The UniServer project “A Universal Micro-Server Ecosystem by Exceeding Energy and Performance Scaling Boundaries ” led by Queen’s University Belfast has been awarded €4.8million from the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program and began in February 2016.

The principal aim of UniServer is to facilitate the evolution of the Internet from an infrastructure where data is gathered in centralized data-centres widely known as The Cloud, to an infrastructure where data is handled in a distributed and localized manner close to the data sources enabling essentially Edge Computing.

UniServer brings together experts from the world’s leading processor, server-on-chip and software development industry – ARM, Applied-Micro and IBM – as well as emerging application developers – Worldsensing, Sparsity and Meritorius. In addition to Queen’s University, the consortium is also made up of the University of Athens, the University of Thessaly and the University of Cyprus.

Project coordinator, Dr. Georgios Karakonstantis from the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Queen’s University, said: “Having seen the latest estimations that 30 billion devices will be connected to the Internet by 2020, we realized that new scalable micro-servers will soon be needed and thus formed a strong consortium to develop them.

“UniServer aspires to deliver, by 2019, a unique fully working prototype able to exploit the intrinsic system heterogeneity with lightweight software mechanisms for improving the energy efficiency and performance of micro-servers. Working with our colleagues, the UniServer platform will support classical cloud applications such as financial trade management and analysis, while enabling the development of new applications at the Edge of the cloud such as smart traffic control and in-home directed advertisement.”

UniServer represents the second major, but financially the largest, project to be co-ordinated in Northern Ireland using funding from Horizon 2020, the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever developed.

The project will employ at least 20 established professors and principal engineers as well as new research fellows and PhD students helping to reinforce Europe’s strong position in traditional and new multi-billion euro markets.

For further information on the project visit: http://www.uniserver2020.eu/

Media inquiries to Claire Kelly, Communications Officer for Research, Queen’s University Belfast, and 02890975391.

Notes to Editors

• Dr. Georgios Karakonstantis is available for interview. Interview bids to Claire Kelly, Queen’s University Belfast.
• Queen’s University is one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities and is ranked in the Top Ten in the UK for research intensity. (REF 2014).