At the 3rd Edge Computing Forum, the European Edge Computing Consortium (EECC) presented the first iteration of the Reference Architecture Model for Edge Computing (RAMEC) to accelerate the adoption of software-based, interoperable, programmable, secure and easy to use industrial ICT infrastructures. Similar to the Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM) and Reference Architecture Model Industry 4.0 (RAMI4.0), RAMEC is not a technical system architecture, but an orientation guide for a multi-dimensional problem space instead.

The mission of RAMEC also for its host organization EECC is to build an international end-to-end Edge Computing ecosystem by streamlining preferred standards and thereby minimizing the number of potential technology combinations. The approach includes building an international Edge Computing network (industry, initiatives, and research); getting insights about, prepare for and influence future markets and technologies (gaps and standardization); show readiness of reference stacks (hardware and software) and gain recognition in specific domains (white papers, presentations, forums). One of the initiative’s co-founders Dr. Alexander Willner also described the positioning of the EECC among relevant other Edge Computing related organizations. A roundtable of important initiatives – initiated by the EECC – just finished one day before the announcement in the same venue in Berlin.

The supporters of the EECC also introduced their latest practice and vision about Edge Computing. The Germany Edge Cloud (GEC; part of the Friedhelm Loh Group) updated about the launch of their ONCITE Industrial Edge solutions. Huawei presented about enabling technologies for the digital transformation (AI, 5G, WiFi-6) and about the importance of Edge.

The EECC is an industry-driven initiative that focuses on the Edge Computing paradigm. 17 important industry players like ARM, Harting, TTTech, Huawei, Phoenix Contact, GEC have announced their general support for this paradigm during its soft launch last year. More players joined this year to contribute to the same vision. The initiative organizes its own edge computing forum every year.