WP 2009-2010 – Call 5
Objective ICT-2009.8.6
Towards Zero-Power ICT
ICT can increase the energy efficiency of our society by means of new communication mechanisms, such
as teleworking and internet shopping, but ICT devices and the ICT infrastructure have themselves also
become an important consumer of energy. To respond to this there is a need and an opportunity for
fundamental research into energy efficiency at the nano-scale, which would allow new low-power
computing and communicating architectures to find their way into devices.
The most radical improvement in energy efficiency is energy harvesting, i.e. the process by which ambient
energy (vibrations, noise, radiation, …) is collected, stored and used in autonomous energy-thrifty
nanodevices.
The Future & Emerging Technologies proactive initiative "Towards Zero-Power ICT" aims at the
foundations of nano-scale energy harvesting, and at self-powered autonomous nano-scale devices.
This will take technology beyond the level of "smart dust" and open up new applications in fields such as
intelligent distributed sensing, for health, safety-critical systems or environment monitoring.
Upcoming Call for proposals: "Towards Zero-Power ICT"
New disruptive directions are needed for energy-harvesting technologies at the nanometre and molecular scale, and
their integration with low-power ICT into autonomous nano-scale devices for sensing, processing, actuating and
communication.
Target outcome
a. Foundations of Energy Harvesting at the nanoscale: Demonstration of radically new strategies for energy
harvesting and local storage below the micrometer scale. Exploration and harnessing of potential energy sources
at that scale including kinetic energy present in the form of random fluctuations, ambient electromagnetic
radiation, chemical energy and others. Research may also address bio-mimicked energy collection and storage
systems.
b. Self-powered autonomous nano-scale electronic devices: Autonomous nano scale electronic devices that harvest
energy from the environment, possibly combining multiple sources, and store it locally. These systems would coordinate low-power sensing, processing, actuation, communication and energy provision into autonomous
wireless nanosystems.
Expected impact
ƒ Possibility of building autonomous nano-scale devices (from sensor to actuators), extending the miniaturisation
of autonomous devices beyond the level of the ‘smart dust’.
ƒ New applications in a vast number of ICT fields such as intelligent distributed sensing, for health, safety-critical
systems or environment monitoring.
Deadline for submission of proposals: 3rd November 2009
Funding scheme: STREP (Specific targeted research projects)
Indicative budget: EUR 7 million
Contact: [email protected], [email protected]
Call : FP7, ICT Work programme 2009-2010, Call 5, Objective ICT-2009.8.6
Future and Emerging
Technologies Proactive
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/fet-proactive/