Edge Computing Research Articles

Optimal resource management for multi-access edge computing without using cross-layer communication

We consider a Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) system with a set of users, a base station (BS) with an attached MEC server, and a cloud server. The users can serve the service requests locally or can offload them to the BS which in turn can serve a subset of the offloaded requests at the MEC and can forward the requests to the cloud server. The user devices and the MEC server can be dynamically configured to serve different classes of services. The service requests offloaded to the BS incur offloading costs and those forwarded to the cloud incur additional costs; the costs could represent service charges or delays. Aggregate cost minimization subject to stability warrants optimal service scheduling and offloading at the users and the MEC server, at their application layers, and optimal uplink packet scheduling at the users’ MAC layers. Classical back-pressure (BP) based solutions entail cross-layer message exchange, and hence are not viable. We propose virtual queue-based drift-plus-penalty algorithms that are throughput optimal, and achieve the optimal delay arbitrarily closely but do not require cross-layer communication. We first consider an MEC system without local computation, and subsequently, extend our framework to incorporate local computation also. We demonstrate that the proposed algorithms offer almost the same performance as BP based algorithms. These algorithms contain tuneable parameters that offer a trade off between queue lengths at the users and the BS and the offloading costs.

Resource allocation in RISs-assisted UAV-enabled MEC network with computation capacity improvement

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-enabled mobile edge computing (MEC) networks have recently been considered to be a support for ground MEC networks to enhance their computation capability. However, the line-of-sight (LOS) channels between the UAV and Internet of Things (IoT) devices can be interfered by various obstacles, such as trees and buildings, resulting in a considerable reduction in the capacity of MEC networks. To solve this issue, a system that combines multiple reconfigurable intelligence surfaces (RISs) with a UAV-enabled MEC network is proposed in this study. A UAV equipped with edge servers is treated as an aerial computing platform for IoT devices, and multi-RISs are utilized to simultaneously improve the communication quality between enhanced UAV and IoT devices. To maximize the sum computation bits of the system, a problem that jointly optimizes the time slot partition, local computation frequency, transmit power of the devices, UAV receive beamforming vectors, phase shifts of the RISs, and the trajectory of the UAV is formulated. The problem is a typical nonconvex optimization problem; therefore, we propose a recursive algorithm based on the successive convex approximation (SCA) and block coordinate descent (BCD) technology to find an approximate optimal solution. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm compared with various benchmark schemes.

Edge computing in Internet of Vehicles: A federated learning method based on Stackelberg dynamic game

With the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), data on the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is increasing day by day. To alleviate computing pressure in IoV, Vehicle Edge Computing (VEC) is being widely used as a new computing paradigm. Moreover, to address the serious problem of privacy leakage in VEC, Federated Learning (FL) is increasingly considered for analyzing big data in VEC. However, in actual VEC, problems such as data heterogeneity and poor training often occur. To address this set of problems, we introduce a two-stage Stackelberg game structure for FL training, choosing the Cloud Server (CS) as the leader and the Roadside Unit (RSU) as the follower. Then, we define the utility functions of CS and RSU and obtain the optimal reward rate and local accuracy for each iteration. To address the problem of inefficiency during learning process, we separate high-dimensional data features into global features and personalized features based on feature separation, and use them to capture historical information. Next, vehicle federated learning with historical information based on dynamic Stackelberg game (VFLHI-DSG) was proposed. Finally, we conducted a comprehensive comparative experiment, results show that VFLHI-DSG has excellent performance in different scenarios.

Truthful mechanism for joint resource allocation and task offloading in mobile edge computing

In the context of mobile edge computing (MEC), the delay-sensitive tasks can achieve real-time data processing and analysis by offloading to the MEC servers. The objective is maximizing social welfare in an auction-based model. However, the distances between mobile devices and access points lead to differences in energy consumption. Unfortunately, existing works have not considered both maximizing social welfare and minimizing energy consumption. Motivated by this, we address the problem of joint resource allocation and task offloading in MEC, with heterogeneous MEC servers providing multiple types of resources for mobile devices (MDs) to perform tasks remotely. We split the problem into two sub-problems: winner determination and offloading decision. The first sub-problem determines winners granted the ability to offload tasks to maximize social welfare. The second sub-problem determines how to offload tasks among the MEC servers to minimize energy consumption. In the winner determination problem, we propose a truthful algorithm that drives the system into equilibrium. We then show the approximate ratios for single and multiple MEC servers. In the offloading decision problem, we propose an approximation algorithm. We then show it is a polynomial-time approximation scheme for a single MEC server. Experiment results show that our proposed mechanism finds high-quality solutions in changing mobile environments.

