Virt8ra, the IPCEI-CIS software stack for virtualization
Using European Open Source Technologies to Build a Sovereign, Multi-Provider Edge Cloud for the EU
About Virt8ra
In December 2023, the European Union approved the Important Project of Common European Interest on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructures and Services (IPCEI-CIS), a €3B initiative for the creation of the first interoperable European cloud-edge computing continuum. This strategic project is being implemented by more than 120 European companies from 12 EU Member States, and represents the largest open source project in the history of the EU. OpenNebula Systems chairs the IPCEI-CIS Industry Facilitation Group.
The virt8ra initiative—coordinated also by OpenNebula Systems—is the main deliverable of the IPCEI-CIS Integration Cluster on Virtualization, and its primary objective is to define an architectural model and an integration framework for supporting advanced management and orchestration capabilities in multi-provider cloud-edge infrastructures.
This collaborative effort aims to deliver a robust open source alternative for managing digital infrastructures, providing European businesses and public organizations with greater flexibility, technological sovereignty, and the ability to regain control over their IT environments without the constraints of restrictive licensing and support models.
SCALABILITY
Manage thousands of nodes across multiple infrastructure providers and edge locations through a single pane of glass
INTEROPERABILITY
Deploy seamlessly the same virtualized workload across different cloud providers, ensuring consistency and simplicity
PORTABILITY
Migrate workloads across providers (including hyperscalers) with minimal downtime, unlocking true vendor-neutrality and flexibility
PHASE 1 – Virt8ra Testbed ✓
The first outcome of the Virt8ra initiative has been the establishment of a cloud-edge infrastructure testbed combining bare-metal resources from 8 IPCEI-CIS partners across 6 EU Member States. This approach enabled the creation of distributed cloud-edge spaces that span the entire computing continuum, fostering innovation and enabling pilot deployments in strategic industrial sectors.
The Virt8ra testbed has leveraged a sovereign, open source software stack that instantiated the IPCEI-CIS virtualization architecture by integrating infrastructure resources and technological components from different partners so that next-generation cloud capabilities such as scalability, interoperability, and workload portability could be tested in a live environment.
PHASE 2 – Virt8ra Labs
The Virt8ra initiative is now focused on providing support to a growing network of facilities across the European Union in which the Virt8ra software stack for virtualization has been deployed, and a series of new technological components are being integrated, tested, and showcased as part of the IPCEI-CIS ecosystem.
These environments create a unique opportunity for EU companies and public administrations to get to know first-hand how the IPCEI-CIS project is building a sovereign, vendor-neutral alternative for managing digital infrastructures and distributed applications across the emerging cloud-edge continuum.
Currently, there are Virt8ra Labs deployed in Croatia, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.
Virt8ra in the news
“The Virt8ra initiative represents a turning point in the way in which EU tech champions are coming together to fix the cloud market. We are finally building a sovereign cloud-edge continuum based on vendor-neutrality and European open source.”
Ignacio M. Llorente, CEO of OpenNebula Systems
Contact Us
Contribute to a sovereign cloud-edge infrastructure for Europe!
Are you a European technology provider? Does your solution support the deployment and operation of cloud and edge computing environments? Would you like to contribute to the IPCEI-CIS virtualization stack?
Join Virt8ra today!
This initiative is supported by the European Union and co-funded by the NextGenerationEU instrument through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).