SAN FRANCISCO -- The Linux Foundation announces a new open source project, Akraino, intended to create an open source software stack supporting high-availability cloud services optimized for edge computing systems and applications. To seed the new project, AT&T is contributing code designed for carrier-scale edge computing applications running in virtual machines and containers to support reliability and performance requirements. The Akraino community, now forming, anticipates releasing open source project code in the second quarter of 2018.

Akraino will offer users new levels of flexibility to scale edge cloud services quickly, to maximize the applications or subscribers supported on each server, and to help ensure the reliability of systems that must be up at all times. While several open source projects exist to help solve pieces of the puzzle, nothing currently meets the need for an edge infrastructure solution. Integration of existing efforts in this new project will help deliver ease of use, hardened reliability, unique features, and performance for carrier, provider, and IoT networks.

"This project will bring the extensive work AT&T has already done to create low-latency, carrier-grade technology for the edge that address latency and reliability needs," said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of The Linux Foundation. "Akraino complements LF Networking projects like ONAP in automating services from edge to core. We’re pleased to welcome it to The Linux Foundation and invite the participation of others as we work together to form Akraino and establish its governance."

"Akraino, coupled with ONAP and OpenStack, will help to accelerate progress towards development of next-generation, network-based edge services, fueling a new ecosystem of applications for 5G and IoT," said Mazin Gilbert, Vice President of Advanced Technology at AT&T Labs.

Linux Foundation