Secure hybrid infrastructure of digital twins for optical networks
The SHINKA project aims to research and develop all the essential building blocks of a secure and sovereign Digital Twin (DT) Federation Platform –envisioned as a high-fidelity and trustworthy ecosystem for the design, control, management, and optimization of high-speed all-optical networks.These networks offer high transmission capacities with low energy consumption, which is optimized and increased through the use of artificial intelligence. SHINKA also promotes cooperation between leading partners in order to set international standards for this future technology.
Funded as part of the BMBF funding measure “Digital twins and data models for all-optical high-speed networks”.
Duration: June 2025 - May 2028
Fully optical high-speed networks are becoming increasingly important as the basis for future-proof communication infrastructures. They are essential for applications such as artificial intelligence, networked robotics and virtual and augmented realities, as they offer high transmission capacities with low latency and high energy efficiency. Digital twins (DT) are considered a key technology for optimizing and automating modern communication infrastructures. SHINKA is creating a state-of-the-art platform that collects, processes and securely exchanges real-time data from the physical network infrastructure - across domains, network operators and even national borders.
The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) is making a significant contribution to the architecture definition, implementation and validation of this secure data exchange platform. The platform ensures protected, trusted and regulated data exchange between digital twins and physical network components - supported by advanced cryptographic methods such as secure multi-party computation and homomorphic encryption.
In addition, Fraunhofer HHI develops innovative data models for optical multiband networks (S-, C- and L-band) as well as DT-based optimization and analysis algorithms that maximize network capacity and resilience. The solutions developed will be tested in close cooperation with international partners such as Adtran and Fujitsu and validated in test environments in Germany and Japan. These collaborations are intended to exploit synergies, help shape international standards and strengthen technological sovereignty.