025 – NTT DATA, a global leader in digital business and technology services, today announced the success of a technological demonstration of interoperability between the “Battery Traceability Platform”, the first use case of the “Ouranos Ecosystem ^[1]” and “Catena-X.” This achievement is part of the “Digital Infrastructure Development Project for Digital Transformation of Industries” initiative by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The demonstration was conducted under the “Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Automotive Industry Data Sharing Interoperability Proof of Concept (PoC)” between the Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA) and Catena-X Automotive Network e.V. ^[2][3].

This demonstration confirmed the feasibility of implementing an intermediate layer to facilitate mutual data exchange without disrupting either party’s architecture. This was accomplished by identifying the technological differences related to authentication, protocols and data models in the interoperation of their data spaces ^[4].

Background

To address social issues such as achieving carbon neutrality and creating a circular society, as well as economic challenges like responding to supply chain disruptions, it is essential to establish a mechanism for safely circulating data across companies, industries, and borders. The development of digital infrastructures known as data spaces is accelerating worldwide to realize this mechanism.

In Japan, organizations such as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), IPA and NEDO are advancing the realization of the Ouranos Ecosystem. In Europe, data spaces are being developed across multiple industrial sectors, including the automotive industry data space initiated by Catena-X Automotive Network e.V. In April 2024, an MoU was signed between IPA and Catena-X Automotive Network e.V. to collaborate on the interoperability of their respective data spaces.

NTT DATA unveiled its vision for a cross-enterprise data exchange platform in 2022 and has been working on implementing data spaces both domestically and internationally ever since. As part of these efforts, NTT DATA is developing and demonstrating a supply chain data exchange platform under NEDO's project for the realization of the Ouranos Ecosystem ^[5]. The first use case, the Battery Traceability Platform, has been developed as a cross-industry ecosystem for batteries used in electric vehicles, with service provision commenced by the Automotive and Battery Traceability Center Association, Inc. ^[6].

Outlook

Both the Ouranos Ecosystem and Catena-X recognize that there are several regulatory and operational issues that must be resolved in order to achieve interoperability between data spaces.

NTT DATA, in collaboration with NEDO, and working with relevant government organizations and industry associations, will continue to work on the commercialization of data spaces interoperability. By enabling seamless and secure data exchange between companies and across industries and international borders, NTT DATA aims to contribute to solving key social issues.

For more information, visit: Joint Press Release by IPA and Catena-X *English follows Japanese press release

Notes to Editors

^{[1]: Ouranos Ecosystem is an initiative promoted by METI for enabling enterprises and industries to share and utilize data in addressing societal issues. https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2023/0429_001.html}

^{[2]: Catena-X Automotive Network e.V. is an organization established primarily by European automotive-related companies. It promotes the construction and development of a data space that facilitates data exchange and utilization across the entire automotive value chain. https://catena-x.net/}

^{[3]: On April 2024, IPA and Catena-X Automotive Network e.V. signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Automotive Industry Data Sharing Interoperability Proof of Concept (PoC). https://www.ipa.go.jp/pressrelease/2024/press20240423.html (In Japanese)}

^{[4]: data spaces are digital infrastructure that combine systems and technologies to create a foundation for the free frow of data among multiple organizations while ensuring mutual trust. https://www.nttdata.com/global/en/-/media/nttdataglobal/1_files/technology/data-space_web.pdf}

^{[5]: NTT DATA Group Corporation is developing and demonstrating a supply chain data exchange platform, starting in October 2023, under NEDO's “Digital Infrastructure Development Project for Digital Transformation of Industries (P22006)” for the realization of the Ouranos Ecosystem. https://www.nedo.go.jp/koubo/IT3_100282.html (In Japanese) https://www.nttdata.com/global/ja/news/release/2023/101301/ (In Japanese)}

^{[6]: NTT DATA Japan Corporation has launched the cross-industry ecosystem "Battery Traceability Platform" for batteries used in electric vehicles, starting from May 16, 2024. The service is provided by Automotive and Battery Traceability Center Association, Inc. https://www.nttdata.com/global/ja/news/release/2024/051600/ (In Japanese)}

Additional Information: Overview of the Demonstration

Based on the MoU between IPA and Catena-X Automotive Network e.V., NTT DATA conducted an interoperability demonstration between the Battery Traceability Platform and Catena-X through NEDO's project for realizing the Ouranos Ecosystem. This demonstration clarified that resolving differences in authentication, protocol and data models is a major challenge in data exchange between data spaces with different architectures. Furthermore, it confirmed the effectiveness of the approach of placing an intermediary layer as a solution to this challenge and established a mechanism for exchanging Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data between the two data spaces. About NEDO NEDO is a national research and development agency that creates innovation by promoting technological development necessary for realization of a sustainable society. NEDO acts as an innovation accelerator to contribute to the resolution of social issues by developing and demonstrating high-risk innovative technologies having practical application. For more information, visit https://www.nedo.go.jp/english/