This proposal outlines key goals, important R&D issues, and strategies to promote R&D integrating communications and computing for a smarter society.

Recent advances in communications technologies, such as optical fiber and 5G, and computing technologies, such as cloud computing and GPUs, have led to cyber-physical systems that can process and analyze in cyberspace large amounts of diverse data from the physical world that can be fed back to achieve advances remote control, automation, and labor-saving technologies. These will in turn lead to further developments in digital twins, autonomous driving, automatic control, and the metaverse that will accelerate the smartification of society. At the same time, cyber-physical systems consume more power and involve operational difficulties due to their high performance and complexity and these issues need to be addressed. In addition, as the ability to use large volumes of diverse data becomes essential to staying competitive in technological development and commercialization, rights and safety issues arising from the use of data need to be considered.

In recognition of these issues, this proposal identifies four R&D areas that need to be addressed: (1) technologies to improve the efficiency of communications and computing by capturing situations and intentions, (2) technologies to utilize data near the source of acquisition, (3) technologies to balance advanced performance and functionality with low power consumption and robustness, and (4) technologies and strategies to utilize data safely and securely. This proposal details the measures that must be put in place to address these R&D areas, focusing on the approaches to solving the problems and the difficult points that need to be solved. This involves: (1) achieving an understanding of systems and user's intentions so as to use communications and computing resources efficiently to advance such features as remote control, automation, and labor-saving; (2) anticipating the limitations of centralization in datacenters, and performing as much processing as possible at the edge; (3) reducing power consumption by utilizing optics and other technologies, and increasing robustness against failures and disasters by building a communications network that integrates ground and space; (4) creating rules incorporating humanities and social sciences perspectives in technical solutions that will ensure safe data utilization through data management that takes into account the need to protect personal information.

Various R&D efforts have been made so far with results being achieved in individual projects. At the same time, there are cases where investment is biased, such as insufficient investment in research into fundamental theories and principles for such layers as architecture, services, and operations, causing siloed results that cannot be linked between projects, or results that never go beyond the invention stage to progress to innovation for industrialization.

Regarding promoting our proposed efforts, we propose three promotion strategies: 1) proactive funding not only for the foundational layer (materials, devices, equipment, etc.) but also for the architecture and services/operations layers, as well as for fundamental theoretical and principles research, 2) the establishment and continuous strengthening of communities that execute R&D across layers and domains such as those of communications and computing, and 3) the promotion of projects aimed at acquiring industrial value, along with the development of personnel (not only researchers, but also those who can create business scenarios with a market mindset, and those who can combine elements to induce innovation).

Diverse projects for integrating communications and computing, including industry-governmentacademia collaborations, cross-disciplinary study groups in academic societies, and companyled consortiums, have been launched over the past few years. These endeavors not only carry out research but are also developing in tandem use cases for linking technological results to industry. Also, because standardization is particularly important in the field of communications, international cooperation is being promoted through the involvement of overseas companies and the signing of memorandums of understanding for mutual collaboration with foreign consortia. Establishing new organizations or hubs for research and development as well as social value creation is possible, but from the perspective of speed, it would be wiser to start by utilizing existing frameworks (such as established consortia, achievements, and personal networks) and then gradually adding missing elements such as working groups.

Various types of integration efforts are beginning to take shape. Hopefully, this growing momentum will be utilized to invigorate research and development activities to accelerate the smartification of society.

• (in Japanese) Integrating communications and computing for a smarter society