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A consortium of eight European tech organizations, coordinated by OpenNebula Systems, has launched virt8ra, the first sovereign edge cloud infrastructure in Europe. This innovative project is designed to provide portability and interoperability among multiple cloud providers, offering computing and storage resources across six EU member states: Croatia, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.
A Key Advance in European Digital Sovereignty
Virt8ra is part of the Important Project of Common European Interest on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI-CIS), approved by the European Commission in December 2023. With a budget of over 3 billion euros, this is the largest open-source project in EU history and aims to strengthen the continent’s technological sovereignty against major global providers.
The development of virt8ra represents the first step towards creating a cloud-edge continuum based on open and neutral technologies. This environment is crucial for implementing advanced use cases that require ultra-low latency, such as smart trains, remote surgery, connected vehicles, smart factories, and forest fire management.
Innovative Features of virt8ra
The virt8ra infrastructure offers unique features designed to revolutionize cloud computing in Europe:
- Interoperability: Unified management of physical resources, virtual machines, and KubernetesKubernetes (commonly referred to in English as “K8s”) … clusters through a single control panel.
- Portability: Easy deployment, execution, and migration of applications across different locations and cloud providers.
- Future Compatibility: Ready to integrate distributed artificial intelligence applications at the edge, adapting to market needs.
A More Competitive and Accessible Cloud Market
Virt8ra aims to eliminate common barriers in the current market, such as high data egress fees, complex migration procedures, and a lack of interoperability among providers. This approach aligns with the EU Data Act, set to take effect in September 2025, providing an environment where customers can easily switch between data processing services.
Strategic Collaborations and Institutional Support
The virt8ra infrastructure is the result of collaboration among leading companies and academic institutions, including Arsys, BIT, IONOS, and MONDRAGON Corporation. Each partner contributes resources and innovation to strengthen this ecosystem:
- Arsys: Development of meta-orchestration solutions to unify technologies from multiple European providers.
- BIT: Testing federated solutions in collaboration with other IPCEI-CIS projects.
- IONOS: Bare-metalA bare-metal server is a physical server with a single … servers and advanced automated virtual machine provisioning features.
- MONDRAGON Corporation: Contributions from its R&D center IKERLAN for standardized data spaces in the manufacturing and automotive sectors.
The Impact of virt8ra on the European Digital Economy
Virt8ra has the potential to transform the EU’s digital economy by providing a sovereign and open alternative in cloud and edge computing. This project not only promotes technological innovation but also strengthens European competitiveness against international tech giants.
The infrastructure will enable businesses and public institutions to adopt advanced solutions more securely and efficiently, contributing to greater technological independence and digital sustainability in Europe.
About OpenNebula Systems
OpenNebula Systems is the company behind the OpenNebula cloud and edge computing platform. With a strong global presence, the company develops open-source solutions, provides enterprise support, and leads technological innovation projects such as ONEnextgen, funded by the European Union through NextGenerationEU.
For more information, visit virt8ra.eu.
With the launch of virt8ra, the EU takes a significant step towards a more sovereign, competitive, and resilient technological future.