diff --git a/HeterogeneousCore/SerialisationCore/README.md b/HeterogeneousCore/SerialisationCore/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..dacbe8e565b20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/HeterogeneousCore/SerialisationCore/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# `ngt::AnyBuffer`
+
+`ngt::AnyBuffer` behaves like `std::any`, with two differences: it can only be
+used with trivially copyable types, and provides access to the underlying memory
+buffer to allow `memcpy`'ing its content.
diff --git a/HeterogeneousCore/SerialisationCore/interface/AnyBuffer.h b/HeterogeneousCore/SerialisationCore/interface/AnyBuffer.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..6bf17fac22203
--- /dev/null
+++ b/HeterogeneousCore/SerialisationCore/interface/AnyBuffer.h
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+#ifndef HeterogeneousCore_SerialisationCore_interface_AnyBuffer_h
+#define HeterogeneousCore_SerialisationCore_interface_AnyBuffer_h
+
+#include <type_traits>
+#include <typeinfo>
+#include <cstddef>
+
+#include <boost/container/small_vector.hpp>
+
+#include "FWCore/Utilities/interface/EDMException.h"
+#include "FWCore/Utilities/interface/TypeDemangler.h"
+
+namespace ngt {
+
+  class AnyBuffer {
+  public:
+    AnyBuffer() = default;
+
+    template <typename T>
+    AnyBuffer(T const& t)
+      requires(std::is_trivially_copyable_v<T>)
+        : storage_(reinterpret_cast<std::byte const*>(&t), reinterpret_cast<std::byte const*>(&t) + sizeof(T)),
+          typeid_(&typeid(std::remove_cv_t<T>)) {}
+
+    template <typename T>
+    T& cast_to()
+      requires(std::is_trivially_copyable_v<T>)
+    {
+      if (empty()) {
+        throw edm::Exception(edm::errors::LogicError)
+            << "Attempt to read an object of type " << edm::typeDemangle(typeid(T).name())
+            << " from an empty AnyBuffer";
+      }
+      if (typeid(std::remove_cv_t<T>) != *typeid_) {
+        throw edm::Exception(edm::errors::LogicError)
+            << "Attempt to read an object of type " << edm::typeDemangle(typeid(T).name())
+            << " from an AnyBuffer holding an object of type " << edm::typeDemangle(typeid_->name());
+      }
+      return *reinterpret_cast<T*>(storage_.data());
+    }
+
+    template <typename T>
+    T const& cast_to() const
+      requires(std::is_trivially_copyable_v<T>)
+    {
+      if (empty()) {
+        throw edm::Exception(edm::errors::LogicError)
+            << "Attempt to read an object of type " << edm::typeDemangle(typeid(T).name())
+            << " from an empty AnyBuffer";
+      }
+      if (typeid(std::remove_cv_t<T>) != *typeid_) {
+        throw edm::Exception(edm::errors::LogicError)
+            << "Attempt to read an object of type " << edm::typeDemangle(typeid(T).name())
+            << " from an AnyBuffer holding an object of type " << edm::typeDemangle(typeid_->name());
+      }
+      return *reinterpret_cast<T const*>(storage_.data());
+    }
+
+    bool empty() const { return typeid_ == nullptr; }
+
+    std::byte* data() { return storage_.data(); }
+
+    std::byte const* data() const { return storage_.data(); }
+
+    size_t size_bytes() const { return storage_.size(); }
+
+  private:
+    boost::container::small_vector<std::byte, 32> storage_;  // small_vector size chosen to fit AnyBuffer in 64 bytes
+    std::type_info const* typeid_ = nullptr;
+  };
+
+}  // namespace ngt
+
+#endif  // HeterogeneousCore_SerialisationCore_interface_AnyBuffer_h