Co-sponsored by: Hoda Al-Khazaimi

People talk about what computing can do for sustainability, but a more concrete and urgent problem is how computing itself can become more sustainable. As all sorts of things from medical devices to cars go online, they will start to need monthly software updates, or the latest security vulnerabilities will cause safety problems too. The safety case for your SUV or your insulin pump will no longer be just a matter of pre-market testing; it will need to be maintained. We did a study for the European Commission of the implications for product regulation, and it’s becoming clear that Europe’s ecosystem of safety regulators, standards bodies and testing labs will need a substantial upgrade. The way we develop software will also have to change. If I’m writing navigation code right now in Cambridge which will appear in your SUV in 2020, how will we keep shipping security patches in 2030, 2040 and 2050? What tools will we need, and who will pay for it all?

Speaker(s): Prof. Ross Anderson,

Location:
Room: 007
Bldg: A6
New York University (NYU) of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates