Publication of Artifacts for Open Data Spaces (ODS)

Release Date:Apr 1, 2026

Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan

Open-Source Release of Dataspaces Technology for the Agentic AI Era

Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA) has compiled and published a set of key artifacts related to Open Data Spaces (ODS) as of April 1, 2026. These artifacts are the outcome of IPA's leadership and responsibilities in designing the architecture for dataspaces, which began in August 2025. Made openly available, artifacts aim to establish global interoperability for distributed data management across enterprises, organizations, and national borders, and to accelerate the scaling of a real-data utilization infrastructure that supports the advancement of Agentic AI.

About Open Data Spaces (ODS)

Open Data Spaces (ODS) is an open and scalable foundation for distributed data, built on organizational and national diversity by design.

Regarding ODS, the Digital Architecture Design Center, IPA (DADC) published an initial concept white paper in February 2025 (Note 1). From August 2025, DADC formally expanded its leadership and responsibilities on designing the architecture for dataspaces. (Note 2) Since then, DADC has been covering protocol design and middleware development as part of the “Project for the Development and Pilot of a Data Sharing System to Realize the Ouranos Ecosystem”by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). (Note 3)

Following a joint promotion agreement in October 2025 with the Data Society Alliance (DSA), Robot Revolution & Industrial IoT Initiative (RRI), and the University of Tokyo (Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies) (Note 4), IPA has been serving as the secretariat for global ODS promotion.

ODS Artifacts released in FY2025

The principal artifacts related to ODS for this fiscal year are listed in Table 1 below. For credits and licensing terms for each deliverable, please refer to the respective linked pages.

<Table 1> ODS Artifacts list
	Artifact	Overview	URL
1	Why Open Dataspaces: Design Philosophy and the Architectural Paradigm	A document explaining the design philosophy and architectural paradigm of Open Dataspaces — a new technical paradigm for distributed data management across organizations, enterprises, and national borders.	https://www.ipa.go.jp/en/digital/architecture-guidelines/open-dataspaces-design-philosophy.html
2	Open Data Spaces Reference Architecture Model (ODS-RAM) V2	A reference architecture for distributed data management across enterprises, industries, and national boundaries —documented through technology paradigms, hierarchical structure models, and protocol relationships.	https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/
3	Open Data Spaces Protocols (ODP)	A set of technical specifications that provide the functions for realizing distributed data management based on ODS-RAM and ensure the interoperability of open dataspaces.	https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/
4	Open Data Spaces Middleware	A suite of open-source software implementing the ODS Protocols (ODP) as a reference implementation.	https://github.com/open-dataspaces
5	Open Data Spaces Software Development Kit (SDK for Onboarding / SDK for Semantics)	SDKs (Software Development Kits) and documentation for ODS developers.	https://github.com/open-dataspaces
6	Open Data Spaces Introductory Guidebook for Users	A guide for business practitioners and corporate planning staff at companies that use or implement data management and AI services, to evaluate entry into dataspace-related businesses from the perspectives of whether to enter, what roles they can fulfill, and how to approach initial investment.	https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/
7	Open Data Spaces Introductory Guidebook for Developers	A guide for developers who are in a position to adopt, implement, or provide services based on Open Dataspaces technologies, organizing the foundational concepts and minimum configuration for beginning design, implementation, and operations.	https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/

Next Steps

The deliverables compiled in this release will be exhibited at “ODS Explore”—a series of presentations and exhibits promoting awareness and adoption of ODS—at Hannover Messe 2026 in Germany, from April 20 to 24, 2026 (Note 5).

In a world being transformed by the AI revolution, data has become a critical asset, as it directly determines the competitiveness of software that creates value in services.
In industries such as automotive and robotics, a fundamental reversal in the roles of software and hardware has been observed. Consequently, software-driven strategic data sharing has become a key executive challenge that defines a company’s competitive advantage. To address social issues exemplified by carbon neutrality and the circular economy, as well as economic challenges such as supply chain disruptions, it is essential to build a framework for the secure sharing and distribution of data across companies, industries, and borders. IPA will continue to advance activities aimed at solving these challenges through ODS.

Contact information

IPA Digital Architecture Design Center(DADC)

E-mail