Thales and Diehl Aviation are jointly presenting an advanced innovation concept that integrates the power of Thales's award-winning Onboard Data Center (ODC) with Diehl's High Performance Controller (HPC). Through this collaboration, Thales and Diehl Aviation will introduce an advanced digital platform powering smart cabin functionalities to enhance the passenger experience.

Thales’s award-winning ODC uses cloud-native technologies enabling real-time Over The Air content and software updates. This open platform ensures seamless third-party integration, creating the ideal environment for collaboration. Its groundbreaking blade architecture shares compute and storage capabilities enabling advanced functionalities and superior data management, a major leap forward in cabin operational performance.

Diehl's HPC connects the ODC to smart cabin equipment and sensors by leveraging a broad range of cabin interfaces. It serves as a gateway to third party equipment, the aircraft control domain, and provides extensive capabilities for neural network inferences and image processing. This allows for the integration of smart functions e.g. in galley and lavatory controls, as well as in bins and the cargo area.

This innovative concept enables real-time data processing and enhances smart cabin maintenance capabilities to improve airline operational efficiency. Examples of possible use cases are:

• Reduction of food waste - By analyzing in-flight catering consumption data, AI-driven applications can recommend optimizations for better resource management. 
• Advanced Cabin Sensors - Sensors can monitor a variety of parameters in the cabin, from overhead compartment storage levels to lavatory and seat cushion data, to improve the passenger experience and enhance airline operational efficiency.

The advanced digital platform innovation concept developed by Thales and Diehl Aviation will be showcased at Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), April 8-10 2025 in Hamburg, Germany. A live demonstration will be given at the Diehl Aviation stand (7D20 in Hall B7).