Impact

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is currently transforming numerous industries with its ability to automate tasks, provide deep insights, and enable new functionalities. The 8ra Initiative’s Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum offers the scalable, flexible infrastructure needed to support these advanced AI applications.

Through the seamless convergence of cloud and edge devices, 8ra unlocks innovative edge AI functionalities. This approach provides end users with quick response times for enhanced real-time AI and lowers costs through local data processing. The additional resilience and holistic security of the multi-provider infrastructure offer robust support for AI solutions.

An exemplary project is the Fincantieri Group’s IPCEI-CIS Project, envisioning the integration of AI in both smart ships and smart shipyards of the future, showcasing the transformative potential of the 8ra Initiative in real-world applications.

The Industrial Metaverse combines digital twins, AR/VR, and advanced technologies to blend the analogue and digital worlds. This merging allows industries to optimise processes, drive sustainable practices, and accelerate digital transformation.

The 8ra Initiative enables new AR/VR applications that benefit from real-time data processing with low latency and high reliability. The scalability and flexibility of the Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum, through elastic and automated orchestration of computing resources, are vital for these use cases.

Ericsson’s KeeCEK project a leading example, demonstrating how adding mobile communication platforms to this continuum can host critical enterprise and industrial applications. The implementation of holographic communication showcases the power and flexibility of the 8ra Initiative’s infrastructure in practical, industrial settings.

Autonomous systems, from self-driving cars to delivery drones and warehouse robots, require ultra-fast data processing and minimal latency. The 8ra Initiative facilitates this by managing large data volumes and enabling rapid decision-making through its advanced Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum.

The platform’s edge processing capabilities allow for efficient coordination of autonomous systems at the network edge, providing the high degree of security and reliability needed. A particularly notable example is the EdgeConnect project by Deutsche Telekom, which collaborates with Phoenix Systems to develop innovative autonomous logistics solutions.

Digital sovereignty is critical in reducing dependence on external cloud providers. The 8ra Initiative supports Europe’s digital independence by delivering a federated, open-source infrastructure through the Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum.

The collaborative development of an open reference architecture by SAP’s ApeiroRA project and Deutsche Telekom’s EdgeConnect project ensures a standardised approach to distributed systems. This architecture helps avoid vendor lock-in, facilitates easy management and portability of workloads, and establishes a true multi-cloud strategy that benefits European businesses.

Sustainability is at the heart of the 8ra Initiative. As cloud computing demands grow, so do energy requirements and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from data centres. To address this, the 8ra Initiative integrates green practices such as using renewable energy, innovative cooling technologies, reusing excess heat, and sector coupling through integrating data centres into facility management.

The Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum also enables advanced carbon footprint management. With real-time emission monitoring and transparent energy sources, intelligent load management can shift workloads based on carbon footprint, promoting consumption-optimised data centres. Efficiency is further enhanced by reducing data flow through effective compression and using local edge computing wherever possible.

Sustainability is not only a guiding principle but also a dedicated focus area within the 8ra Initiative, supported by a dedicated cross-workstream on sustainability that aligns and amplifies efforts across all projects.

A standout project is windCORES by WestfalenWIND IT, where decentralised data centres are housed within wind turbines. This innovative approach uses renewable energy directly and reduces the need for new facilities or additional energy networks.

As companies face growing cyber threats, cloud computing introduces new risks and opportunities for attacks. Security is a core pillar of the 8ra Initiative. Partners are developing advanced encryption and security technologies, such as post-quantum secure data connections and robust key management systems.

Security concepts like zero-trust architectures and confidential computing are bolstered by AI-driven network monitoring and threat detection. A unified security framework strengthens the federated infrastructure, ensuring security is seamlessly integrated throughout the ecosystem.

The Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum gives users the freedom to select trusted partners, promoting competition for higher security standards and enabling security on demand.

A key example is Rheinmetall’s PoQuaSIA project, which creates a scalable IoT platform with post-quantum secure data connections. This platform ensures safe and efficient connectivity between decentralised edge and central cloud infrastructures, validated through a teleoperation use case within a resilient cloud environment.

By eliminating cloud silos and promoting open-source development, the 8ra Initiative supports digital innovation and start-up growth. The flexible data processing capabilities of the Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum create a fertile ground for new business models.
Siemens’ Kicks4Edge project is a prime example, as it develops an open industrial-grade edge software stack. This project aims to enable the development of third-party apps for industrial edge devices, showcasing how the 8ra Initiative nurtures innovation and supports the start-up ecosystem.

The 8ra Initiative is a key enabler of digital transformation in the public sector, accelerating cloud migration and modernising administrative processes. By reducing infrastructure costs, automating tasks with AI, and offering flexible provider selection, the Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum helps public institutions optimise budgets and improve efficiency.
The secure and accessible cloud services provided by 8ra meet the high standards needed for managing sensitive public data. The platform offers user-friendly access to distributed cloud solutions with clear location visibility, ensuring GDPR-compliant data processing. The multi-provider approach also supports the quick adoption of new technologies and tools without compromising integration speed.

A prime example is the AIDED project by Elevait, which addresses key public sector challenges such as digitalisation, staff shortages, and cloud applications. The project leverages AI within the distributed cloud to automate repetitive tasks while maintaining portability and resource efficiency in IT systems.

The federated infrastructure of the 8ra Initiative is designed for high availability and resilience, offering redundancy and failover capabilities that essentially guarantee zero downtime. Technical innovations such as mutual backups and intelligent digital twins enable fast system recovery without loss of connection. The decentralised function distribution and inclusion of edge solutions prevent a single point of failure, with intelligent load management efficiently re-routing data with low latency.

The RESCUE project by Amadeus exemplifies this approach. By implementing a cyber-resilient digital twin for data centres and edges across the Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum, the project enables dynamic shifting of critical services. This fast and comprehensive data and service recovery ensures uninterrupted availability for end users and customers, as demonstrated by an airport ticketing system use case.

The 8ra Initiative already unlocked over 8 billion euro in total investments through the IPCEI-CIS – more investments are expected trough the arising new services and products.

The Multi-Provider Cloud-Edge Continuum promotes an open market, fostering business models centred on open-source software and enhancing market opportunities for both new and established players.