Sigma2 is responsible for the Norwegian e-infrastructure. Sigma2 offers data processing and data storage services for individual persons and groups who are involved in research and education at universities and university colleges and other organisations. The existing national data storage infrastructure must be replaced with NIRD2020. The project's aim is to procure NIRD2020, which fulfils existing, new, and future user needs, and, at the same time, ensure scaleability, reliability, and flexibility in the new system.

The existing national storage infrastructure must be replaced by a new infrastructure, hereafter called NIRD2020. NIRD2020 will fulfil the needs of researchers from different sectors and subjects, and will, therefore, be the host for a large selection of scientific data that varies in file size, number of files, format, retention policy, integrity requirements, access frequency, etc. NIRD2020 must meet both traditional data-intensive users and the data-driven user community. Data stored in NRID2020 can come from different sources: It can be produced in projects through the analysis of HPC systems, directly included in the storage system from laboratories or external sensors, or obtained from local archives and network clouds. The large amount of data that is produced will be included via efficient protocols and securely saved in order to ensure data integrity. NIRD2020 will be reliable, flexible, and scaleable in all components, both as regards capacity and capability. NIRD2020 will also support 'multi-tenancy' (where data from several customers is saved and processed on the same physical infrastructure), in order to oblige relevant users and research environments.