A Scoping Review on Role of Edge Computing in Search and Rescue Operations

A Scoping Review on Role of Edge Computing in Search and Rescue Operations

Joint optimization for service-caching, computation-offloading, and UAVs flight trajectories over rechargeable UAV-aided MEC using hierarchical multi-agent deep reinforcement learning

Due to the high mobility, high chance of line-of-sight (LoS) transmission, and flexible deployment, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been used as mobile edge computing (MEC) servers to provide ubiquitous computation services to mobile users (MUs). However, the limited energy storage, caching capacity, and computation resources of UAVs bring new challenges for UAV-aided MEC, e.g., how to recharge UAVs and how to jointly optimize service-caching, computation-offloading, and UAVs flight trajectories. To overcome the above-mentioned difficulties, in this paper we study the joint optimization for service-caching, computation-offloading, and UAVs flight trajectories for UAV-aided MEC, where multiple rechargeable UAVs cooperatively provide MEC services to a number of MUs. First, we formulate an energy minimization problem to minimize all MUs' energy consumptions by taking into account the mobility of MUs and the energy replenishment of UAVs. Then, using the hierarchical multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (HMDRL), we develop a two-timescale based joint service-caching, computation-offloading, and UAVs flight trajectories scheme, called HMDRL-Based SCOFT. Using HMDRL-Based SCOFT, we derive UAVs' service-caching policies in each time frame, and then derive UAVs flight trajectories and MUs' computation-offloading in each time slot. Finally, we validate and evaluate the performances of our proposed HMDRL-Based SCOFT scheme through extensive simulations, which show that our developed scheme outperforms the other baseline schemes to converge faster and greatly reduce MUs' energy consumptions.

Highly textured CMOS-compatible hexagonal boron nitride-based neuristor for reservoir computing

Significant advancements in artificial neural networks (ANNs) have driven the rapid progress of artificial intelligence and machine learning. While current feedforward neural networks primarily handle static data, recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are designed for dynamical systems. However, RNNs demand extensive training on specific tasks, limiting their scalability and affordability for edge computing. Physical reservoir computing (RC) offers an alternative approach by mapping inputs into high-dimensional states, allowing for pattern analysis within a fixed reservoir. Unlike RNNs, RC is well-suited for temporal and sequential data processing with rapid speed and low training costs. This makes RC suitable for hardware implementation across various research domains. Nonetheless, existing demonstrations of RC remain constrained to small-scale device arrays. As electronic synapse arrays aim to approach very large-scale and highly complex hardware as in the human brain, managing heat dissipation becomes a formidable challenge. In this work, we successfully developed the neuristors based on textured h-BN films, prepared using a CMOS-compatible technique, and constructed a physical RC system based on as-fabricated devices. Our approach leverages vertically aligned BN to provide aligned diffusion paths for the reproducible migration process of metal ions from the electrodes and offers a potential solution for thermal management in electronic devices. This achievement highlights the promising potential of our neuristors for future high-density and energy-efficient neuromorphic computing.

Edge Computing in Healthcare: Innovations, Opportunities, and Challenges

Edge computing promising a vision of processing data close to its generation point, reducing latency and bandwidth usage compared with traditional cloud computing architectures, has attracted significant attention lately. The integration of edge computing in modern systems takes advantage of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and can potentially improve the systems’ performance, scalability, privacy, and security with applications in different domains. In the healthcare domain, modern IoT devices can nowadays be used to gather vital parameters and information that can be fed to edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques able to offer precious insights and support to healthcare professionals. However, issues regarding data privacy and security, AI optimization, and computational offloading at the edge pose challenges to the adoption of edge AI. This paper aims to explore the current state of the art of edge AI in healthcare by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology and analyzing more than 70 Web of Science articles. We have defined the relevant research questions, clear inclusion and exclusion criteria, and classified the research works in three main directions: privacy and security, AI-based optimization methods, and edge offloading techniques. The findings highlight the many advantages of integrating edge computing in a wide range of healthcare use cases requiring data privacy and security, near real-time decision-making, and efficient communication links, with the potential to transform future healthcare services and eHealth applications. However, further research is needed to enforce new security-preserving methods and for better orchestrating and coordinating the load in distributed and decentralized scenarios.

