SESAME targets innovations around three central elements in 5G: the placement of network intelligence and applications in the network edge through Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) and Edge Cloud Computing; the substantial evolution of the Small Cell concept, already mainstream in 4G but expected to deliver its full potential in the challenging high dense 5G scenarios; and the consolidation of multi-tenancy in communications infrastructures, allowing several operators/service providers to engage in new sharing models of both access capacity and edge computing capabilities. SESAME proposes the Cloud-Enabled Small Cell (CESC) concept, a new multi-operator enabled Small Cell that integrates a virtualised execution platform (i.e., the Light DC) for deploying Virtual Network Functions (NVFs), supporting powerful self-x management and executing novel applications and services inside the access network infrastructure. The Light DC will feature low-power processors and hardware accelerators for time critical operations and will build a high manageable clustered edge computing infrastructure. This approach will allow new stakeholders to dynamically enter the value chain by acting as 'host-neutral' providers in high traffic areas where densification of multiple networks is not practical. The optimal management of a CESC deployment is a key challenge of SESAME, for which new orchestration, NFV management, virtualisation of management views per tenant, self-x features and radio access management techniques will be developed. After designing, specifying and developing the architecture and all the involved CESC modules, SESAME will culminate with a prototype with all functionalities for proving the concept in relevant use cases. Besides, CESC will be formulated consistently and synergistically with other 5G-PPP components through coordination with the corresponding projects.

ExaNoDe will investigate, develop integrate and validate the building blocks (technology readiness level 5) for a highly efficient, highly integrated, multi-way, high-performance, heterogeneous compute element aimed towards exascale computing. It will build on multiple European initiatives for scalable computing, utilizing low- power processors and advanced nanotechnologies. ExaNoDe will draw heavily on the Unimem memory and system design paradigm defined within the EUROSERVER FP7 project, providing low-latency, high-bandwidth and resilient memory access, scalable to Exabyte levels. The ExaNoDe compute element aims towards exascale compute goals through: • Integration of the most advanced low-power processors and accelerators (across scalar, SIMD, GPGPU and FPGA processing elements) supported by research and innovation in the deployment of associated nanotechnologies and in the mechanical requirements to enable the development of a high-density, high-performance integrated compute element with advanced thermal characteristics and connectivity to the next generation of system interconnect and storage; • Undertaking essential research to ensure the ExaNoDe compute element provides necessary support of HPC applications including I/O and storage virtualization techniques, operating system and semantically aware runtime capabilities and PGAS, OpenMP and MPI paradigms; • The development of a hardware emulation of interconnect to enable the evaluation of Unimem for the deployment of multiple compute elements and to leverage the potential of the ExaNoDe approach for HPC applications. Each aspect of ExaNoDe is aligned with the goals of the ETP4HPC. The work will be steered by first-hand experience and analysis of high-performance applications and their requirements; investigations being carried out with “mini-application” abstractions and the tuning of their kernels.

The overall aim of NANCY is to introduce a secure and intelligent architecture for the beyond the fifth generation (B5G) wireless network. Leveraging AI and blockchain, NANCY enables secure and intelligent resource management, flexible networking, and orchestration. In this direction, novel architectures, namely point-to-point (P2P) connectivity for device-to-device connectivity, mesh networking, and relay-based communications, as well as protocols for medium access, mobility management, and resource allocation will be designed. These architectures and protocols will make the most by jointly optimizing the midhaul, and fronthaul. This is expected to enable truly distributed intelligence and transform the network to a low-power computer. Likewise, by following a holistic optimization approach and leveraging the developments in blockchain, NANCY aims at supporting E2E personalized, multi-tenant and perpetual protection.

Delivering on the 5G promise of increased data rates, and ubiquitous coverages, poses stringent requirements on traditional vertically integrated operators. In particular, telecom operators are expected to massively roll out Small Cells, which requires finding appropriate urban spaces with both backhaul and energy availability. Network sharing becomes essential to unlock those commercial massive deployments. The open access model, or neutral host, will come to play a key role on the deployment of 5G networks, especially in urban scenarios where very dense Small Cell deploymens are required. In parallel recent trends are paving the way towards the development of new, heterogeneous and distributed cloud paradigms that significantly differ from today’s established cloud model: with edge computing, cloud architectures are pushed all the way to the edge of the network, close to the devices that produce and act on data. We posit that there are two sets of players perfectly poised to take advantage of both trends since they already own the infrastructure needed to build edge deployments: telecommunication providers and municipalities. 5GCity focuses on how common smart city infrastructure (i.e.,small cells and processing power at the very edge of networks) can bring benefit to both players based on resource sharing and end-to-end virtualization, pushing the cloud model to the extreme edge. 5GCity will design, develop, deploy and demonstrate a distributed cloud and radio platform for municipalities and infrastructure owners acting as 5G neutral hosts. 5GCity’s main aim is to build and deploy a common, multi-tenant, open platform that extends the (centralized) cloud model to the extreme edge of the network, with a demonstration in three different cities (Barcelona, Bristol and Lucca). 5GCity will directly impact a large and varied range of actors: (i) telecom providers; (ii) municipalities; and (iii) a number of different vertical sectors utilizing the city infrastructure

Cloud innovations have had a major impact on the IT industry but not yet on networks. The danger is that 5G will be a niche industry providing basic connectivity for the cloud applications and services boom. The NGPaaS project envisages 5G as: a build-to-order platform, with components, features and performance tailored to a particular use case; developed through a “Dev-for-Operations” model that extends the IT industry’s DevOps approach to support a multi-sided platform between operators, vendors and verticals; and with revised Operational and Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS) to reflect the new parameters and highly dynamic environment. NGPaaS can enable 5G to become central to a cooperative future with cloud developers, by removing the technological silos between the telco and IT industries. NGPaaS builds on 5G-PPP phase 1 projects and lays the foundation for large-scale phase 3 deployments and industrial usage, through a stepped validation of several Telco, IoT/vertical and combined scenarios culminating in a live test in Paris-Saclay campus that can incorporate innovative SMEs selected for showcasing NGPaaS’s operational, service and business benefits.