Insights

When VMware deprecated and archived Kubeapps, the open-source Helm application manager embedded in T-Systems Build & Operate, we had a choice: stay on unsupported software or find something better. We chose Devtron, an open-source Kubernetes management platform that gives dataspace operators one control plane for application delivery, infrastructure, security and observability. This article explains why Kubeapps reached the end of its life, what Devtron brings to the Build & Operate operation toolkit, and how the transition runs in two phases without interrupting a single running service.

Connect & Integrate brings the T-Systems AI power within the solution to support organizations scale up and become efficient in their business workflows within Catena-X. The cross-use-case AI layer sits at the intersection of data preparation and exchange as a business enabler directly within the workflows.

The IDSA position paper "Data Spaces and AI" argues that the coordination problems facing agentic AI — identity, trust, access control, governance and provenance across organizational boundaries — are the same ones dataspaces already solve for cross-company data sharing. Rather than reinventing them for autonomous agents, the peer-to-peer logic behind standards like ISO/IEC 20151 can transfer directly to agent-to-agent interaction. T-Systems contributes a concrete proof point: RoX, a German consortium where competing robotics players and institutes such as DFKI and DLR share a sovereign data foundation for AI-based robotics. Built on Tractus-X and aligned with IDSA and Gaia-X, it already powers live robotic cells and is now extending that governed data supply to an agentic layer — showing in practice what the paper argues in principle.

In November 2025, the first peer-to-peer dataspace transaction between Korea and Europe was completed, with L&F (Korea) sharing product carbon footprint data with the automotive division of a major European Tier 1. Orchestrated by Prof. Chaisung Lim of Konkuk University and enabled by T-Systems' Dataspace-as-a-Service, the exchange ran on the Eclipse Tractus-X stack with the IDSA protocol and Gaia-X trust framework — the same standards underpinning Catena-X. The transaction proves that sovereign, governed data sharing can now travel across regions and regulatory environments without centralising data or surrendering control. Beyond secure, trusted file transfer, it points to a strategic foundation for AI-ready data and new value-creation scenarios, including controlled collaboration across ecosystems and even between competitors.

This article highlights the transition of Catena-X (CX) in North America from pilot initiatives to large-scale adoption within the automotive industry. It positions CX as a decentralized data ecosystem—an “Internet for data”—that addresses critical challenges such as quality management, sustainability compliance, and battery passport reporting. Drawing on insights from the AIAG Catena-X Conference and Supplier Onboarding Day in Detroit, the article emphasizes that digital transformation and AI initiatives are fundamentally data challenges, often hindered by fragmentation across organizations and supply chains. Catena-X provides a practical, business-oriented approach by combining trusted data-sharing infrastructure, ready-to-deploy use cases, and a scalable onboarding model for suppliers. The experiences shared by industry leaders demonstrate how CX accelerates time-to-value, enabling companies to transform fragmented data into interoperable, trusted data flows that underpin generative AI, digital twins, and future digital business models.

Hannover Messe 2026 highlighted the convergence of Physical AI, data ecosystems, and industrial policy. The article shows how dataspace technology enables both global data ecosystems and enterprise dataspaces, forming the foundation for AI-data readiness and the extended enterprise.

Japan has long been a global leader in robotics, combining cultural influence with industrial strength as both a major user and producer of robotic technologies. Building on this foundation, the RoX initiative introduces a new paradigm in robotics by integrating physical AI with secure, interoperable data ecosystems. Presented through webinars with leading Japanese institutions—Kyoto University’s KUPAC and the Robot Revolution & Industrial IoT Initiative (RRI)—RoX highlights how next-generation robotics depends not only on hardware but on access to high-quality operational data governed through trusted dataspaces. By enabling collaboration across organizations while protecting intellectual property, RoX supports modular development, lifecycle integration, and improved industrial performance. Early demonstrations show tangible benefits in efficiency, adaptability, and quality, positioning RoX as a key step toward scalable, AI-driven robotics within global data-sharing ecosystems.

The world’s leading industrial trade fair opens once again its doors in Hanover from April 20 to 24. Under the theme “Industrial Transformation,” companies will showcase the latest developments in AI, automation, energy, and digitalization. This year, we will be represented at Hannover Messe by Tim Höttges, Ferri, Elke Anderl, and many other colleagues at partner booths.

T-Systems’ Connect & Integrate solution is now officially Catena-X-certified for the Traceability use case under the latest Saturn release. This certification expands T-Systems’ growing portfolio of Catena-X capabilities and reinforces its role in enabling secure, interoperable data exchange across automotive supply chains. By supporting traceability, quality processes, and collaboration through standardized dataspaces, T-Systems helps companies gain transparency across complex value chains, improve compliance, and respond faster to supply chain disruptions while maintaining full data sovereignty within the Catena-X ecosystem.