A Cognitive Serverless Framework for the Cloud-Edge Continuum

An effective platform for the cognitive cloud-edge continuum must address a number of unsolved challenges, many of them derived from constrained resource devices, infrastructure heterogeneity, and the need to meet criteria such as performance, resilience, security, data sovereignty, and energy efficiency. A disaggregated architecture is required, making use of AI, automation, and portability to manage and adapt resources and workloads, and to respond in real time to possible incidents and security threats. Edge application developers willing to speed up computation, save energy, and cut costs will need a way to combine their edge devices with the many resources available across the cloud-edge continuum. This innovative approach requires computationally-intensive data processing functions to be easily executed outside edge devices, sensors, and actuators. It is with that vision in mind that this project proposes a new distributed Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) paradigm for edge application management and smart orchestration, which will change how applications and services are deployed and executed in the cloud-edge continuum. Our AI-enabled adaptive serverless framework will provide applications with secure and portable access to a continuous data processing environment that abstracts the large-scale, geo-distributed, and low-latency capabilities provided by the cloud-edge continuum.The Consortium combines innovative open source companies in Europe, high-impact research organizations, and several edge application providers. Our research will be validated in relevant application domains, and will establish an ecosystem with links to industrial initiatives. This project will be transformative for the emerging EU edge ecosystem, providing resources and knowledge for start-ups, SMEs, and industry leaders seeking to look beyond centralized platforms and hyperscalers. It will increase European autonomy not only in data processing but also in strategic edge technologies.