Three EU-funded projects — HIGHER, CAPE, and CHORYS — are jointly developing an open, European-designed cloud and edge computing architecture to reduce strategic dependencies on non-European geopolitical uncertainty1.
As demand for advanced computing, connectivity, and data processing grows, Europe’s reliance on external technology providers exposes vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure and industrial value chains. Strengthening digital sovereignty in advanced computing requires coordinated investment in open, European-designed alternatives that span the full computing stack.
Funded under Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space)2, the three projects — European Heterogeneous Cloud/Edge Infrastructures for Next Generation Hybrid Services (HIGHER), European Open Compute Architecture for Powerful Edge (CAPE), and Open and Programmable Accelerators for Data-Intensive Applications in the Cloud (CHORYS) — build on open hardware, open-source software, and European processor technologies, notably RISC-V, to deliver interoperable, energy-efficient solutions with clear pathways to industrial uptake.
Methodology and Novelty
The three projects adopt complementary, open, and standards-based methodologies to strengthen Europe’s cloud and edge computing capabilities. Their approaches span the full computing stack, from hardware design and low-level firmware to systems software and orchestration, ensuring interoperability, scalability, and long-term sustainability. Specifically, HIGHER targets cloud-side rack-scale integration, CAPE extends the architecture to composable edge micro data centers, and CHORYS contributes open accelerator technologies for data-intensive workloads — together covering infrastructure, deployment, and processing across the cloud–edge continuum.
A shared focus on modularity, composability, and validation in real-world scenarios further distinguishes the projects’ methodologies. By aligning with established standards such as the Open Compute Project, Compute Express Link, and industry-standard form factors, the projects ensure that their technical developments extend beyond research activities. Validation through representative use cases, including data centers, edge micro data centers, and data-intensive cloud services, links technological innovation to measurable gains in performance, energy efficiency, and operational flexibility.
The Cluster Objectives
Together, the projects form a cluster that seeks to strengthen synergies and reduce fragmentation across initiatives addressing similar challenges. Several activities are planned for the second year of the projects, and beyond, to enhance the overall impact of Horizon Europe investments and to lay the groundwork for future uptake and use.
The Projects
HIGHER: European Heterogeneous Cloud/Edge Infrastructures for Next Generation Hybrid Services.
HIGHER focuses on the design of high-density, rack-scale systems for cloud and edge environments, addressing limitations in flexibility, energy efficiency, and security found in many existing data center infrastructures. The project develops open-source designs for modular server systems based on Open Compute Project standards, covering hardware components, firmware, and systems software.
By integrating European processor technologies, including RISC-V and ARM-based designs developed within the European Processor Initiative, HIGHER enables heterogeneous computing platforms capable of supporting a wide range of workloads. The project validates complete software stacks for use cases such as accelerated data processing for cloud and HPC convergence, standardized Infrastructure-as-a-Service management, Platform-as-a-Service environments for machine learning and data analytics, and rack-level memory pooling aligned with emerging CXL standards. Through this approach, HIGHER contributes to trustworthy, reusable, and energy-efficient data center architectures that reinforce Europe’s digital autonomy3 4.
CAPE: European Open Compute Architecture for Powerful Edge
CAPE addresses the need for scalable and sustainable computing at the edge by introducing edge micro data centers as a new unit of computing for data-dense environments. The project designs an open, high-density hardware platform based on industry-standard COM-HPC form factors and dynamically composable through CXL, supporting heterogeneous computing units and RISC-V architectures.
To simplify deployment and operation across diverse environments, CAPE introduces a cloud-agnostic Infrastructure from Code overlay that abstracts underlying infrastructure complexity. This enables application deployment across on-premise and off-premise, public and private cloud environments with minimal overhead, supporting an edge-first continuum. CAPE validates its approach through three use cases, intelligent energy microgrids, edge AI, and satellite communications, benchmarking technical performance, sustainability, and economic aspects against legacy cloud and edge infrastructures5 6.
CHORYS: Open and Programmable Accelerators for Data-Intensive Applications in the Cloud
CHORYS targets the growing performance and energy challenges associated with data-intensive cloud applications by developing open and programmable accelerator technologies. Within the framework of the European Open Computing Architecture, the project demonstrates how near-data processing and asynchronous data services can improve efficiency and reduce costs for demanding workloads. The project advances RISC-V-based accelerator designs and programmable components, supported by strong hardware–software co-design expertise across the consortium. Industrial partners contribute pathways toward commercialization, including RISC-V IP, embedded FPGA technologies, and deployment in high-performance public cloud environments. Through demonstrators and validation activities, CHORYS shows how open accelerators can deliver tangible performance and energy benefits while strengthening Europe’s position in open computing technologies7 8.
Looking Ahead
The three projects will have a joint presence at the 2026 OCP EMEA Summit9. Further short-term collaborative actions are under consideration, including technical workshops and exploration of concept designs integrating HIGHER rack-scale platforms with CAPE edge nodes and CHORYS accelerators. By leveraging open standards, European processor technologies, and real-world validation, the three projects collectively advance a fully-European approach to cloud and edge computing. Their combined outcomes support Europe’s strategic objectives in digital sovereignty, sustainability, and industrial competitiveness, while providing concrete building blocks for sovereign next-generation computing infrastructures.
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1Horizon Europe proposal call “HORIZON-CL4-2024-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-21”
2Horizon Europe Cluster 4
3https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101189612
4https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projects-details/43108390/101189612
5https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101189899
6https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projects-details/43108390/101189899
7https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101189551
8https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projects-details/43108390/101189551
9https://www.opencompute.org/summit/emea-summit