NOUS

The European cloud market is currently dominated by non-EU players, which poses significant challenges for the EU’s digital sovereignty, as these providers are subject to foreign regulations. This reliance raises concerns about the security and independence of data processing within Europe. To address these issues, the NOUS project aligns with the European Strategy for Data, aiming to establish the foundations for a European Cloud Service that leverages the HPC network and meets EU-specific economic and regulatory requirements. By integrating edge computing, High-Performance Computing (HPC), and quantum technologies, NOUS envisions a decentralised and secure Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)/Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) cloud platform to enhance Europe’s data processing capabilities.

The project’s main objectives are as follows:

  • Develop a connectivity framework linking Europe’s HPC network with NOUS and integrate quantum computing capabilities.
  • Create a data processing module for fusing physical and digital data while optimizing computation across the Edge-to-Fog-to-Cloud (E2F2C) continuum.
  • Implement and evaluate blockchain as a decentralized database for NOUS, comparing it with classical storage models for standard and IoT-powered applications.
  • Design a translation-to-standards software component for data spaces in mobility, energy, and Green Deal sectors.
  • Develop a comprehensive architecture for a European Cloud Service suite, combining compute, edge, and data components to boost EU’s digital sovereignty.
  • Build a collaboration platform inspired by the Living Labs concept, facilitating user interaction, data sharing, and cross-domain data analysis.
  • Establish synergies with other European initiatives and organizations to support data sharing and the development of common European Cloud Services.

ITML’s role in the project

ITML leads the design of edge computing architectures that integrate with traditional cloud services. Key objectives include: (1) Distributed Architectures: Developing systems that work seamlessly with cloud infrastructures, forming the backbone of NOUS’s cloud solutions. (2) Edge Computing Optimization: Utilizing FastFlow to enhance parallel application processing, reducing latency in data-heavy tasks. (3) Federated Learning: Advancing decentralized machine learning on edge devices, improving resource usage and real-time decision-making.

For more information, visit the official project website: https://nous-project.eu/

Acknowledgment

The project NOUS has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under the Grant Agreement No. 101135927.