Press release

VALENCIA, 5th of February 2025 – The O-CEI project, a groundbreaking Horizon Europe Innovation Action program, has officially launched to address one of today’s most pressing challenges: sustainable and energy-efficient digital networks.

The rapid growth of data-driven infrastructures has increased energy consumption, costs, and carbon emissions. This challenge is further amplified by the fragmented nature of cloud ecosystems, which struggle to efficiently manage resources across diverse edge devices such as e-vehicles, IoT-enabled sensors, and smart devices. O-CEI tackles this fragmentation head-on by fostering seamless collaboration between independent entities and enabling real-time data sharing to optimize energy usage and improve operational efficiency.

An Open Platform for a Greener Tomorrow

O-CEI aims to create an open CEI platform that emphasizes interoperability, security, and reliability. The platform seeks to build an ecosystem to accelerate innovation and adoption of CEI solutions, enable energy flexibility, establish CEI standards, and create viable and scalable business models.

The platform will be developed based on information collected across six strategic verticals, addressing critical sectors such as electricity grids, electromobility, software-defined vehicles, agriculture, logistics, and urban environments. To this end, O-CEI will conduct eight large-scale pilots to showcase innovative applications, including optimizing renewable energy grids, promoting sustainable dairy production, enabling smart electric vehicle charging, and managing energy in maritime ports. Through 28 real-world scenarios, the project looks to demonstrate its flexibility and scalability, emphasizing its potential to transform diverse sectors and drive sustainable innovation.

By advancing open standards and virtualization technologies, the project will enable collaboration and innovation across the six verticals. This cross-domain integration will empower industries to make faster, more precise energy predictions and implement adaptable solutions, significantly reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.

The project allocated up to 4 million euros for two Open Calls which will start as of January 2026.

A Vision for Strategic Autonomy and Sustainability

O-CEI unites 58 partners from 20 countries, including leading industrial players, research organizations, academic institutions, SMEs, and non-profits. Together, these stakeholders will shape a resilient ecosystem and a competitive market for European businesses and key innovation stakeholders.

The project coordinator, Prof. Carlos Enrique Palau Salvador, from The Polytechnic University of Valencia, underlined O-CEI’s transformative potential:
“O-CEI represents a bold step toward reimagining Europe’s Cloud-Edge-IoT ecosystems. By harnessing the collective power of industries and innovators, we’re crafting solutions that optimize energy efficiency for a more sustainable and resilient digital infrastructure. O-CEI isn’t just about technology—it’s about building a sustainable future for generations to come.”
If you are interested in following the development of the O-CEI project, follow it on LinkedIn and Mastodon channels and visit its website.

The project coordinator, Prof. Carlos Enrique Palau Salvador, from The Polytechnic University of Valencia, underlined O-CEI’s transformative potential:

“O-CEI represents a bold step toward reimagining Europe’s Cloud-Edge-IoT ecosystems. By harnessing the collective power of industries and innovators, we’re crafting solutions that optimize energy efficiency for a more sustainable and resilient digital infrastructure. O-CEI isn’t just about technology—it’s about building a sustainable future for generations to come.”

If you are interested in following the development of the O-CEI project, follow it on LinkedIn and Mastodon channels and visit its website.

Media Contact: olivia.ciubotariu@digital4planet.org or support@o-cei.eu

O-CEI (Open CloudEdgeIoT Platform Uptake in Large Scale Cross-Domain Pilots) in figures:

6 key strategic verticals: electricity grid, electromobility, software-defined vehicles, agrifood and agriculture, logistics, and urban environments

8 large scale pilots:

P1 – Electricity grid optimization upon RES integration
P2 – SDV for Vehicle as Software
P3 – Smart BEV charging for green postal fleet operations
P4 – Energy management in challenging maritime port scenario
P5 – Sustainable dairy extensive production process
P6 – Efficiency of e-tractor operations in large-scale kiwi crops
P7 – private 5G deployment for enhanced EV distributing charging
P8 – Social acceptance of energy flexibility in urban areas

