Energy Systems & Digitalisation

3C4AI - Intelligent Service, Resource and Data Management Platform for Optimized AI Workloads Across the Multi-Provider Cognitive Computing Continuum

3C4AI is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action funded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA) under the HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DATA-02 call. The project brings together 18 industrial and academic partners from across Europe to develop an integrated platform that enables secure, trustworthy and standards-based orchestration of AI services across cloud, edge and HPC infrastructures. The platform combines AI workload orchestration, federated data management, cognitive automation, GenAI-based intent management, hardware-aware resource allocation and decentralized trust mechanisms. The project validates its technologies through cross-domain industrial and public-sector pilots while benchmarking improvements in interoperability, scalability, latency, operational efficiency, energy consumption and regulatory compliance. The project has a duration of 36 months and a total EU budget of €7.63 million.

The project aims to enable trustworthy, interoperable and efficient deployment of distributed AI services across multi-provider cloud, edge and HPC environments by developing a unified orchestration platform supporting federated AI services, sovereign data sharing and intelligent resource management.

The project:

• develops a unified orchestration platform for AI workload lifecycle management across cloud, edge and HPC infrastructures

• enables federated multi-operator AI service orchestration through standardized East–West APIs

• implements cognitive automation for real-time multi-objective optimization

• provides distributed data orchestration with federated data catalogues and policy-compliant data sharing

• introduces GenAI-based intent management to automatically translate business objectives into executable service plans.

• implements software-defined hardware abstraction for hardware-aware workload placement

• establishes decentralized trust and governance through secure integration and smart contracts

• validates the platform through industrial and public-sector pilots while benchmarking interoperability, scalability, SLA compliance, energy efficiency and operational costs.

X-FLEX – Enabling Flexible and Smart Energy Systems

X-FLEX is a Horizon 2020 project focused on developing innovative solutions that facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources into increasingly decentralised energy systems. Through a multi-technology and multi-actor approach, the project enables flexibility services from distributed energy resources, battery storage systems, electric vehicles, demand response, and power-to-heat, power-to-cold, and power-to-gas technologies. Sunlight Group participated as a project partner, contributing its expertise in energy storage technologies. The project ran from 2019 to 2023 and received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 863927.

The project aims to increase the resilience, stability, and efficiency of future electricity networks by enabling consumers, prosumers, flexibility providers, and network operators to actively participate in energy markets. Through its integrated X-FLEX platform and complementary digital solutions, the project supports the optimal management of flexibility resources while facilitating the development of local flexibility markets and improving grid operation under challenging conditions, including high renewable penetration and extreme climate events.

The project:

• develops innovative flexibility solutions that support the integration of renewable energy sources into modern electricity networks

• enables consumers, prosumers, aggregators, and network operators to participate in flexibility markets and optimise energy use

• strengthens grid resilience, stability, and efficiency through advanced digital tools tested in real-world pilot sites across Europe.

SELAS – Smart Energy Generation and Storage for Highway Infrastructure

SELAS (Autonomous System for Uninterrupted Generation and Storage of Electricity using Photovoltaics on Highways) is a research and innovation project focused on developing advanced photovoltaic and energy storage technologies for transport infrastructure. The project investigates the integration of innovative photovoltaic systems into highway facilities, including toll stations and parking areas, enabling the generation and storage of renewable energy directly on-site. Sunlight Group participated as a project partner, contributing its expertise in energy storage technologies. The project was funded through the “Research – Create – Innovate” programme under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Greek Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation”.

The project aims to improve the sustainability and energy autonomy of critical transport infrastructure by combining innovative photovoltaic technologies, energy storage systems, and intelligent energy management tools. SELAS explores the use of photovoltaic panels capable of exploiting low-light and night-time illumination sources, while supporting future applications such as electric vehicle charging and smart highway infrastructure.

The project:

• develops innovative photovoltaic and energy storage systems to support the autonomous operation of highway infrastructure

• integrates intelligent software tools for energy forecasting, optimisation, and management of transport energy services

• reduces energy consumption, operating costs, and carbon emissions while supporting the transition to sustainable mobility solutions