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The EURO-3C Architectural Framework: Design Principles Towards the first EU-wide Connected Collaborative Computing Network (3CN)

Dimitris Tsolkas
R&D manager at Fogus Innovations & Services P.C.,
EURO-3C Deputy Technical Manager

The EURO-3C project embraces the ambitious target to create the first Connected Collaborative Computing Network (3CN) in Europe that will offer converged telco-edge-cloud services. Unlike testbeds or temporarily available platforms, EURO-3C will enable services from operational networks and systems, with a baseline infrastructure of more than 70 computing nodes contributed by telco operators, cloud service providers and high-performance computing centres. The project prioritises the design of an architectural framework based on the principles outlined below, in alignment with the European Commission’s guidelines [1].

• Modularity. To guarantee extensibility of the EURO-3C system, the full stack – spanning from the hardware components to the middleware needed for the interaction with third-party applications and users – is inspired by the functional layering principles defined in ISO/IEC 22123-3 [2] and adapted to the specific requirements of the EURO-3C ecosystem. Accordingly, the EURO-3C architectural framework defines five layers, namely: access and connectivity, compute infrastructure, resource management, service, and user and application. Each layer offers capabilities to the upper layer and consumes services from the lower one, while transversal functional components are defined dealing with concepts that need cross-layer coordination, such as security, trust, and AI enablement.
• Interoperability. Towards a future-proof system that implies a technology-neutral implementation approach, interoperability is a key principle adopted for the service exposure (northbound) and federation (east-west) interfaces, by leveraging standard specifications and open-source initiatives. For the service exposure interface, a common as-a-service model is being designed for vertical industry customers, application developers and end users, while the federation interfaces target resource, service and data sharing capabilities.
• Sovereignty. In a federated telco-edge-cloud ecosystem the participating organisations need to retain effective control over their data, infrastructure, identities, security policies, workloads and technology choices. Thus, the EURO-3C architectural framework is based on a policy-driven federation with distributed administrative control, data and workload locality mechanisms, portable services, and no critical dependencies on individual providers or technologies.

Building on these three principles, the EURO-3C architectural approach further extends existing architectures along four complementary dimensions. First, it embraces the business potential and needs of 3CN stakeholders, ensuring alignment with the business models of the telco-edge-cloud ecosystem. Second, it promotes Telco–Cloud convergence by integrating connectivity, edge and cloud capabilities into a unified service environment. Third, it introduces multi-level federation to enable secure collaboration, resource discovery and sharing across multiple administrative domains. Finally, AI-enabled capabilities support intelligent resource allocation, orchestration, and optimisation across heterogeneous infrastructures, enabling improved computing efficiency while maintaining end-to-end network performance.

 

Sources: 

[1] European Commission, “Connected Collaborative Computing Networks (3CNs),” in How to Master Europe’s Digital Infrastructure Needs. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/redirection/document/102533

[2] ISO/IEC 22123-3:2023, Information technology — Cloud computing — Part 3: Reference architecture. International Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical Commission, 2023.