Project description
Building trust into the cloud’s backbone
Cloud computing runs almost everything we do, but the massive data centres behind it are vulnerable. When these systems fail or face a cyberattack, it is often because their security is an afterthought. This makes the entire network fragile. The ERC-funded DNA project aims to embed security into the physical computer chips that help servers communicate. This is like building a digital vault into the very foundation of a house rather than just putting a lock on the front door. By using standard network cards to handle security, DNA makes it easier for programmers. The result is a cloud infrastructure that is faster, safer, and inherently more resilient against attacks and accidents alike.
Objective
The DNA project aims to develop and deploy trustworthy distributed systems on large-scale heterogeneous
datacenters (HDCs) such that their dependability properties, i.e. safety, security, and fault-tolerance, can be
enforced by the foundational layers of the network hardware stack.
Distributed systems have become ubiquitous in modern cloud environments, offering high availability, perfor-
mance, and resource scalability. However, ensuring the dependability and performance of distributed systems in
large-scale HDCs, which are vulnerable to malicious threats and arbitrary (Byzantine) failures, is a complex task.
Existing systems are limited by (a) programmability: They lack a unified, trusted foundation for security and
programmability, (b) security: They have vulnerabilities and may be unable to handle malicious attacks and
(c) high-performance: They can be slow, especially in complex distributed systems. These limitations force
programmers to use ad-hoc methods, which can be expensive and unreliable.
The DNA project seeks to resolve the design trade-off between security and performance by introducing a
new trustworthy network-level abstraction. DNA realizes this abstraction by proposing a minimalistic,
high-performance, and verifiable silicon-root-of-trust as the foundational hardware building block for
implementing trustworthy distributed systems.
Our implementation of DNA on commodity SmartNICs will revolutionize the way distributed systems are
built in cloud environments. By providing a synergistic co-design of hardware-software networking substrate,
we abstract out the hardware heterogeneity in cloud environments while providing a minimalistic interface
for resource management, isolation, communication, and trust establishment. Overall, we aim to empower
programmers and significantly strengthen the dependability properties of widely adopted distributed systems.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
80333 Muenchen
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.