Edge-Cloud Services in the Gaia-X Architecture: A Survey

NGIoT invites all stakeholders to take part in a survey targeting industry and research stakeholders involved in Edge-Cloud services. It has as an aim to gather information concerning the specific needs of Edge-based networking and interconnection services to assist a better integration of current and future Edge-Cloud services in the Gaia-X architecture, having in mind current and future Edge-Cloud deployments.

The notion of “Edge-Cloud” refers to the so-called Edge-Cloud continuum and relates with the Internet as a complex, decentralised system. Edge in this context can be further split into the “Far Edge” and “Near Edge”. The Far Edge contemplates devices and services located on customer premises (e.g., manufacturing shop-floor, home), covering not only the existing cyber-physical systems but also the interfaces to the real-world, as well as context-awareness (e.g, situational awareness) required to perform local/partial decisions upon data collected. The Near Edge relates with the Edge elements and services that are located in the access/core regions.

In addition to the placement (infrastructure perspective) of specific Edge functions across Near and Far Edge, the Far Edge comprises additional aspects. Specifically, the Far Edge embodies a full intertwining to the real-world which can only be provided via some form of context-awareness, behaviour inference and learning, i.e., integration of intelligence.

Gaia-X represents the next generation of data infrastructure: an open, transparent and secure digital ecosystem, where data and services can be made available, collated and shared in an environment of trust. The architecture of Gaia-X is based on the principle of decentralisation. Gaia-X is the result of a multitude of individual platforms that all follow a common standard – the Gaia-X standard. Together, we are developing a data infrastructure based on the values of openness, transparency, and trust. The GAIA-X Architecture Document document describes the concepts required to establish the GAIA-X Data and Infrastructure Ecosystem. It integrates the Providers, Consumers, and Services essential for this interaction. These Services comprise ensuring identities, implementing trust mechanisms, and providing usage control over data exchange and Compliance – without the need for individual agreements.

Access the survey here.

The survey is developed by fortiss GmbH in the context of the Gaia-X Open Working Group Interconnection and Network Services.