The European Union (EU) is undergoing an unprecedented green transition, focused on developing sustainable technologies to achieve climate neutrality and a low-carbon economy, thereby addressing the ambitious challenges of climate change. At the same time, the EU is advancing toward digital leadership, prioritizing research and innovation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support a sustainable industry.

Over the past few years, the members of the consortium, through the FotoArt-CM project (Technologies Program 2018), have positioned the Madrid region at the forefront of solar fuel production technologies, both nationally and internationally. In addition, they have achieved significant progress in developing new, more efficient and stable materials (inorganic, organic, and hybrid), laid the groundwork for understanding the reaction mechanisms governing these processes, and made major efforts in scaling up materials and reactors.

However, despite the scientific advances achieved through FotoArt-CM, it remains essential to accelerate progress in developing more active, stable, and highly selective materials, as well as efficient solar reactors that enable the commercialization of these technologies. Yet, using conventional methodologies, these developments would require a timeframe that is becoming increasingly limited.

Therefore, it is time to change the approach, fostering synergy between the green and digital transitions by developing renewable energy–based technologies enhanced by AI. In this regard, the creation of innovative strategies based on the synergy of AI@SolarChemistry will allow for a substantial acceleration of these technologies and of the future development of the eco-digital transition. It is within this philosophy that FotoArt5.0-CM is born.

The creation of this interdisciplinary hub, which brings together materials science, chemistry, catalysis, biology, physics, and engineering with new applications in AI-driven robotics, big data, and open science, will accelerate the discovery of smart materials for the next generation of solar-powered fuel and chemical production technologies.

This innovative approach not only strengthens the region’s position in research and innovation but also directly supports the objectives of the EU’s Horizon Europe 2025–2027 program, which focuses on tackling critical global challenges such as climate change and the digital transition.