Imagine you run an app that needs to respond instantly — like a factory robot controller or an augmented reality game. Right now, your data has to travel all the way to a distant cloud server and back, which causes delays. Pledger built a toolkit that lets you run those time-sensitive tasks on nearby "edge" servers instead, while automatically deciding what stays local and what goes to the cloud. It also adds smart contracts so you can prove to your customers exactly what service quality they are getting — no more "trust us, it's fast."
Companies running latency-sensitive applications — factory automation, live AR/VR, smart city sensors — lose money when cloud processing is too slow or unreliable. They need a way to push computation closer to the data source while still guaranteeing measurable service quality. Today, there is no standardized way to orchestrate workloads between edge and cloud or to verify SLA compliance transparently.
The project built 12 prototype tools covering edge/cloud orchestration, performance measurement and classification, QoS and SLA assessment with negotiation, decision support, trust/security/privacy management, and blockchain-based smart contracts. These were combined into an integrated demonstrator and validated in manufacturing, mixed reality, and smart city scenarios.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with lag in your real-time production monitoring — this project developed edge/cloud orchestration tools that automatically route time-critical data processing to nearby servers. The toolkit was validated in a manufacturing use case with prototype tools across 12 demonstrator deliverables, helping reduce downtime from delayed sensor readings.
If you are a mixed reality company struggling with choppy experiences because cloud servers are too far away — Pledger built performance measurement and classification tools that profile your application's computational needs and balance workloads between edge and cloud. The project validated this in a mixed reality use case, targeting the low-latency demands of real-time rendering.
If you are a smart city solutions provider managing thousands of IoT devices with unpredictable service quality — this project created QoS assessment and SLA negotiation tools backed by blockchain smart contracts. With 10 consortium partners across 7 countries, the tools were tested in a smart cities use case to give transparent, verifiable service guarantees.
The project was funded with EUR 4,738,512 in EU contribution as a Research and Innovation Action. Licensing or pricing for the individual tools has not been published. You would need to contact the coordinator (ATOS Spain) to discuss commercial terms or open-source availability.
The project built 12 prototype demonstrator tools and validated them across 3 use cases (manufacturing, mixed reality, smart cities). An integrated demonstrator was also delivered. However, these were research prototypes — scaling to full production would require further engineering and integration work.
IP is shared among the 10 consortium partners according to their EU grant agreement. ATOS Spain, as coordinator and a large IT services company, likely holds significant IP. Specific licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with the consortium.
Pledger was designed to couple edge computing with existing cloud infrastructures. The tools support orchestration between edge and cloud, and target IoT and 5G environments. Based on available project data, the architecture is meant to layer on top of existing setups rather than replace them.
The project closed in November 2022 and delivered 29 total deliverables including 12 prototype tools. These cover edge/cloud orchestration, performance measurement, SLA negotiation, security, and smart contracts. They are demonstrated prototypes, not commercial products.
The project explicitly developed Trust, Security and Privacy tools in two iterations. Given the edge computing focus — where data can stay closer to its source — the architecture supports data sovereignty requirements. However, specific regulatory certifications are not mentioned in the project data.
The Pledger consortium is heavily industry-driven: 7 out of 10 partners (70%) come from industry, with only 2 research organizations and no universities. This is unusual for an EU research project and signals strong commercial intent. The coordinator is ATOS Spain, a major IT services company with global reach, which adds credibility for post-project commercialization. The consortium spans 7 countries (AT, CY, DE, EL, ES, IT, LU), giving it broad European market access. With 2 SMEs in the mix, there is also a startup-minded element. For a business looking to adopt these tools, ATOS as coordinator is a reassuring sign — they have the infrastructure to productize research outputs.
ATOS Spain SA is the coordinator — contact their innovation or edge computing division for licensing and collaboration inquiries.
Want an introduction to the Pledger team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right people and provide a detailed technology brief tailored to your specific use case.
