To learn more about the objectives of SHIFT and the achievements to date, we chat with Pierre-Jerome Goirand, Project Coordinator of SHIFT and Senior Partnership Manager at STMicroelectronics.
Pierre-Jerome outlines how SHIFT is a significant stepping stone towards greater efficiency in the most energy-consuming part of telecommunication networks.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about how and when the inspiration for the SHIFT project came about?
A: The manufacture of RF semiconductor technologies and infrastructure telecommunications systems is a recognized European expertise, and we have had several collaborative projects in this field; it was only natural to suggest partnering with SHIFT with other industrialists and academics to keep pace.
Q: And what does the name of the project – SHIFT – represent?
A: SHIFT stands for Sustainable tecHnologies enablIng Future Telecommunication applications.
Q: What is your role in the project?
A: I represent STMicroelectronics which is coordinating this project.
Q: SHIFT is an ambitious project with 43 partners from 8 European countries. What are the main benefits and challenges of such a large project?
A: EC-funded collaborative projects aim to promote European innovation and research and development activities. The main consequences of these collaborative projects, are the promotion of European industrials and academics and their activities and products, thanks to a commitment of the partners to disseminate and publish the results of their activities in the project, and to foster collaboration in certain targeted areas, thanks to the pooling of expert resources.
Q: What is the greatest ambition for SHIFT?
A: One of the greatest ambitions in SHIFT, is to show the greatest level of expertise in technologies, and successfully achieve the demonstrators’ targets for terrestrial and satellite telecommunication systems.
Q: And what are the main first achievements of the project today?
A: We were able as a consortium to put in place the prerequisites for success. It is still too early to have results, because we are only 6 months old!
Q: SHIFT makes significant contributions to the "twin transition" in telecommunications. Can you tell us a bit more about this goal?
A: The semiconductor technologies and telecommunication systems that will be developed in SHIFT will enable greater efficiency in the most energy-consuming part of telecommunication networks. They will also allow higher data rates and more compact components and subsystems, thus contributing to better digitisation.
Q: SHIFT consortium works on telecommunication technologies that will eventually be used by our society daily, such as Beyond-5G and 6G. What will the impact of SHIFT be on European society and worldwide?
A: SHIFT will participate in the improvement of telecommunication technologies whether for terrestrial or satellite telecommunication systems. As this it will foster digitization, and telecommunication performance and availability. Based on this the services that can be offered through Beyond-5G and 6G will become real.
Q: What do you enjoy the most about coordinating SHIFT?
A: Definitely it is the spirit coming from the partners that is sincere, positive, and collaborative.
Q: Last but not least, what is your wish for the first year of the project and for the SHIFT consortium?
A: I wish the best to the consortium's first results.
