Submission Deadline Extended to 13 March 2025

W13: IEEE Workshop on Converged Communication, Computing, and Control for Next-Generation Cyber-Physical Systems (C4CPS)

Co-Organizer: Estefanía Coronado, University of Castilla-La Mancha, i2CAT Foundation, Spain
Co-Organizer: Johann Marquez-Barja, IMEC and University of Antwerp, Belgium
Co-Organizer: Ramón J. Durán Barroso, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain
Co-Organizer: Aliasghar Arab, New York University, USA
Co-Organizer: Estela Carmona-Cejudo, i2CAT Foundation, Spain
Co-Organizer: Gabriel Cebrián-Márquez, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Abstract: The manufacturing industry is currently undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the integration of automation, data gathering, communication, and intelligent decision-making. As we move towards an era of distributed intelligent control applications in the cloud-to-field-level continuum, the co-design of communication, computing, and control will be fundamental to ensuring that these systems remain resilient, flexible, and capable of handling the demands of future industrial processes. Deterministic, ultra-reliable, low-latency communications, optimal network scheduling and intelligent control algorithms will provide critical capabilities for time-sensitive industrial cyber physical systems (CPSs), especially in settings where precision, speed, and safety are paramount. The cross-layer optimization of communication, control, and computing will enable efficient resource allocation and synchronicity, allowing for real-time adaptations in latency-sensitive operations. Solving current standardization gaps will further support the next generation of CPSs. This is further supported by network softwarization architectures with embedded control and computing. The integration of virtualization technologies into control systems allows for more dynamic and scalable industrial operations, offering enhanced flexibility in handling critical applications. Resource orchestration, service provisioning, and intelligent management are necessary for the efficient allocation of network, computational, and control resources, particularly in environments with stringent latency and synchronization requirements. This cross-layer optimization can be aided by novel AI technologies for enhanced performance.

In this context, the secure orchestration of CPSs is becoming increasingly important, given the growing interconnectivity and complexity of industrial networks. To ensure system integrity, it is essential to integrate security solutions across the communications, computing, and control domains.

Contributions are solicited in, but not necessarily limited to, the following topics:
– Co-design of industrial wireless with industrial control and computing systems.
– Communication, computing & control cross-layer optimization.
– Optimal network scheduling, intelligent control algorithms and resource orchestration.
– Communication & computing co-design for functional safety.
– Service orchestration, provisioning, management.
– Deterministic, ultra-reliable and low-latency communications.
– Deterministic industrial networking.
– Cross-layer communication, control, and computing system standardization.
– Integration of AI/ML for automated and smart connectivity and supply chains.
– Network softwarization architectures with embedded control and computing.
– Integration of virtualization in control applications.
– Secure, privacy-preserving CPSs.
– AI-enabled automation of cloud/edge systems.
– Integration of communication systems in asset administration shell.
– Novel applications such as AI-enabled digital twins, augmented reality.
– Zero-touch communication system management and configuration.
– Data processing at the industrial network edge for latency sensitive operations.

Co-Organizer’s Bios:

Estefanía Coronado:

Estefanía Coronado is a Juan de la Cierva Senior Researcher at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) and a Senior Researcher at Fundació i2CAT (Spain). From 2018 to 2020 she was an Expert Researcher at Fondazione Bruno Kessler (Italy). In 2018, she completed her Ph.D. at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) on multimedia ML-driven distribution over SD-WLANs. She has worked in several HE and H2020 projects, acted as technical task leader, and as PI of a Spanish national project. She has published  around 60 papers in international journals and conferences, and has served in the TPC of many international conferences (e.g., IEEE CSCN, IEEE PIRMC, IEEE ICCCN, IEEE Netsoft, etc.). She has acted as workshop co-chair at IEEE ICIN 2024. Her current research interests include wireless communications, 6G, MEC systems, and AI-driven network management.

