Are stateful edge applications the next big initiative in edge cloud computing? For many companies who want to use edge computing for video analytics, database, IoT, Industrial automation, gaming, content delivery and others, the answer is yes.
Unlike stateless applications, stateful applications require persistent storage to maintain operational states. This presents a significant hurdle for Kubernetes, a container platform that was originally designed for stateless workloads.
Rakuten Cloud has a solution to build the stateful edge and has teamed up with its partner Intel to document this solution in a recently published white paper. The collaborative white paper outlines the solution that combines Rakuten Cloud-Native Platform (CNP) with Intel® architecture processors and other technologies to deliver high performance stateful edge solutions that deliver low latency, reduced costs and exceptional scalability.
At the core of this offering is the Rakuten CNP, a Kubernetes platform optimized for storage and network-intensive edge applications. Rakuten CNP is ideal for organizations looking to deploy AI/ML, retail, Industry 4.0, massive IoT, financial services, private 4G/5G and other similar applications.
Rakuten CNP supports both containerized network functions (CNF) and virtualization network functions (NFV). This enables hybrid workloads spanning physical network functions (NFs), virtual NFs and containerized NFs.
A key differentiator of Rakuten CNP is its advanced declarative and automated workload placement capability. Users only specify desired resources, and the platform automatically allocates and configures them based on user intent and policies. This approach simplifies deployment, improves resource utilization, and enhances overall system efficiency and accelerate application deployment.
The real “secret sauce” of the stateful edge solution is Rakuten Cloud-Native Storage (CNS) which is a software-defined storage solution that is deeply integrated with Kubernetes. Rakuten CNS delivers advanced application awareness, high availability and robust data protection.
The Rakuten Cloud-Native Orchestrator (CNO) is an automation platform that manages servers, applications, and network functions across the entire edge cloud infrastructure. Rakuten CNO has the ability to handle bare-metal servers, virtual machines, and containers, providing unmatched flexibility and scalability. Additionally, its integration with hardware OEMs and an application ecosystem simplifies the onboarding of servers and applications, accelerating time-to-market for new services.
This software runs on Intel 4th Gen Intel® Xeon Scalable Processors that offer high compute performance, high core counts, and integrated accelerators. Together, these features provide an ideal foundation for demanding stateful edge applications. Other technologies supported by the CPU, including Intel® vRAN Boost, Intel® QuickAssist Technology (Intel® QAT), and Intel® Advanced Matrix Extensions (Intel® AMX) enhance the platform's capabilities for compute-centric edge workloads.
By combining the strengths of the innovative Rakuten CNP software with Intel's cutting-edge hardware, this joint solution empowers organizations to build and operate highly efficient and scalable stateful edge cloud networks.
For more information about the power and utility of this stateful edge solution, take a look at the white paper that can be downloaded from the Intel website.
