COSSIM · Project

Ultra-Fast Simulator That Tests Cyber-Physical Systems Before You Build Them

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Imagine you're designing a smart factory or a connected car — hundreds of sensors, processors, and network links all working together. Before you build the real thing, you need to test it virtually. But existing simulators either handle the computing side or the networking side, never both at once, and they take forever to run. COSSIM built an open-source simulator that tests the whole system together — processing, networking, power consumption, and security — and does it dramatically faster by using specialized hardware chips called FPGAs.

By the numbers

EUR 2,882,030

EU funding invested in development

consortium partners across 6 countries

total deliverables produced

demo deliverables including final integrated simulator

SMEs involved in development

50%

industry partner ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies designing complex connected systems — smart factories, autonomous vehicles, energy grids — need to simulate the entire system before building it. Current tools either simulate the computing or the networking, but not both together, and they are painfully slow. Without accurate simulation of power consumption and security, design flaws only surface after expensive physical deployment.

The solution

What was built

COSSIM delivered a final integrated open-source simulator combining processing and network simulation with power consumption and security measurement models, accelerated by FPGA hardware. The project also produced a security and robustness testing platform (initial and final prototypes) and completed full design evaluation across 26 deliverables.

Audience

Who needs this

Industrial IoT platform developers building connected factory systemsAutomotive Tier-1 suppliers designing in-vehicle networks and ADAS architecturesSmart grid technology companies simulating distributed energy systemsDefense and aerospace contractors testing mission-critical embedded systemsFPGA development companies looking for simulation acceleration use cases

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Smart Manufacturing & Industrial IoT

mid-size

Target: Companies building connected factory systems or industrial automation platforms

If you are a factory automation company dealing with the headache of testing complex sensor-and-controller networks before deployment — COSSIM developed an integrated simulator that models both the processing and networking of your cyber-physical system in one tool. It also measures power consumption and security vulnerabilities during simulation, so you catch problems before they reach the shop floor. The project delivered a final integrated simulator validated across 26 deliverables by a consortium of 8 partners.

Automotive & Connected Vehicles

enterprise

Target: Automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers developing connected or autonomous vehicle systems

If you are an automotive supplier struggling to simulate how dozens of in-vehicle processors communicate over vehicle networks — COSSIM built an open-source simulation platform that handles both processing nodes and network traffic simultaneously. It includes built-in security testing so you can identify cyber-attack vulnerabilities in your vehicle architecture during the design phase, not after recall. The tool was developed with 4 industry partners including 3 SMEs across 6 countries.

Smart Energy & Grid Infrastructure

enterprise

Target: Energy companies designing smart grid or distributed energy management systems

If you are a smart grid operator dealing with the challenge of validating how thousands of meters and controllers interact across your network — COSSIM created a simulator that models both the computing and communication layers together, with accurate power consumption reporting. This means you can optimize your grid infrastructure's energy footprint before physical deployment, backed by EUR 2,882,030 in EU-funded R&D across 3 years of development.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt this simulation tool?

COSSIM was developed as an open-source platform, meaning the software itself is freely available. Your main costs would be integration effort, staff training, and if you want the hardware-accelerated mode, investment in FPGA boards. The project received EUR 2,882,030 in EU funding for its development.

Can this handle industrial-scale simulations with thousands of nodes?

The project's core promise was simulating complex cyber-physical systems with many interconnected processing and networking nodes. COSSIM was specifically designed to be orders of magnitude faster than existing tools by using FPGA hardware acceleration. Based on available project data, the final integrated simulator was delivered and evaluated, but specific node-count benchmarks are not listed in the summary.

What is the IP situation — can I use this commercially?

COSSIM was built as an open-source project, which generally means you can use and modify the code. However, the consortium included 4 industry partners and 3 SMEs, so specific licensing terms should be verified with the coordinator (Synelixis, Greece). Some components may have separate IP arrangements.

Does this work with our existing simulation tools?

COSSIM was designed to integrate a full-system processing simulator with a network simulator, plus power and security measurement models. The architecture was built to be modular. Based on available project data, 26 deliverables were produced including integration documentation, but specific compatibility with commercial tools like MATLAB or Ansys is not detailed in the summary.

How mature is this technology — is it production-ready?

The project delivered a 'Final Integrated COSSIM simulator' and a 'Final prototype of security and robustness testing platform' along with design implementation and evaluation reports. This indicates a tested and evaluated tool, though it was positioned as a research prototype rather than a commercial product. The project closed in January 2018.

What security testing capabilities does it include?

COSSIM included dedicated security and robustness testing components. The consortium delivered both an initial and final prototype of a security testing platform (Tasks 4.1 through 4.4). This allows you to test how your cyber-physical system responds to attacks during the simulation phase, before physical deployment.

Are there regulatory or compliance advantages?

While COSSIM itself is not a compliance tool, its ability to simulate security vulnerabilities and power consumption during the design phase can support compliance with IEC 62443 (industrial cybersecurity) and energy efficiency standards. Based on available project data, no specific regulatory certifications were mentioned.

Consortium

Who built it

The COSSIM consortium is well-balanced for a simulation R&D project: 8 partners across 6 European countries (Greece, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, UK) with a 50/50 split between industry and academia. The coordinator is Synelixis, a Greek SME specializing in IT solutions, which brings practical product-development perspective. With 4 industry partners including 3 SMEs, the project had strong commercial awareness, though no major enterprise end-users (like automotive OEMs or energy companies) were directly in the consortium. The 3 universities and 1 research organization provided the deep simulation and FPGA expertise needed. For a business considering this technology, the SME-led consortium is a positive signal — these partners needed practical, usable results, not just academic papers.

SYNELIXIS LYSEIS PLIROFORIKIS AUTOMATISMOU & TILEPIKOINONION ANONIMI ETAIRIACoordinator · EL
FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATIONparticipant · ES
POLYTECHNEIO KRITISparticipant · EL
SEARCH-LAB BIZTONSAGI ERTEKELO ELEMZO ES KUTATO LABORATORIUM KORLATOLTFELELOSSEGU TARSASAGparticipant · HU
POLITECNICO DI MILANOparticipant · IT
STMICROELECTRONICS SRLparticipant · IT
MAXELER TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDparticipant · UK
CHALMERS TEKNISKA HOGSKOLA ABparticipant · SE

How to reach the team

Synelixis Solutions (Greece) — the coordinating SME. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the technical team.

Order a report on this consortium See SYNELIXIS LYSEIS PLIROFORIKIS AUTOMATISMOU & TILEPIKOINONION ANONIMI ETAIRIA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore whether COSSIM's simulation technology fits your product development pipeline? SciTransfer can arrange a technical briefing with the development team and assess integration feasibility for your specific use case.

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