Some technological projects are large because of their scale. Others are complex because of their engineering challenges. The SKA Observatory (SKAO) belongs to a far rarer category: projects that redefine how science, industry and geopolitics can work together.
With 16 countries involved, two continents hosting its telescope infrastructure, and a scientific ambition unmatched in modern astronomy, the SKAO is often described as one of the most complex scientific endeavours ever conceived. But beyond antennas, data and supercomputers, the SKAO is also a powerful demonstration of how advanced electronics, international cooperation and shared responsibility can converge into a single, global effort. At the heart of this system lies a technological backbone where reliability, precision and interoperability are not optional. This is where electronics stop being a component and become an enabler of knowledge.
A scientific instrument built through global cooperation
The SKAO is a distributed scientific infrastructure designed to explore the universe through radio frequencies, enabling observations that are impossible with optical instruments. Its uniqueness, however, goes beyond science. Its two telescopes are under construction in Australia and South Africa, and will be the largest telescope arrays on Earth when complete.
Sixteen nations have agreed to work side by side on a single project, sharing data, standards, responsibilities, and long-term objectives. In a historical moment characterised by geopolitical tensions and fragmented industrial strategies, the SKAO is a strong example of science diplomacy in action, being built on collaboration not competition. This cooperative dimension is not a by-product. It is a foundational requirement. The SKAO’s complexities demand that technical excellence is matched by organisational trust and shared governance.
In this sense, the SKAO can be seen as one of the most advanced experiments in international cooperation currently underway.
The Italian contribution: research, digital innovation and industrial capability
Italy plays a strategic role within the SKAO ecosystem, contributing across multiple areas. On the research side, INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) has been working for more than two decades on the analogue signal chain, laying the scientific foundations for the system. This long-term research activity has been essential in defining the performance requirements that drive the entire telescope architecture.
On the digital side, Sanitas has developed key elements of the signal processing logic, transforming scientific requirements into digital architectures capable of handling extreme data rates and timing constraints. Industry completes this chain. Translating research prototypes into robust, industrial-grade systems requires a different set of capabilities: requirement management at scale, system integration, validation, manufacturing and global supply chain orchestration. This is where Elemaster, through Eletech, the lead company of the International Design Centres (IDCs), R&D division of Elemaster Group, contributes to the SKAO.
SPS, TPM and FEM: electronics at the core of the SKAO
Within the SKAO, Elemaster is responsible for the Signal Processing Subsystem (SPS) for the SKA-Low telescope, a critical layer in the telescope’s architecture. The SPS is where raw signals collected by antennas are transformed into structured digital data ready for higher-level scientific processing. This subsystem includes three fundamental elements:
- FEM (Front-End Module), which receives the radio signal from each antenna, amplifies it and converts it into an optical signal for long-distance transmission.
- TPM (Tile Processing Module), which converts optical signals back into electrical form, digitises them at extremely high sampling rates and performs the first stages of signal processing.
- SPS cabinets, which integrate these modules into a robust, shielded and cooled industrial system suitable for deployment in remote environments.
Each TPM processes signals from multiple antennas, digitising them hundreds of 800 million times per second and performing operations such as synchronisation, channelisation and beamforming. These steps are essential to ensure that signals arriving from different locations can be coherently combined. In the early phases of the project, the TPM was even referred to as iTPM, Italian Tile Processing Module, a detail that quietly highlights the weight of the Italian contribution within the SKAO technological core.
When system engineering becomes a cultural exercise
Designing electronics for the SKAO is not just a matter of performance. It is an exercise in system engineering across cultures, disciplines and organisational models. The SPS must interface seamlessly with third-party systems developed in different countries, each following its own engineering traditions and constraints. Interoperability is not achieved through standardisation alone, but through continuous dialogue between scientific advisors, industrial engineers and site operators.
This collaborative complexity is reflected in a recurring anecdote shared by the teams working on the project. During international meetings, when discussions turn to the SPS, reactions often converge into a familiar recognition: “Ah, those from SPS.” Behind this informal expression lies a deeper meaning. It reflects how a subsystem becomes identifiable not just for its technical role, but for the people behind it and their ability to bridge science and industry.
Engineering as an enabler of social sustainability
The international nature of the SKAO does more than accelerate scientific discovery. It creates a working environment where diversity is not an obstacle but a functional asset. Engineers, scientists and technicians from Europe, Australia, Africa, the Americas and Asia collaborate daily across time zones, cultural frameworks and professional languages. Problem-solving becomes a shared process, often extending beyond formal meetings into informal exchanges where scientific concepts and practical constraints coexist naturally.
This form of collaboration represents a tangible expression of social sustainability. Knowledge circulates across borders, expertise is shared rather than isolated, and long-term relationships are built around a common objective. In the SKA project, sustainability is not only about reducing environmental impact. It is also about creating systems, both technical and human, that can endure over decades.
From electronics to understanding the universe
At its core, the SKAO aims to answer some of the most profound questions about the universe: the formation of the first stars, the nature of pulsars, the detection of gravitational phenomena and, potentially, the identification of technosignatures. None of this would be possible without electronics capable of operating at the edge of what is technologically feasible. Precision timing, massive data throughput, signal integrity and reliability over long lifecycles are not secondary features. They define whether the telescope can function as intended.
By contributing to the SPS, Elemaster and Eletech operate at the intersection where electronics becomes an intellectual tool, enabling scientists to observe realities that were previously inaccessible.
An opening chapter in a larger story
This first look inside the SKAO offers a glimpse into a project where electronics, science and international cooperation are inseparable. It sets the stage for deeper explorations into the extreme engineering challenges behind synchronisation, logistics, industrialisation, human collaboration, and responsible design. Each of these dimensions deserves its own focus, its own narrative, and its own technical depth.
Because the SKAO is not just a observatory under construction. It is a living demonstration of how complex systems are built when technology serves a shared vision of knowledge.
And this story is only the beginning.