Interconnection of backbone networks for cloud federations with other cloud, HPC and edge infrastructures - Studies

Federated cloud infrastructures will gradually need to be interconnected with other cloud, HPC and edge infrastructures. The objective of this topic is to fund feasibility studies for these interconnections to anticipate the technical, legal and economic requirements to progressively establish a fully secured and highly energy-efficient European computing continuum.

The studies funded under this topic should cover future investment needs and required technology for the interconnection of cloud, HPC and edge infrastructures. The priority is the identification of shortages that prevent the EU from holding digital independence while participating from the existing technological status quo.

The applicants may apply for grants for studies, including the following activities:

• Analysis of investment needs related to the development and deployment of cross-border and national cloud infrastructure interconnections at both the physical (i.e. very high capacity networks) and functional levels (i.e. management systems, software-defined infrastructures) for public sector end-users and private actors operating data infrastructures for services of general public interest across the EU.
• Analysis of economic sovereignty of deployed alternatives. This covers the analysis of total cost of ownership and of the relevant items that result in the extraction of the funding from the required value-chains.
• Analysis of technological needs relevant for the interconnection of the aforementioned networks and resources.

The end users will be public administrations or public and private entities entrusted with the operation of SGIs or SGEIs.

In view of the particular sensitivity of cloud infrastructures from a security perspective and the importance to reduce exposure to risks to the maximum possible extent, proposals under this topic are subject to strict exclusion of non-EU controlled entities,
under the Article 11.4 of the CEF Regulation. The assessment of the foreign (non-EU) control will be addressed during the eligibility phase of the evaluation of proposals. Participants will be requested to submit an ownership control questionnaire for this purpose to determine their control status. They will also be requested to submit supporting documents in order for the Commission to determine that the entities are not controlled by a third country.

The call aims to result in the following key benefits:

a) Investment roadmap for achieving a robust cloud federation network in the EU with increased competitiveness and resilience of the EU computing industry in line with EU rules on data protection, security, portability and sustainability.

b) Roadmap for developing key building blocks to achieve technological autonomy in essential digital computing infrastructures to process EU data, in particular through European common dataspaces. The technological roadmap should also include the needs for the roll-out of emerging technologies, including AI, ‘internet of things’ (IoT), HPC in the aforementioned interconnections.

c) Requirements definition for energy efficiency and sustainable large scale deployment of interconnected cloud-to-edge infrastructures across the EU territory.