Dataspaces 101

Manufacturing is undergoing a digital revolution, yet many transformation initiatives stall due to a fundamental problem: data trapped in silos. The real roadblock isn't AI or lack of tools, but interoperability—the ability of systems, teams, and companies to understand and trust each other's data. This article explores why traditional approaches fail and introduces Manufacturing Data Spaces as the missing foundation. Data Spaces provide a secure, sovereign framework for controlled data sharing across plants and partners—without giving up ownership. From energy efficiency to predictive maintenance and compliance reporting, real-world examples show how manufacturers can unlock value while preserving control. We explore the layers of interoperability, human concerns, key enabling technologies like AAS and OPC UA, and how to get started with pilots that deliver real ROI. For manufacturers, building trust-based data collaboration isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a strategic move that defines future competitiveness in an increasingly connected industry.

Managing company certificates across multiple business partners is complex and error-prone. T-Systems' Connect & Integrate solution simplifies this with a secure, standardized approach to certificate exchange in the Catena-X network. By leveraging a shared semantic model and automated certificate lifecycle management, organizations can drastically reduce operational overhead, improve compliance, and accelerate onboarding—without needing deep technical knowledge. Whether you're a supplier, OEM, or service provider, this is your path to seamless, scalable certificate management in a federated dataspace.

T-Systems simplifies secure, large-scale file exchange in the Catena-X ecosystem by combining OFTP2 and EDC capabilities. With Connect & Integrate, OEMs and suppliers can transfer sensitive data like CAD files or compliance documents reliably and at scale. Our cloud-ready solution ensures smooth onboarding, uninterrupted communication—even behind firewalls—and full compliance with Catena-X and OFTP2 standards. Whether you're upgrading from legacy OFTP2 workflows or starting fresh, we streamline your journey with minimal disruption and maximum interoperability.

At Hannover Messe 2025, T-Systems showcased innovations across Data Spaces, the Metaverse, AI, and sustainability—spanning use cases from immersive training and CO₂ tracking to international supply chain transparency and sovereign cloud infrastructure. With active participation across Gaia-X, Industry 4.0, and umati partner stands, T-Systems highlighted its leadership in digital industrial transformation, engaging with political, media, and industry leaders to shape the future of manufacturing.

DENSO has become the first Japan-headquartered company to achieve EcoPass certification from Catena-X, advancing secure and standardized data exchange in the automotive supply chain. T-Systems played a key role in this milestone by providing its Connect & Integrate SaaS solution, enabling seamless and compliant data connectivity. This collaboration supports Digital Product Passport (DPP) initiatives and ensures Battery Passport readiness under the European Battery Regulation (2027). As a leading Catena-X technology partner, T-Systems helps businesses achieve data sovereignty, compliance, and sustainability.

The cloud-edge continuum is transforming Europe’s data-driven industry. Telekom’s OnEdge and Connect & Integrate solutions enable secure, real-time data processing and seamless integration into interoperable dataspaces. Together, they empower businesses with full data sovereignty, compliance with European standards, and the ability to monetize insights efficiently. As part of the 8ra initiative, these technologies pave the way for AI, Industrial IoT, and Digital Twins, driving Europe’s technological independence.

Jupyter Notebook is now seamlessly integrated into Build & Operate, bringing interactive data collaboration, real-time analysis, and advanced visualization to a secure, governed dataspace. Whether you're a data scientist, analyst, or business user, this powerful feature enables you to explore datasets, generate insights, and share findings effortlessly—all within a trusted ecosystem designed for efficiency, compliance, and innovation.

Trust is essential for seamless data exchange in the Mobility Data Space. T-Systems collaborated with MDS to develop a proof of concept for secure, verifiable trust services. By validating legal entities and issuing Verifiable Credentials, our solution ensures transparency, compliance, and security—enabling faster onboarding and large-scale collaboration in the mobility ecosystem.

The demand for standardized, trustworthy battery passport data verification remains unmet. T-Systems and TÜV SÜD demonstrate an automated, transparent, and scalable verification solution, leveraging Catena-X integration, managed data rooms, and expert consulting to ensure regulatory compliance and trust.

This article outlines our experience migrating workloads from an on-premises data center to the AWS Cloud, culminating in the decommissioning of our last server in December 2024. The migration focused on our Motion Data product, which leverages geo-information analytics from Deutsche Telekom's mobile network to provide anonymized mass movement insights for industries such as retail, tourism, and public transport. Our transition to AWS was driven by rising colocation costs and the need to modernize our infrastructure, which faced limitations due to outdated technology constraints, high maintenance efforts, and inefficient storage and compute resource management. We selected AWS's Replatforming approach to harness managed services, improve scalability, and replace legacy Hadoop infrastructure with a more flexible Spark-on-Kubernetes and S3-based solution. The migration delivered key benefits, including 35% lower infrastructure costs, access to up-to-date technology stacks, and removal of resource constraints for compute workloads. By leveraging AWS-managed services such as Kubernetes (EKS), EMR, and RDS, we optimized performance, simplified operations, and positioned ourselves for future growth and innovation in cloud-native environments.

T-Systems' Connect & Integrate powers secure, real-time Catena-X messaging, enabling seamless data exchange across the automotive ecosystem. From supply chain transparency and predictive maintenance to carbon footprint tracking and V2V communication, our solution ensures efficient collaboration, scalability, and compliance. With cloud-agnostic deployment and easy integration, we drive data-driven innovation in automotive connectivity.

Reducing carbon emissions across the automotive supply chain is crucial for sustainability. T-Systems' Connect & Integrate enables seamless Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) tracking and exchange within Catena-X, empowering manufacturers to make data-driven decisions for compliance, efficiency, and environmental responsibility. With real-time PCF monitoring, automated data integration, and scalable cloud solutions, our technology supports the industry's transition to a greener, more transparent future.