Progressing towards the next-generation cloud-edge-IoT continuum
The EU-funded SovereignEdge.Cognit project has released the first version of the reference architecture that will drive the open-source implementation of its AI-enabled adaptive serverless framework for the cognitive cloud-edge continuum. This is part of its effort to form a new distributed Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) paradigm for edge application management and smart orchestration that will change how applications and services are deployed in the cloud-edge continuum. “Moving computing closer to where data happens is going to change our daily lives. To do that in a sustainable way, it is crucial to invest in technologies that enable intelligent offloading from IoT devices to the cloud-edge continuum,” remarks Chief Technology and Product Officer Dr Thomas Di Giacomo of SovereignEdge.Cognit project partner SUSE, Germany, in a press release posted on ‘EIN Presswire’.
What is in the reference architecture
The reference architecture sets out the main components of the future COGNIT FaaS platform, identifies the main software requirements, and describes the methodology and specific scenarios used to verify its innovative functionalities. This public document also provides an initial plan for instantiating the COGNIT architecture and prioritising software requirements during the project’s upcoming research and innovation cycles. “Thanks to COGNIT’s new distributed Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) paradigm, IoT and edge devices will be able to offer compute-intensive edge applications to their users through the smart offloading of tasks to the Cloud-Edge Continuum,” observes Dr Idoia de la Iglesia of project partner Ikerlan, Spain. The COGNIT platform will meet a range of cross-cutting sovereignty, sustainability, interoperability and security requirements. This will enable it to contribute to EU digital policies and strategic priorities related to the cognitive cloud, such as the Digital Decade Programme and the Open Source Software Strategy 2020-2023. “As proud coordinators of the COGNIT Project, we know that Europe’s digital sovereignty can only be truly advanced by combining its impressive R&D&I capabilities with the power of European open source,” states Dr Alberto P. Martí of SovereignEdge.Cognit project coordinator OpenNebula Systems, Spain. To further this effort, the project has helped organise activities such as the panel discussion held in June 2023 on AI for the edge cloud. The discussion focused on reducing latency, improving security and optimising resource consumption. It also explored ways in which AI is expected to make highly distributed edge cloud architectures more flexible and adaptable to IoT/edge application developers’ changing needs. Earlier in the year, the project team also participated in a 2-day event organised by the EUCloudEdgeIoT initiative and the European Commission. Titled ‘Concertation and Consultation on Computing Continuum: From Cloud to Edge to IoT’, the event showcased the ongoing research and innovation of 44 different EU projects related to cloud, edge and IoT. “We are really proud to be part of the COGNIT Project. … The COGNIT open source framework will strengthen the European cloud and edge ecosystem,” states Dr Riccardo Valentini of project partner Nature 4.0 Italy. The SovereignEdge.Cognit (A Cognitive Serverless Framework for the Cloud-Edge Continuum) project ends in December 2025. For more information, please see: SovereignEdge.Cognit project website
Keywords
SovereignEdge.Cognit, cloud, edge, cloud-edge continuum, Function-as-a-Service, FaaS, reference architecture, computing, IoT, AI
