The Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) is thrilled to announce the start of a proof of concept to develop a new major version of the X-Road.

The X-Road 8 “Spaceship” nurtures the proven ecosystem model and security while it takes X-Road to the next level by providing a solid data space infrastructure.

Additional features such as enhanced monitoring and metrics and advanced cloud compatibility are expected to make X-Road 8 an outstanding solution for any public or private organisation.

With the proof of concept, NIIS aims to validate the feasibility of replacing X-Road’s custom protocol stack with data space protocol stack and align X-Road’s trust framework with the Gaia-X trust framework.

Gaia-X is an initiative that develops, based on European values, a digital governance that can be applied to any existing cloud/edge technology stack to obtain transparency, controllability, portability and interoperability across data and services.

Close to the current concept of the X-Road ecosystem, data space is a distributed system defined by a governance framework that enables secure and trustworthy data transactions between participants while supporting trust and data sovereignty.

"Making X-Road a data space solution creates value through additional features, reduces the need for custom development, increases interoperability and provides new opportunities for X-Road users in Europe and worldwide. Combining the strengths of X-Road and data spaces will make X-Road 8 "Spaceship" an outstanding solution", says Ville Sirviö, CEO of NIIS.

The project also tries to ensure smooth integration with previous X-Road versions for backwards compatibility, estimate the changes required for information systems when transitioning to X-Road 8, and assess potential changes to existing X-Road components.

The proof of concept results are expected for review in May 2024. The second half of the year will witness another project to test the results within Estonia’s X-Road ecosystem.