O-CEI has received funding by the EU’s Horizon Europe program under Grant Agreement number 101189589. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

This work has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

Pilot 8

Heightened social engagement and acceptability of energy flexibility in urban areas

Summary

Domain:
Urban

Partners:
Polygones, CLEMAP, HES-SO, Val D’Anniviers

Goal:
The aim is to showcase how innovative Smart IoT solutions, already deployed within networks of prosumers, can be integrated into the O-CEI platform to enhance user acceptance and engagement.

Pilot Scenarios

The aim is to develop new Smart Energy Services (SES) based on an enhanced solution.

1

Democratization of energy demand forecasting for e-vehicle charging SES

This scenario focuses on residential buildings from Meyrin, which have local grids and charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs). It enables EV owners and software vendors to optimize vehicle charging through grid insights, integrating unidirectional power flow (V1G) as well as more extended Vehicle-to-X (V2X) for energy network enhancement, with O-CEI monitoring, Smart Contracts, and new business models.

2

Advanced graph data processing and LLM for energy prediction

O-CEI Data Fabric will be employed as an information graph containing energy data and results from previous scenario, and will integrate energy data, user inputs, and AI models to forecast energy consumption and production, using edge computing, LLM models, and serverless functions for efficient data processing and collaboration.

3

Self-adaptive energy and computation continuum in distributed tourism area

Edge equipment in Val D’Anniviers will use O-CEI orchestration, cybersecurity, and Machine Learning Operations for context-aware energy forecasting, improving efficiency in villages and ski stations through decentralized analytics and continuous updates.

In all scenarios, social acceptance by design will be driven by a combination of qualitative surveys, conjoint analysis, and discrete choice experiments (DCE) optimized on edge devices.

Pilot 7

Trustworthy and secure EV charging upon reliable 5G networks

Summary

Domain:
Telecom

Partners:
GAP, Nova, CERTH, Ares2T

Goal:
The goal of this pilot is to leverage a private 5G network and cybersecurity measures to optimize the EV charging ecosystem, improving resource balancing, reducing costs, and enabling data-driven services

Pilot Scenarios

Pilot 7 presents two complementary scenarios focused on 5G-driven EV charging.

1

Edge optimization of power flow to EV needs

This scenario transforms chargers into “intelligent” bidirectional elements, optimizing grid power flow through O-CEI microservices, data management, and 5G’s low-latency, ensuring efficient load balancing and reduced environmental impact.

2

Increasing trustworthiness and security in EV charging data exchange

The O-CEI blueprint will incorporate security measures, data sovereignty, and auditing to ensure trustworthy data flow from sensors and EVs, supporting energy balance decisions with continuous monitoring and response to cyber threats.

Pilot 6

Smart re-charging and efficiency of robot tractors in large fruit production fields

Summary

Domain:
Agrifood

Partners:
Garaia, Innovalia, Zettrack, Agrimac

Goal:
This pilot uses O-CEI’s monitoring, data integration, and decentralized computing to optimize energy management of electric tractors in kiwi farming, reducing emissions, energy use, and addressing travel and battery cost challenges.

Pilot Scenarios

P6 introduces three scenarios aimed at enhancing the energy efficiency of agricultural operations of electric tractors.

1

Real-time energy consumption aid for agricultural decision

The O-CEI platform will provide farmers with energy optimization suggestions, managing fleet, climate, and location data. It will propose action plans for efficient area coverage and extended charging downtime, using real-time services.

2

Remote route optimization and task planning of robot tractors

The O-CEI AI-block will optimize agricultural tasks in kiwi plantations, using state-of-the-art models for efficient operations and route planning, with real-time data storage and semi-autonomic management.

3

Autonomous tractor re-charging strategy

The tractors in this pilot will optimize battery charging through edge analytics and AI predictions, either autonomously or via a farmer-controlled app, minimizing battery use, extending lifespan, and reducing costs for improved sustainability.

