Objective
Superfluidity is “a state in which matter behaves like a fluid with zero viscosity”. Our project aims at achieving superfluidity in the network: the ability to instantiate services on-the-fly, run them anywhere in the network (core, aggregation, edge) and shift them transparently to different locations.
The SUPERFLUIDITY project tackles crucial shortcomings in today’s networks: long provisioning times, with wasteful over-provisioning used to meet variable demand; reliance on rigid and cost-ineffective hardware devices; daunting complexity emerging from three forms of heterogeneity: heterogeneous traffic and sources; heterogeneous services and needs; and heterogeneous access technologies, with multi-vendor network components.
The SUPERFLUIDITY solution is based on: a decomposition of network components and services into elementary and reusable primitives; a native, converged cloud-based architecture; the virtualization of radio and network processing tasks; platform-independent abstractions, permitting reuse of network functions across heterogeneous hardware platforms, while catering to the vendors’ need for closed platforms/implementations; and high performance software optimizations along with leveraging of hardware accelerators.
As a result, the 5G network will benefit from: i) location-independence: network services deployable in heterogeneous networks; ii) time-independence: near instantaneous deployment and migration of services; iii) scale-independence: transparent service scalability; and iv) hardware-independence: development and deployment of services with high performance irrespective of the underlying hardware.
Through these properties, SUPERFLUIDITY will provide a converged cloud-based 5G concept that will enable innovative use cases in the mobile edge, empower new business models, and reduce investment and operational costs.
The SUPERFLUIDITY consortium gathers an impressive and uncommon blend of Telco and IT players that can make its vision a reality.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationswireless5g
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwareapplication softwarevirtual reality
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringautomotive engineeringautonomous vehicle
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligenceexpert systems
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata sciencebig data
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata sciencedata exchange
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringautomation and control systemshome automation
Programme(s)
Call for proposal
H2020-ICT-2014-2
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
43124 Parma
Italy
Participants (18)
91620 Nozay
44643 Kfar Saba
EC1A 7AJ London
26504 Kato Kastritsi Patras
Participation ended
91800 Boussy Saint-antoine
W23 Leixlip
Participation ended
HA4 6QE London
E1 6QL Gibraltar
3810 106 Aveiro
43501 Ra Anana
28015 Madrid
28050 Madrid
1072AB Amsterdam
84105 Beer Sheva
4000 Liege
01069 Dresden
060042 Bucharest
69115 Heidelberg