The European Union is developing a common architecture for cloud, high-performance computing, and data

The European NOUS project develops a federated cloud architecture that aims to connect high-performance computing infrastructures, quantum resources, edge devices, and European data spaces. The stakes are to reduce digital fragmentation in Europe and create an open-source platform to support research, industry, SMEs, and data-driven digital services.

The European Union finances the development of a common cloud architecture that connects high-performance computing infrastructures, quantum resources, edge devices, and European data spaces, in a project aimed at reducing digital fragmentation and strengthening European autonomy in computing and data services.

In short

The NOUS project develops a European federated, interoperable, and sovereign cloud architecture.

The platform aims to connect high-performance computing, quantum resources, edge devices, and data governance.

The project addresses the current fragmentation among cloud, edge, and HPC infrastructures in Europe.

The NOUS architecture has been documented and published in an open-source version.

The project concludes in December 2026 and enters a phase of consolidation, large-scale validation, and preparation for commercial exploitation.

For researchers, companies, and public administrations, the stakes of the project are easier access to computing power, data storage, and advanced digital infrastructures. Currently, many European cloud, edge, and high-performance computing infrastructures operate in separate environments, and interoperable, trustworthy, and sovereign systems for data remain underdeveloped.

This fragmentation limits Europe's ability to process large volumes of data and to transform scientific performance into competitive digital services. Although Europe has invested in high-performance computing and develops data spaces in areas such as mobility, energy, crisis management, and scientific computing, it still lacks a common architecture to connect these resources.

The NOUS project, funded by the European Union, aims to create a federated, interoperable, and sovereign European cloud architecture. The platform is expected to integrate computing components, including HPC and connectivity with quantum resources, edge components for distributed and federated processing, as well as governance elements, data lifecycle, and interoperability.

The goal is for computing and storage resources to be used more efficiently, including from the level of edge devices, that is, closer to where the data is generated. This can be important for industrial applications, research, public services, artificial intelligence, critical infrastructures, and sectors that require fast, distributed, and secure processing.

NOUS works on three main directions. The first is the use of high-performance computing resources and quantum resources through an integrated interface. The second is the development of a cloud, edge, and Internet of Things continuum that better allocates computing and storage. The third is connecting with developing European data spaces.

Ricardo S. Alonso Rincón, general director of the AIR Institute, the Spanish organization coordinating the project, says that NOUS has already made architectural, technical, and governance progress in areas such as distributed architectures, federated learning, and hybrid integration of HPC and quantum.

The project has established a connectivity framework between NOUS and European high-performance computing infrastructures. Initial workflows using HPC resources have been validated, and components for distributed processing and federated learning along the edge, fog, and cloud paths have been specified and implemented.

NOUS has also integrated a blockchain-based concept at the architectural level for traceability and governance of the data lifecycle, complemented by legal and regulatory analysis. The project's reference architecture has been documented and published in an open-source version, bringing together computing, edge, and data components.

For research institutions, the project could improve access to advanced computing infrastructures and could support interdisciplinary innovation in multiple data spaces. For industry and SMEs, NOUS aims to reduce barriers to access advanced analytics and distributed computing, creating business opportunities and strengthening competitiveness.

From a public perspective, the project can help clarify some legal and governance questions related to blockchain, cloud, edge computing, and data sharing. CORDIS also indicates the link with the implementation of European data legislation and the development of trustworthy AI infrastructures, focused on privacy protection and human-centered.

NOUS will conclude in December 2026. The next phase focuses on consolidation, large-scale validation, assessment, planning for exploitation, and commercialization strategies. The project also prepares a roadmap and guidelines for the HPC ecosystem and relevant European stakeholders.

The project is important because European digital autonomy depends not only on rules but also on infrastructure. Without its own computing capacity, data governance, and interoperable architectures, Europe risks remaining dependent on platforms and services controlled from outside the Union. NOUS seeks to address this issue through a common, open, and reusable platform that combines technical architecture, legal compliance, governance, interoperability, and validation in real conditions.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/stiri/uniunea-europeana-dezvolta-o-arhitectura-comuna-pentru-cloud-calcul-de-inalta-performanta-si-date