The objective of the SMARTEDGE project is to enable the dynamic integration of decentralised edge intelligence at runtime while ensuring reliability, security, privacy and scalability. We will achieve this by enabling a semantic-based interplay of the edge devices of such systems via a cross-layer toolchain that facilitates the seamless and real-time discoverability and composability of autonomous intelligence swarm. Hence, an application can be freely built by distributing the processing, data fusion and control across heterogeneous sensors, devices and edges with ubiquitous low-latency connectivity. The goal of this project is to develop a SMARTEDGE solution with a low-code tool programming environment with various tools: (1) Continuous Semantic Integration (CSI); (2) Dynamic Swarm Network (DSW); and (3) Low-code Toolchain for Edge Intelligence. CSI allows the SMARTEDGE solution to interact with devices according to a (i) standardized semantic interface, via a (ii) continuous conversion process based on declarative mappings and scalable from edge to cloud, and (iii) providing a declarative approach for the creation and orchestration of apps based on swarm intelligence. DSW provides (i) automatic discovery and dynamic network swarm formation in near real time, (ii) hardware-accelerated in-network operations for context-aware swarm networking, and (iii) embedded network security. The low-code tool chain provides (i) semantic-driven multimodal stream fusion for Edge devices; (ii) swarm elasticity via Edge-Cloud Interplay; (iii) adaptive coordination and optimization; (iv) cross-layer toolchain for Device-Edge-Cloud Continuum. The SMARTEDGE solution will be comprehensively demonstrated over four application areas: automotive, city, factory and heath via the strong collaboration of eight industrial partners, Dell, Siemens, Bosch, IMC, Conveq, Cefiel and NVIDIA with eight research institutes.

SEAMPHONI is dedicated to bringing visibility and safeguarding the vast and largely unprotected offshore marine areas. Current approaches to offshore biodiversity mapping are highly dependent on research vessels and are therefore costly and do not allow for continuous monitoring. SEAMPHONI is structured to promote the testing, coupling, and validation of three innovative monitoring solutions (environmental DNA (eDNA), acoustics, and imaging) and to build a shared observing system for scientists, decision-makers, MPA managers, and citizens in the form of an Intelligent Marine Digital Twin interoperable with the European Digital Twin Ocean. By leveraging and adapting these cutting-edge tools for offshore areas, SEAMPHONI will provide significant advancement towards a broader, more accurate mapping of European seas with baselines for understudied areas; faster, more continuous biodiversity monitoring; and more accurate, predictive, and sustainable models. This will help identify and prioritize areas to be protected and improve evidence-based assessments of i) the health of marine ecosystems and ii) the effects of various levels of protection and restoration measures on their functioning and services. SEAMPHONI will also tackle the complexity of the regulatory framework governing marine conservation and the fragmentation of rights within these zones, by evaluating limitations and underlining the need for clearer frameworks and improved coordination. The project will support the enforcement of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs), and advance the 2030 GBF targets. Finally, SEAMPHONI will address the “emotional disconnect between society and aquatic ecosystems” (EC report, 2021) especially in offshore areas where the principle of "out of sight, out of mind" is most pronounced. Confronted with the challenges of engaging citizens in remote offshore areas, where traditional citizen science approaches are impractical, SEAMPHONI has embraced an artistic strategy.

Edge computing offers many technical advantages, e.g., reduced latency, secure decentralized processing and storage, scalability at lower complexity, versatility to adapt the changes in resources and applications, and increased reliability. Edge computing can dramatically boost services and applications by supporting artificial intelligence (AI) natively, instead of relying on the cloud. Edge computing supporting AI is the only technology that will enable many of the long-awaited game changers: Industry4.0 and smart manufacturing, 5G, IoT, self-driving vehicles, remote robotics for healthcare, and machine vision among others. The BRAINE project’s overall aim is to boost the development of the Edge framework focusing on energy efficient hardware and AI empowered software, capable of processing Big Data at the Edge, supporting security, data privacy, and sovereignty. The approach is to build a seamless Edge MicroDataCenter interlinked with AI enabled network interface cards. BRAINE employs a visionary utilization method for edge resources management and network-edge workload distribution. Predicting resource availability and workload demand, identifying trends, and taking proactive actions are all aspects of these novel methods. The impact of BRAINE encompasses advances in the European video distribution ecosystem, improving data processing at the network edge, and proving integrated AI for applications. These will lead to unprecedented savings in performance and energy efficiency: 2x performance/Watt and 50% energy savings; 71% latency reduction for an acceleration centric EMDC; 80% space and maintenance reduction, 99.999% fault tolerance with level 5 autonomy (autonomous driving, robotics, mission-critical system); and significantly faster infrastructure installation and deployment. BRAINE boosts EU’s position in the intelligent edge computing field and enables growth across many sectors, e.g., manufacturing, smart healthcare, surveillance, satellite navigation.