On 16 April 2023, as part of the FastContinuum 2023 workshop, John Favaro, Senior Researcher at Trust-IT srl and AI-SPRINT project team member, moderated the panel discussion "Computing in the Cloud Continuum: Technological challenges, killer applications and future trends".
The panel discussion saw the participation of experts in the cloud continuum field, such as Tania Lorido Botran, Research Scientist at Roblox, Samuel Kounev, Professor of Computer Science at University of Würzburg, Radu Prodan, Professor in distributed systems at the University of Klagenfurt, and Matteo Matteucci, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Politecnico di Milano and AI-SPRINT Deputy Coordinator, who were asked to showcase their points of view on the topic of Computing in the Cloud Continuum.
All the keynote speakers described an ever-more serverless continuum, where users pay only for what they use, rather than what they reserve. The panelists expressed their reservations and concerns on this topic, while also discussing which domains would benefit from the continuum and what would be the "killer apps" and top priorities for the future. Emphasising the importance of security and trust in the continuum, the panelists also discussed the need for a code of ethics, particularly for domains such as the metaverse. They agreed that a new paradigm such as the serverless approach is best seen as an objective, a goal that will only be achieved gradually over time, as new challenges emerge and are resolved by new research and development.
Thanks to the vigorous and provocative discussions, both panelists and audience came away with a new appreciation for the continuum, not only as a powerful paradigm presenting formidable but exciting technical challenges, but also as a new societal force – one that is likely to have broad impact in all of our lives – presenting its own set of ethical and social challenges for all of us to consider.