EU investing €6 million in new optical networks to support future factories

24 Apr 2025

SPRINTER project to develop wireless technology to replace “sluggish” industrial nets.

A new project is developing an ultra-fast, energy-efficient industrial internet using light-speed lasers and next-generation flexible and adaptable wireless to power future smart factories.

The SPRINTER project, which is supported by European platform Photonics21, is aiming to power the digital backbone of modern industry by enabling ultra-connected smart factories, based on fast-switching optical networks.

With a €6 million investment from the European Commission, the SPRINTER project is developing new optical and wireless technology to “replace today’s sluggish, power-hungry industrial networks with super-fast, laser-driven communications systems — all built for the chaos of the factory floor,” according to this week’s launch announcement.

The Photonics21 release states: “At present, factories and industrial sites rely on a mixture of copper cables, unreliable Wi-Fi, and switching systems. For the real-time, AI-driven future factories and warehouses that deploy automated robots, sensors, machine learning, and 5G-controlled systems, existing setups are too slow and power-hungry.”

But, relying on its expertise in high-speed networks, the SPRINTER team is said to be redesigning the “nervous system” of modern industry. At the heart of the initiative are high-speed optical transceivers, which will transmit data through fiber cables at up to 200 gigabits per second.

“Industry 5.0 demands faster, smarter, and more robust networks,” said Efstathios Andrianopoulos, a researcher on the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) team that leads SPRINTER. “Our goal is to make Europe the world leader in industrial photonics — providing the tools to support the next generation of automation, robotics and intelligent systems.”

SPRINTER consortium

The project is creating a dependable wireless communication network that continues to operate seamlessly in harsh, dynamic and extremely complicated environments. The new SPRINTER photonic/wireless hybrid transceivers are being developed to switch from light to millimeter-wave radio signals in order to offer more flexibility and backup, ensuring immunity against any interference.

“Factories are full of moving parts, dust, and interference — a nightmare for traditional WiFi. That’s why we are developing hybrid free-space optical and millimeter-wave transceivers that combine laser and radio technologies to maintain wireless connections, even in the noisiest settings,” said Andrianopoulos.

“We are building a unified network platform that supports time-sensitive networking systems where delays of even milliseconds can mean the difference between smooth automation and a factory shutdown,” said Andrianopoulos.

Four prototypes

As part of its mission to transform industrial connectivity, SPRINTER is developing four advanced prototypes tailored to the demands of next-generation smart factories. As well as the ultra-fast 200 Gbit/s optical transceivers for high-capacity core networks and hybrid free-space optical and millimeterwave transceivers, SPRINTER is developing wavelength-tuneable 10 Gbit/s transceivers that can dynamically adapt to changing conditions in real-time.

To boost flexibility and efficiency, the project is also building a new Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) optimised for space-division multiplexing, enabling intelligent data routing across complex networks to vastly increase the reliability and robustness of existing infrastructure. Funded through the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, SPRINTER brings together leading research centres and industry experts from across the continent, including specialists in photonics, telecommunications, and industrial automation.

Led by the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) in Athens, the SPRINTER project brings together 11 partners from across Europe and one from Israel, combining top research institutes with major industry players. Key contributors include Fraunhofer (Germany), IMEC (Belgium), LioniX International (Netherlands), and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain), alongside global tech firms like Ericsson (Italy) and Mellanox Technologies (Israel).

SMEs such as PHIX, CUMUCORE, and FILL GmbH add specialized expertise in photonic packaging, 5G networking, and smart manufacturing. Swiss partner CSEM also supports the project, contributing expertise in microtechnology and system integration.

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