Digital Infrastructure area of expertise

Digital infrastructures are created through the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICT) to manage complex tasks in countless application areas. They form a complex foundation of tangible physical components and intangible digital applications and services. As a closely networked system, they enable flexibility, reliability and sustainability in the energy sector, industry, trade, the healthcare system and the mobile society of the future.

These infrastructures encompass all hardware and software components and also include communication networks such as the internet or mobile phone networks. Many special systems and buildings such as data centres or base stations in mobile communications are also included. These infrastructures enable the almost complete and therefore comprehensive collection, transmission and processing of data in any application. In addition to established digital services such as e-mail, text or audio messages, they can also map complex digital ecosystems that we recognise as social media, online banking & trading or e-commerce platforms. As the backbone of the modern information society, they are crucial for its economic development, the emergence of innovations and global networking.

 

Sub­ject areas

This is an excerpt of current topics that are continuously expanded and updated.
Virtual

  • Cloud computing and virtualisation

  • Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

  • Network Function Virtualisation (NFV)

  • Cybersecurity in digital infrastructures

  • Complex virtual networks (P2P)

Physical

  • Wireless communication networks

  • (Industrial) Internet of Things (IoT)

  • Systems for high-performance computing and quantum computing

  • Edge computing hardware

  • Neuromorphic hardware

Fields of ap­plic­a­tion

Telecommunications

Internet & mobile networks

Financial services

Banking & payment systems

E-commerce and retail

 

Media and entertainment

Streaming services, digital content

Science and research

Data-intensive research, supercomputing

Social media and communication platforms

 

Transport and logistics

 

Healthcare

Electronic health records, telemedicine

Manufacturing and industry

Industry 4.0, Automation

Energy and utilities

Smart grids

Smart Cities

 

Agriculture

Precision agriculture, AgTech

Defence and security

 

Goals and vis­ions

The aim is to support the industry in the design, implementation and utilisation of existing digital infrastructures that take particular account of scalability, robustness, security, maintainability, cost efficiency and adaptability.

Re­search ques­tions and tasks

  • Scalability and performance

  • Resilience and fault tolerance

  • Artificial intelligence and automation

  • Future communication networks

  • Interoperability and standardisation

  • Ethical and social implications

  • Sustainable development and environmental compatibility

  • New hardware technologies and their integration (e.g. quantum computing)

  • Regulatory challenges

Meth­ods

  • Digital twins

  • AI/ML in infrastructures

  • Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies

  • Edge computing and fog computing

  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

  • Containerisation and microservices

  • Cybersecurity methods

  • Complex simulation

Selected projects

ESN4NW: Energieoptimierte Supercomputer-Netzwerke durch die Nutzung von Windenergie

Duration: 2022 - 2025 Funded by: BMBF

More about the project

DC2HEAT - Data Centre HEat Recovery with AI-Technologies

Duration: 2023 - 2026 Funded by: BMUV

More about the project

5G-Lernorte OWL

Duration: 2022 - 2025 Funded by: MWIKE NRW

More about the project

AProSys -KI-gestützte Assistenz- und Prognosesysteme für den nachhaltigen Einsatz in der intelligenten Verteilnetztechnik

Duration: 2023 - 2025 Funded by: BMWK

More about the project

DARE: Trainings-, Validierungs- und Benchmarkwerkzeuge zur Entwicklung datengetriebener Betriebs- und Regelungsverfahren für intelligente, lokale Energiesysteme

Duration: 2021 - 2023 Funded by: BMBF

More about the project

Dir­ect­or

Christian Scheideler

> Theory of Distributed Systems

Head - Professor - Theory of Distributed Systems

Office: F2.326
Phone: +49 5251 60-6728
E-mail: scheideler@uni-paderborn.de

Man­ager

Gunnar Schomaker

> Software Innovation Campus Paderborn (SICP)

Second Head - Research Associate - Vice Managing Director Software Innovation Lab, R&D Manager – Smart Systems

Office: ZM2.A.03.74
Phone: +49 5251 60-6823
Phone: +49 178 8192000
E-mail: gsch@mail.uni-paderborn.de
E-mail: schomaker@sicp.de

Uni­ver­sity lec­tur­ers in­volved

> Computer Engineering (DATE)

Head - Professor

Office: P1.6.08.1
Phone: +49 5251 60-3002
E-mail: sybille.hellebrand@uni-paderborn.de

Office: P6.2.073
Phone: +49 5251 60-2185
E-mail: henning.meschede@uni-paderborn.de

> Key research area Transformation and Education

Supernumerary Professor

Office: N5.311
Phone: +49 5251 60-2397
E-mail: gudrun.oevel@uni-paderborn.de

> High-Performance Computing

Head - Professor

Office: X1.101
Phone: +49 5251 60-5399
Phone: 05251/60-1735
E-mail: christian.plessl@uni-paderborn.de

> Signal & System Theory (SST)

Head - Professor

Office: P1.7.01.2
Phone: +49 5251 60-2213
E-mail: peter.schreier@sst.uni-paderborn.de

> Computer Networks

Head - Professor

Office: O3.149
Phone: +49 5251 60-5375
E-mail: lin.wang@uni-paderborn.de

Image source: AdobeStock/Summit Art Creations