Intent-based data operation in the computing continuum

The EU strategic autonomy in the digital economy requires more and more data to be processed in the Cloud-Edge-IoT computing continuum, instead of only the central cloud. This requires advanced automation and intelligence of the continuum. At the same time, recent breakthroughs in AI research have shown unprecedented intelligence to handle creative tasks.

Such human-like intelligence will eventually disrupt how people use the cloud and continuum.

INTEND aims at bringing such human-like intelligence into the cognitive continuum, to achieve the novel concept of intent-based data operation, which is capable of: (1) continually learning how to manage and adapt heterogeneous cloud/edge resources for more efficient data processing, (2) strategic decision making across the decentralized continuum for end-to-end data security and sustainability, and (3) human-friendly interaction with data stakeholders in natural language, for effective and trustworthy human-entric data operation.

To achieve this ambitious objective, INTEND builds a strong consortium of world-class AI researchers and leading companies that cover the complete supply chain of the computing continuum. The project will deliver 11 novel software tools, which integrate into an INTEND toolbox.

The approach and the tools will be tested and validated on 5 vertical domains, to achieve the novel intent-based data operation for video streaming pipelines, machine data platform, 5G data infrastructure, urban data space, and robotic AI applications.

An open platform will be provided to support the extension with new hardware, management tools and AI models into the cognitive continuum.

The outputs pave the way of migrating EU's data industry from cloud to the continuum, and implements EC's strategy of human-centric AI in the domain of data processing and computing continuum.