Pilot 5

Energetically and environmentally sustainable Halloumi cheese production

Summary

Domain:
Agrifood

Partners:
Green Supply Chain, Embio Diagnostics, Charalambides Christis

Goal:
The pilot uses O-CEI technologies for IoT-based monitoring and energy optimization, aiming to reduce the energy footprint per kilogram of dairy product in Cyprus, promoting sustainable farming despite challenging climates.

Pilot Scenarios

Livestock farming and the dairy industry are vital to Cyprus’s economy but face significant challenges from rising energy costs and the unstable agro-environmental conditions affected by climate change.

1

IoT-Assisted Livestock Management based on Edge Intelligence and automation

The pilot optimizes energy use in stables while reducing animal heat stress, using IoT sensors and cameras for behavior classification, edge computing for HVAC control, and forecasting for efficient milk production.

2

Controlled sharing of data from various stables to the dairy production factory

O-CEI mechanisms and marketplace will securely share trusted stable data on milk quality, feed mix, and energy footprint, using AI to forecast parameters, optimize energy consumption, and improve production practices with secure data management.

3

Intelligent selection of energy mix for dairy production

This scenario optimizes cheese production’s energy sources (grid, solar, biofuel) based on demand, availability, and price, using O-CEI models and Decision Support System (DSS) to reduce costs, environmental impact, and optimize operations.

4

Calculation of energy footprint of dairy (halloumi) products

This scenario aggregates energy consumption data across the production chain, using O-CEI orchestration and IoT-edge-cloud elements to optimize energy use, enhance trustworthiness, and audit halloumi production’s sustainability.

Pilot 4

Variable demand in challenging maritime terminal landscape

Summary

Domain:
Logistics

Partners:
CMA CGM, Prodevelop, Awake.ai, Enemalta, Schneider

Goal:
This pilot aims to optimize energy usage in Malta’s port operations by aligning demand with capacity, using edge-optimized control systems for real-time adjustments based on vessel schedules, container handling equipment (CHE) usage, and the island grid data.

Pilot Scenarios

The Malta pilot focuses on three interconnected scenarios that leverage O-CEI technologies for monitoring, prioritization, and AI-driven predictions. These scenarios demonstrate how O-CEI technologies can handle simultaneously energy management across vessels, port terminals, and residential settings to achieve a sustainable and efficient energy ecosystem.

1

Vessel Energy Management

The O-CEI platform will integrate energy flows from berthed vessels, using decentralized monitoring, IoT, and cybersecurity utilities to minimize blackouts and optimize energy control through orchestration and real-time dashboards.

2

Terminal Energy Management

This scenario integrates terminal asset energy data with O-CEI orchestration, coordinating peak power demands from Container Handling Equipment (CHE), and reefers to avoid unnecessary peaks, with individual control systems.

3

Home Consumers

This scenario replaces home electricity meters with an O-CEI orchestrated control system, managing device priorities for critical services and appliances through secure data governance and pub/sub-models of the project.

Pilot 3

Energy consumption and emission reductions in postal service fleet operation via intelligent BEV charging strategies

Summary

Domain:
Mobility

Partners:
Austrian Postal Service, Energie Steiermark, AVL

Goal:
This pilot optimizes electric fleet operations by integrating intelligent charging, V2G, and renewable energy utilization, reducing emissions, energy consumption, costs, and enhancing grid stability.

Pilot Scenarios

The Austrian Postal Service (POST) operates 5000 electric trucks that connect to EV charging stations owned by POST or Energie Steiermark. Both the vehicles and charging stations can share data through O-CEI software services, helping to speed up the adoption of smart, sustainable energy and mobility strategies.

P3 introduces three innovative use cases designed to optimize energy consumption, enhance grid stability, and reduce emissions through the integration of O-CEI technologies. These use cases highlight how advanced energy strategies and O-CEI technologies can transform electric fleet operations and grid management, driving sustainability and efficiency.

