From September 9–12, 2025, nearly 200 participants from more than 20 countries gathered at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm for the 44th International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability and Security (SafeComp 2025).
Since its inception in 1979, SafeComp has provided a global forum for discussing dependability in safety-critical systems. This year’s theme — “Managing safety in an era of a software-defined computing continuum” — highlighted the growing challenges as (semi-)autonomous cyber-physical systems interact with humans in open environments.
Hosted by KTH Royal Institute of Technology and co-sponsored by Digital Futures, SafeComp 2025 was co-chaired by Fredrik Asplund and Martin Törngren (both KTH). The event once again proved itself as a vital meeting ground for researchers, industry leaders, and practitioners to exchange knowledge across domains.
– SafeComp is the bridge between research and practice. In 2025, with AI, automation, and the computing continuum reshaping society, this dialogue between academia and industry is more critical than ever. It is here, in this community, that we find the pathways to building systems we can truly trust, says Martin Törngren.
Program Highlights
- Workshops: A record-breaking eight parallel workshops kicked off the event, reflecting the breadth and depth of today’s safety-critical challenges.
- Keynotes: The conference featured outstanding plenary lectures, including Professor Missy Cummings and Dr. Sebastian Hallensleben on safety and AI/ML, and Dr. Marc Duranton on the evolving computing continuum. Workshop keynotes included Trent Victor (Waymo), Philip Koopman (CMU), and Claes-Göran Gustavsson(ABB).
- Panel Debate: The session “AI Under the Law: Building Safe, Trustworthy, and Compliant Systems” — organized by Hakima Shiralizade and Rafia Inam — spurred lively discussions on the intersection of AI, regulation, and safety.
- Social Program: Beyond the technical sessions, participants enjoyed unique venues such as KTH’s former reactor hall (R1), a reception at the Stockholm City Hall, and a memorable conference dinner at the Vasa Museum. The Student Union House (Kårhuset) served as a charming and well-suited conference venue.
This year also brought a few novelties: for the first time, keynote talks were recorded, and SafeComp was even honored with its very own conference song.
A Growing Community
SafeComp’s single-track format and long-standing tradition under EWICS TC7 foster an unusually direct exchange between academia, industry, and societal stakeholders. This year’s gathering underscored the urgency of rethinking safety in light of accelerating advances in AI, automation, and interconnected systems.
- Link to CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS: https://safecomp2025.se/conference-proceedings/
- SafetyNxt workshop keynotes:
https://www.digitalfutures.kth.se/event/making-the-ads-safety-case-with-predictive-acceptance-criteria-of-retrospective-safety-impact/
https://www.digitalfutures.kth.se/event/re-imagining-safety-engineering-for-embodied-ai-systems/
Text: Johanna Gavefalk