Johann Marquez-Barja:

Johann Marquez-Barja is a Full Professor at University of Antwerp and imec. He is the head of Programmable & Intelligent Networks at IDLab. Since 2024 he is ranked among the World Top 2% Researchers in Telecoms networks and Artificial Intelligence (Stanford/Elsevier World Top 2% Ranking). He has been appointed IEEE Vehicular Technology Society Distinguished Lecturer, as well, as IEEE Education Society Distinguished Lecturer. He is a Senior member of both ACM and IEEE. He leads The ABC of 5G program, a collaborative joint effort of the top universities in Belgium VUB, UGent, and UAntwerp. Also, he holds an appointment at the Board of Directors of FITCE.be (the broadband connectivity association). He is heavily active in the European and International arena of 5G and 6G, leading and participating in several consortia. He is interested in bringing flexibility to 6G networks by enabling distributed intelligence via softwarized solutions, in combination with Smart Mobility testing them at the Smart City, the Smart Highway, and the NextGopen testbed facilities located in Antwerp, Belgium, where he leads such facilities. He has delivered keynote speeches at major events, received numerous awards throughout his career, and authored over 280 published works, including publications, editorials, and books.

Ramón J. Durán Barroso:

Ramón J. Durán Barroso received his Ph.D. degree from the Universidad of Valladolid (UVa), Spain in 2008. Since the year 2023, he has held the position of Full Professor at that University. Prof. Ramón J. Durán Barroso has consistently been involved in competitive projects, serving as the principal investigator in 8 of them, comprising 2 international and 6 national projects. Moreover, his leadership extends beyond the UVa team to the coordination of collaborative projects such as the European project IoTalentum and two national projects, ONOFRE-2 and Go2Edge. His research mainly focuses on the application of artificial intelligence techniques for the design, optimization, and operation of heterogeneous networks, multi-access edge computing, and network function virtualization. The dissemination of his research has led to the publication of 60 papers in JCR journals and over 130 conference papers. He has served as a guest editor for seven special issues in JCR journals, organized four workshops and special sessions at conferences (GLOBECOM, ONDM, Broadnets, DCAI), and is a member of the TPC for various conferences.

Aliasghar Arab:

Aliasghar Arab is a research director at Agile Safe Autonomous Systems (ASAS) Labs and a research professor at the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Tandon School of Engineering of New York University (NYU). He earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2021, specializing in autonomous robotics, industrial automation, and the safety and security of connected smart systems. With over eight years of industry experience in Artificial Intelligence, Telecommunications, Industrial Automation, and Autonomous Vehicles, Dr. Arab has a track record of collaboration across academia and diverse companies, from startups to prestigious research labs. His research focuses on the convergence of communication, computation, and control to advance the safety and reliability of robotic and autonomous systems for sustainable autonomous communities. He is a Senior member of IEEE and also a member of AAAI, ASME and SAE. He is passionate about driving innovative control theories and AI applications that promote positive social and environmental impact.

Estela Carmona-Cejudo:

Estela Carmona-Cejudo. i2CAT Foundation, Spain . ( estela.carmona@i2cat.net ). Estela Carmona Cejudo is the Head of Innovation and a Senior Researcher with the Software Networks Department, i2CAT Foundation, Barcelona, Spain. She received the B.S. degree in Communications Engineering from University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain, in 2011, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electronic Engineering from University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom, in 2015 and 2021, respectively. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom. She has worked in several HE and H2020 projects, acted as technical task leader, and as co-PI of a Spanish national project related to Smart Industry. She was a recipient of the Rohde & Schwarz’s 2015 Best Wireless Communications Project, and the BAE Systems’ 2015 Best Master’s Degree Final Project. Her research interests include smart industry, vehicular networks, edge computing, and novel 6G architectures. 

Gabriel Cebrián-Márquez:

To submit a paper, please visit: https://vtc2025s-rr-wks.trackchair.com/track/2370