By Péter Szilágyi, PREDICT-6G Technical Manager
It’s been six months since PREDICT-6G kicked off, and the wheels – prepared carefully during the planning – were set in motion. Within that time, we have built a well functioning team, gained remarkable momentum, and started to fill our pipeline of technology and innovation. This article reflects on the key achievements so far, the status of the project, and the next steps – from a technical perspective.
What we have achieved
The first period of the project focused on setting the landscape, collecting and structuring ideas, discussing and documenting our approach to multi-domain deterministic networks and services, and roadmapping the underlying technical work. We have established solid understanding of the use cases (such as smart manufacturing and industrial critical communication) requiring deterministic services across multiple domains. For each use case, we studied the end-to-end communication requirements, the capabilities of the devices, the types and roles of the actors and their anticipated demand and traffic mix. The findings were consolidated and generalized to produce system level and service level KPIs and requirements, serving as design principles and capabilities towards the PREDICT-6G system. Based on the requirements, we have already created the first architecture blueprint of the project, including both the multi-technology multi-domain data plane and the AI-driven inter-domain control plane, as well as the means of their interworking. On the groundwork side, we have established a roadmap for the two Open Labs where the PREDICT-6G technology and innovations will be implemented and demonstrated through the selected use cases. Finally, we have created two important pieces of deliverables: our Data Management Plan (DMP), which defines the standards for preparing, publishing and maintaining open access to all types of data, including documentation, measurements and source code to be produced by PREDICT-6G; and our first version of the communication, dissemination, standardization and exploitation strategy plan.
Where we are now
We are in a busy schedule paved with deliverables on all of our research directions. We are just releasing D1.1, our first technical report summarizing the use cases, requirements and initial architecture of the PREDICT-6G. I recommend reading this document for those who would like to get familiar with the project’s technical line of thought and innovation areas, as these aspects already started to manifest in this work. In parallel to finishing D1.1 under WP1, we are cooperating very closely between two of our other technical work packages: WP2, which is defining the deterministic technologies for data planes and cross-domain data plane integration; and WP3, which is defining the automation framework on the control and management plane to self-orchestrate and autonomously assure end-to-end deterministic services. These two WPs are expected to be the busiest ones in the next four months, as they work together to co-create two sets of dependent technologies. On the one hand, in WP2, to expose programmable data plane capabilities from within specific network technologies such as 3GPP, IETF DetNet/RAW, and Wi-Fi; and on the other hand, in WP3, to utilize those exposed capabilities to autonomously fulfil and assure the end-to-end services. Additionally, WP4 takes off in July, to start working on system integration aspects that would bring all PREDICT-6G technical components into the same autonomous framework.
Looking ahead
Summer will be hot for PREDICT-6G, and not only for the season. We will produce our next two deliverables, which are going to consolidate part of the effort we are currently putting into the cross-WP2-WP3 work. To be released at the end of August, D2.1 will descend deeper into the data plane technologies, whereas one month later, D3.1 will report the first results on the control and management plane technologies, already leveraging the capabilities of our data plane. These deliverables will maintain close coherence and context with each other and with D1.1, so that interested readers can easily navigate the breadths and depths of the PREDICT-6G technology. These two upcoming deliverables will also set up the forward path to their second versions, which are both due near the end of this year, going even deeper into their subjects. By that time, PREDICT-6G will have created and released substantial technical capital that will be a foundation for starting lab work in 2024.
Summary
Nowadays are intense yet interesting times in PREDICT-6G. Our momentum accelerates, the frontier of the research broadens, and the number of ongoing activities increase. While this means that work is split up and task forces are focusing on specific areas of PREDICT-6G to maintain efficiency and productivity, we take special care to leverage cross-WP and cross-partner expertise as we drive along our micro-objectives. All in all, we have an excellent team working together on a research project with a great aim – and that is all that’s needed.
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