The European Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud has officially handed over its Telco Cloud Reference Architecture (TCRA) to the European Commission, a major milestone in advancing Europe’s sovereign cloud-edge strategy. Coordinated by OpenNebula Systems, this technical framework was developed through the collaboration of leading European telecom operators, including Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and TIM. It defines the foundational architecture needed to support the next generation of digital services across the continent.
The TCRA offers technical guidance for stakeholders across the telco-edge value chain—including telecom operators, edge infrastructure providers, and cloud platforms—on how to design, deploy, and manage their services in a modular, interoperable, and sovereign manner. By establishing a common reference design, the TCRA significantly enhances interoperability between products and services from different vendors. At the same time, it helps to mitigate vendor lock-in risks through a multi-provider management layer that enables flexibility and integration across diverse cloud-edge environments.
Building Europe’s AI-Ready and 5G-Enabled Industrial Infrastructure
The TCRA provides a robust foundation for Europe’s industrial transformation by supporting two key pillars: AI Factories and 5G infrastructure.
AI Factories are intelligent, distributed environments where industries such as manufacturing and logistics leverage real-time analytics, automation, and edge computing to drive efficiency and innovation. At the same time, 5G networks deliver the ultra-low latency, high reliability, and secure connectivity required for next-generation digital services.
Built on mature virtualization and containerization technologies, the architecture enables dynamic resource allocation across cloud and edge domains. Its open and vendor-neutral design ensures interoperability, avoids vendor lock-in, and allows diverse hardware, software, and networks to operate seamlessly together—empowering a truly sovereign and future-proof European cloud ecosystem.
As AI and 5G adoption accelerates in Europe, the TCRA underpins this growth by supporting digital sovereignty and ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks and strategic objectives. Its recognition by initiatives such as IPCEI-CIS highlights its importance in building a resilient and interoperable telco‑cloud infrastructure for the future.
For more information on the Telco Cloud Reference Architecture and the ongoing work of the European Alliance, visit the European Commission’s official page.
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