In the race to digitise maritime logistics, control over corporate information has become the asset most jealously guarded by operators. To break through opacity between port-related hubs without forcing port authorities to hand over their databases to centralised servers, a consortium of seven partners — including Puertos de Tenerife — has launched the FEDPORT project. The initiative will develop between 2025 and 2028 the first federated data architecture for port precincts, designed and built entirely in Spain.
The consortium responsible for implementation brings together engineering firms, technology consulting companies and leading research centres. The alliance comprises Ayesa, ISOIN, Híades Business Patterns and Pleyone Management Capital, with scientific backing from the University of La Laguna, ITCL Centro Tecnológico, and the Foundation for Research and Technological Development in Astrophysics and Information Technology (FIDETIA).
The platform’s technical approach aims to solve a long-standing dilemma in the sector: how to share operational intelligence between competing facilities without any one of them losing day-to-day control over its own records. Funded through the Innterconecta-STEP call from the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), which is part of Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the project proposes a decentralised model. The data will remain archived on each port’s servers, while algorithms will process the information on-site to turn it into real-time operational predictions.
Quantum architecture and artificial intelligence from the source
The project’s complexity lies in integrating cutting-edge analytical capabilities on top of existing local infrastructures. FEDPORT will combine federated learning, edge computing, multimodal generative artificial intelligence and hybrid IA-quantum optimisation models. This architecture will enable training global analytical models without moving a single byte beyond the computing boundaries of each port precinct.
The platform’s operational validation will be carried out in two key industrial settings: the Port of Huelva and the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority. The choice of these locations is driven by the need to test the tool in environments with a high volume of diversified traffic, where optimising berthing times and cargo handling requires highly accurate automated decision-making.
The technological alliance behind the European standard
FEDPORT’s design is driven by the explicit goal of scaling its standard to the rest of the European port system. Against the traditional model of reliance on closed, imported software solutions from other markets, the initiative consolidates the ability of the national technology industry to build critical data infrastructures. Direct validation at real quays will set the foundation for a new digital governance model for maritime trade across the continent.
The project Puertos de Tenerife and CDTI launch FedPort: Spain’s ports’ digital sovereignty plan was first published on canarymaritime.com.
