EU kicks off agent-based computing drive

A European Union research programme has been initiated to help co-ordinate the development of agent-based computing technology over the next decade.

Funded by the EU's Information Society Technologies programme, the mission of AgentLink III is to address current state-of-the-art and postulated future directions for agent-based computing.

In essence, an 'agent' is an autonomous software system which can decide for itself what it needs to do.

Underpinning many aspects of broader IT, some of the most compelling developments - the semantic web, ambient intelligence, the grid, autonomic systems - require agent technologies or something similar for their realisation.

Michael Luck, roadmap coordinator at Southampton University, highlighted some examples of how agent-based computing has already helped some project partners in their business.

"Daimler-Chrysler, for example, implemented an agent-based system on one factory floor to allow individual work pieces to be directed dynamically around the production area," he explained.

"The intention was to implement flexible manufacturing to meet rapidly changing operations targets. The result was a 10 per cent increase in productivity."