1

Infrastructure analysis to optimize Storage Battery Systems

For this use case, we analyse the power infrastructure (PV panels, batteries, charging infrastructure), the control and communication infrastructure, and the various communication protocols. This knowledge will then be used to optimize the location and operation of stationary storage battery systems.

2

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) – Vehicles as Mobile Energy Storage Units

Building on the first scenario, this use case optimizes EVs as mobile storage units, utilizing O-CEI for intelligent charging, discharging, and fleet route planning, enhancing fleet resilience and battery autonomy. Among others, we will assess the economic balance of the state of health degradation of the EV battery vs. revenue generation by providing energy to the grid at market price.

3

Smart and Innovative Energy Management Systems

O-CEI will evaluate mobile storage systems, such as trucks, supporting grid peak shaving and reactive power management. A virtual power plant integrates energy delivery, billing, and regulatory data for interventions.

Pilot 2

Electricity Grid - Software Defined Vehicle for VaS in Urban Areas

Summary

Domain:
Electricity Grid

Partners:
Continental, FENIX2.0, ERTICO

Goal:
P2 scales Continental’s innovations by integrating a Software Defined Vehicle (SDV), transforming it into an active hub for computation, data exchange, and context-aware connectivity.

Pilot Scenarios

P2 introduces four SDV scenarios, each focusing on Vehicle-as-a-Service (VaS) to address key areas of urban mobility through O-CEI-enabled technologies. These scenarios demonstrate the transformative role of SDVs as active infrastructure elements, revolutionizing safety, sustainability, energy integration, and grid optimization in urban mobility.

1

VaS for Vehicle Safety

This scenario enhances vehicle safety with AI-driven system monitoring, OTA updates, advanced cybersecurity, and real-time technologies for the reliable, secure, and dynamic operation of embedded systems (e.g., engine management, braking, steering, infotainment)

2

VaS for Sustainability

This scenario leverages AI utilities from the O-CEI marketplace to optimize EV powertrain efficiency, minimize carbon footprints, and ensure driver engagement with sustainable, real-time feedback and seamless integration.

3

VaS for Fleet V2G Integration

It uses AI to optimize EV charging and energy return via Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities, with edge and cloud software supporting fleet-wide data analysis and operations.

4

VaS for Grid Optimization

This scenario uses V2G, smart grids, and AI to optimize energy use, schedule charging during off-peak hours, utilize dynamic pricing, and grid balancing for sustainable vehicle interactions.

Pilot 1

Electric Grid performance optimization upon RES integration

Summary

Domain:
Energy grid

Partners:
UCC, EDF, MDU, Powerledger, Smart MPower, Eko Kvarner

Goal:
The pilot aims to transition towards a greener, more efficient, and resilient energy system, paving the way for a sustainable and robust energy future.

Pilot Scenarios

1

Community-Driven Renewable Energy Integration

The O-CEI project empowers prosumers/flexumers to trade energy, optimize usage, and store excess via AI-driven tools, boosting grid stability and renewable energy use.

2

Smart Thermal Load Management

Sensor data and smart controls dynamically manage heating for energy efficiency using edge computing.

3

Wide Smart Grid Optimization

Seasonal demand patterns are optimized with renewable integration and decentralized learning models.

4

EV and Heat Pump Synchronization

Synchronizing renewable energy for household appliances and EVs ensures comfort and charging availability.

5

Residential Energy Management

IoT gateways and secure O-CEI utilities empower users to monitor energy use and promote grid flexibility.

6

Advanced Load Scheduling

Proactive scheduling for appliances like electric water heaters and space heaters, will enhance grid capacity and user comfort using edge computing and robust connectivity.

Each of these scenarios highlights the role of O-CEI in creating innovative, sustainable, and resilient energy solutions tailored to specific community needs and environments.