by Manolis Marazakis and Stelios Louloudakis (ICS-FORTH)
The HIGHER project provides cloud and edge infrastructures using European data centre-ready processor technologies and system design conforming to Open Compute Project (OCP) standards. The innovative framework aims to accelerate the energy transition and drive sustainable technological growth.
The European Cloud and Edge computing markets are projected to experience substantial growth, with an estimated increase from $56.85 billion to $470.13 billion between 2022 and 2032, for the cloud market and from $15.54 billion in 2023 to $147.38 billion by 2032 for the edge computing market, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 25% . These markets will play a pivotal role in European economic growth and social development. Notable technologies driving this growth include multi-core CPUs and accelerators, the vast majority of which are US-made, which are expected to achieve a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 49.47% from 2022 to 2032. By 2025, cloud and edge infrastructures are anticipated to cater to over 50 billion users. Unfortunately, the European Cloud Provider Share has significantly reduced in the last years and one of the main reasons behind it is the lack of European Cloud equipment and software. It is thus evident that Europe requires an advanced, energy-efficient, competitive European Cloud and Edge Computing Architecture driven by EU technology and infrastructures.
HIGHER [L1] aims to prototype and demonstrate the first all-European next-generation data center-ready processor and management modules and integrate them into cloud and edge infrastructures using European technologies and Open Compute Project (OCP) standards (See also the European Processor Initiative [L2]. This effort aims to create novel server platforms capable of efficiently deploying cloud and edge applications and services. Specifically, HIGHER will adhere to the OCP Data Center Stack (DC-Stack) standards, providing data center-ready integrated systems for edge, private cloud, and large data centers. Following the OCP Data Center – Modular Hardware System (DC-MHS), which offers specifications for modules compatible across servers, chassis and vendors, HIGHER will offer the following hardware modules:
- Processor Modules - Two OCP-compliant processor modules, which will be based on the OCP Host Processor Module (HPM) or the OCP Universal Baseboard (UBB) standard, one hosting the RHEA2 EPI chip and the other hosting the EPAC2.0 EPI chip and the pin- compatible EUPilot chip [L3].
- Management Module - A Data Center-ready Secure Control Module (DC-SCM), hosting a RISC-V processor inside an FPGA for server management, security, and control features.
Figure 1: (left) OCP Server Chassis, with host processor modules and secure control module; (right) Hardware and Software Components in OCP Server Rack.
These hardware modules will be integrated into the HIGHER server chassis, utilising commercial off-the-shelf OCP-compliant components for power distribution, network connectivity, and storage (see Figure 1). The specific mechanical aspects of the server will be developed within the project. The resulting platform will provide a modular hyperconverged infrastructure, offering distributed resources interconnected directly in hardware for efficient utilisation and management. The modular infrastructure will be easily configurable, and by integrating different HIGHER processor modules, we will be able to provide cloud systems incorporating multiple OCP sleds with high-end processors and accelerators, or smaller edge systems with weaker processors, based on requirements and the position of the server in the cloud-edge continuum. The HIGHER architecture is structured into three main conceptual layers that deliver all-European open-source and open-standard-based software and hardware modules integrated into a complete system:
- Hardware Platform layer, encompassing the development of OCP hardware modules and the final modular integrated platform.
- System Software layer, encompassing the software infrastructure for booting and controlling hardware, accessing hardware peripherals, and providing the execution environment for cloud and edge applications and services.
- Use Cases layer, encompassing four use cases for the evaluation of the capabilities of HIGHER platforms:
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- Accelerated data processing and analysis;
- Infrastructure as a Service;
- Platform as a Service;
- Remote CXL-based disaggregated memory.
HIGHER receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 101189612. The project is funded under the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) call on “Digital and emerging technologies for competitiveness and fit for the Green Deal (2023/24)”[L4].
Links:
[L1] https://www.higher-project.eu
[L2] https://www.european-processor-initiative.eu
[L3] https://eupilot.eu
[L4] https://hadea.ec.europa.eu/calls-proposals/horizon-europe-calls-2024-destination-4-digital-emerging-technologies-competitiveness-and-fit-green_en
Reference:
[1] EU strategic autonomy 2013-2023: From concept to capacity (European Parliament briefing, July 2022). https://kwz.me/hFE
Please contact:
Manolis Marazakis, ICS-FORTH, Greece
Stelios Louloudakis, ICS-FORTH, Greece