The Project
Welcome to the NOUS Project
Empowering Europe’s Data Future
NOUS, an EU-funded project under the Horizon Europe programme, is a pioneering initiative that envisions, designs and implements cutting-edge Cloud Services in the era of data spaces, high-performance computing, and edge computing. As NOUS navigates through the dynamic landscape of the digital age, the project is dedicated to shaping the future of technology by harnessing the power of cloud services and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
The NOUS project identifies the need to create cutting-edge cloud technologies and make them accessible to a broader audience. Thus, it focuses on conducive data sharing, exchange, and trustworthy data infrastructure creation.
Mission
The NOUS project aims to create an architecture of a European Cloud Service that allows computational and data storage resources to be used from edge devices as well as supercomputers, through the HPC network, and Quantum Computers to unlock unprecedented potential for businesses, research institutions, and individuals alike. By embracing high-performance and edge computing technologies, NOUS will revolutionise the way data is processed, shared, and utilised, propelling us into a new era of efficiency and innovation. NOUS facilitates harnessing edge computing and decentralisation paradigms to incorporate a wide array of devices and machines in its computational flow to provide leaps in Europe’s capability to process vast amounts of data.
Join NOUS on this exciting journey to pave the way for a digital landscape in Europe that not only meets the challenges of today but anticipates the opportunities of tomorrow.
Components
#Compute
Тhe core of our mission lies the commitment to empower users with unparalleled computational capabilities. The NOUS Project is dedicated to harnessing the collective strength of Europe’s research industry, connecting seamlessly with the High-Performance Computing (HPC) network to leverage its vast resources for executing computations. But that’s just the beginning – NOUS is stepping into the future by providing a seamless interface to quantum computers.
Security is paramount in our journey towards unprecedented computational power. Recognizing the challenges, NOUS designs a new overlay network, a cybersecurity marvel known as the NOUS Darknet. This innovative network ensures encrypted and traceable connections between NOUS and computational endpoints, offering a shield against cyber threats. With its robust encryption, it establishes a physical-like division within the internet, ensuring paramount security for all interactions.
#Edge
In the realm of edge components, the NOUS project adopts innovative distributed methodologies, tapping into on-premises (IoT) resources to implement data analysis. Beyond the scope of global cloud services, the project harnesses the potential of local resources available on the devices of operators and data owners. In these dynamic environments, where some devices may be mobile or resource-constrained, the NOUS approach maximizes the utilization of their often-underused computation and storage resources.
Unlike conventional reliance on global cloud providers, the project optimizes the distribution of storage and computation tasks, creating a network of devices akin to a local mobile cloud. The NOUS initiative goes a step further by introducing a layer for federated learning between Edge nodes in the network. This pioneering approach enables model training in a distributed manner while upholding user privacy, making NOUS a trailblazer in decentralized, secure, and efficient computing.
#Data
Within the NOUS ecosystem, the #data components are meticulously crafted to address the entirety of the data life cycle and its diverse facets. The goal is to establish an all-encompassing framework for data life cycle management, seamlessly integrating governance, accessibility, and privacy considerations. In our pursuit of excellence, NOUS embarks on pioneering research into low-power distributed ledger technologies, enhancing data integrity through innovative implementations such as directed acyclic graphs or tangles. The NOUS consortium prioritizes citizens’ rights by registering only cryptographic summaries or hashes of stored data, respecting the principle of the right to be forgotten.
The data component serves as a hub for amalgamating data from diverse Data Spaces and platforms, facilitated by syndication tools developed within the project. NOUS extends practical support to developers and engineers of data spaces through the creation of essential tools.
What to expect from the project?
#Compute component
Responsible for executing computations, these components drive breakthroughs in computational power, ensuring efficiency and innovation.
#Edge component
#Data component
The NOUS research method endeavours to delve into each component individually, unlocking its unique potential. Simultaneously, the consortium explores the synergy between these components, crafting a comprehensive architecture. This synergy extends to cloud-level services, including syndication with other platforms and the creation of virtual labs, enhancing the collaborative environment.
NOUS defines four strategic use cases, providing a real-world testing ground for the developed technologies, and addressing challenges faced by industry leaders. In commitment to openness, the NOUS architecture will be made open source, inviting companies and organisations to capitalise on the project’s advancements.
Welcome to the NOUS Pipeline – a journey of innovation, collaboration, and open possibilities.
Curious how this is going to be achieved? Have a closer look at the methodology which NOUS has chosen to complete its ambitious task in a sustainable and comprehensive manner.