DFS, the German air navigation service provider, has won the ATM Award for its Future Delivery Model (FDM) in the category Greener Skies at the Airspace World 2024, held in Geneva, Switzerland, between 19-21 March 2024.
With FDM, which is part of the DFS Future Architecture ATS Systems (ZAAS) programme, DFS is providing a strategy for sustainable air traffic management based on a modern cloud infrastructure. The model has the potential to reduce energy consumption.
Hybrid cloud strategy: The backbone of FDM
FDM is built upon a robust and flexible hybrid cloud infrastructure distinguished by its “three cloud pillar” approach. Each pillar is designed to meet specific operational needs, ensuring the safe and reliable operation of ATM systems. The infrastructure utilises cutting-edge technologies, such as virtualisation, containerisation and service orientation. These are key to achieving significant energy savings.
The first of the three planned cloud pillars has been in operation since January 2023. Currently, more than 300 virtual systems are running on an equal amount of physical platform cores for testing and developing ATM services. Sustainability monitoring has shown for this first cloud pillar that DFS can reduce energy consumption considerably compared to a classic solution, known as bare metal hosting.
The next cloud pillar for operational ATM services will follow at the end of 2024 and will further contribute to DFS sustainability efforts. The future cloud infrastructure will be implemented by 2032. It includes several thousand physical cores and implies enormous saving potentials.
Commenting on the win, Friedrich-Wilhelm Menge, DFS Chief Technology Officer and Member of the DFS Executive Board, thanked Air Traffic Management Magazine and CANSO for the honour and added: “The relevant reduction of energy consumption in our data centres highlights the environmental benefits of adopting a hybrid cloud strategy for ATM systems. In addition, the new modular, service-oriented architecture reflects and enables the ideas behind the Single European Sky.”