Energy efficient spike transformer accelerator at the edge

Large language models are widely used across various applications owing to their superior performance. However, their high computational cost makes deployment on edge devices challenging. Spiking neural networks (SNNs), with their power-efficient, event-driven binary operations, offer a promising alternative. Combining SNNs and transformers is expected to be an effective solution for edge computing. This study proposes an energy-efficient spike transformer accelerator, which is the base component of the large language models, for edge computing, combining the efficiency of SNNs with the performance of transformer models. The design achieves performance levels comparable to traditional transformers while maintaining the lower power consumption characteristic of SNNs. To enhance hardware efficiency, a specialized computation engine and novel datapath for the spike transformer are introduced. The proposed design is implemented on the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ ZCU102 device, demonstrating significant improvements in energy consumption over previous transformer accelerators. It even surpasses some recent binary transformer accelerators in efficiency. Implementation results confirm that the proposed spike transformer accelerator is a feasible solution for running transformer models on edge devices.

DeCa360: Deadline-aware edge caching for two-tier 360° video streaming

Two-tier 360° video streaming provides a robust solution for handling inaccurate viewport prediction and varying network conditions. Within this paradigm, the client employs a dual-buffer mechanism consisting of a long buffer for panoramic basic-quality segments and a short buffer for high-quality tiles. However, designing an efficient edge caching strategy for two-tier 360° videos is non-trivial. First, as basic-quality segments and high-quality tiles possess different delivery deadlines as well as content popularity, ignoring these discrepancies may result in inefficient edge caching. Second, accurately predicting the popularity of 360° videos at a fine granularity of video segments and tiles remains a challenge. To address these issues, we present DeCa360, a deadline-aware edge caching framework for 360° videos. Specifically, we introduce a lightweight runtime cache partitioning approach to achieve a careful balance between improving the cache hit ratio and guaranteeing more on-time delivery of objects. Moreover, we design a content popularity prediction method for two-tier 360° videos that combines a learning-based prediction model with domain knowledge of video streaming, leading to improved prediction accuracy and efficient cache replacement. Extensive experimental evaluations demonstrate that DeCa360 outperforms all baseline algorithms in terms of byte-hit ratio and on-time delivery ratio, making it a promising approach for efficient edge caching of 360° videos.

Resource allocation scheduling scheme for task migration and offloading in 6G Cybertwin internet of vehicles based on DRL

AbstractAs vehicular technology advances, intelligent vehicles generate numerous computation‐intensive tasks, challenging the computational resources of both the vehicles and the Internet of Vehicles (IoV). Traditional IoV struggles with fixed network structures and limited scalability, unable to meet the growing computational demands and next‐generation mobile communication technologies. In congested areas, near‐end Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) resources are often overtaxed, while far‐end MEC servers are underused, resulting in poor service quality. A novel network framework utilizing sixth‐generation mobile communication (6G) and digital twin technologies, combined with task migration, promises to alleviate these inefficiencies. To address these challenges, a task migration and re‐offloading model based on task attribute classification is introduced, employing a hybrid deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithm—Dueling Double Q Network DDPG (QDPG). This algorithm merges the strengths of the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) and the Dueling Double Deep Q‐Network (D3QN), effectively handling continuous and discrete action domains to optimize task migration and re‐offloading in IoV. The inclusion of the Mini Batch K‐Means algorithm enhances learning efficiency and optimization in the DRL algorithm. Experimental results show that QDPG significantly boosts task efficiency and computational performance, providing a robust solution for resource allocation in IoV.

A joint optimization of resource allocation management and multi-task offloading in high-mobility vehicular multi-access edge computing networks

Vehicular communications have advanced data exchange and real-time services in intelligent transportation systems by exploiting advanced communication between vehicles and infrastructure. The emergence of Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) has further elevated this field by utilizing distributed edge resources near vehicles for low-latency data processing and high-reliability communication. In this dynamic environment, adequate resource allocation and task offloading are pivotal to ensure superior performance, lower latency, and efficient network resource utilization, enhancing Quality of Service (QoS) and overall driving experience and safety. This paper presents a developed vehicular network and offloading mechanism, introducing a resource management model with real-time allocation and load balancing. The proposed method integrates task prioritization, multi-agent collaboration, context-aware decision-making, and distributed learning to optimize network performance. The introduced optimized algorithm initializes Q-networks and target networks, sets up an experience replay buffer, and configures agents with local state representations. Agents use an ε-greedy policy for action selection, update Q-values through experience replay, and prioritize tasks based on urgency while sharing state information for collaborative decision-making. Evaluations through simulation demonstrate optimized performance, enhancing efficiency in vehicular MEC networks compared to baseline and the other well-known algorithms.

EMERGING TRENDS IN INTERNET TECHNOLOGY: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LATEST INNOVATIONS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Emerging internet technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, and quantum internet are driving significant advancements across various sectors. However, a systematic understanding of their impact, challenges, and future directions is necessary. This study systematically reviewed 120 peer-reviewed articles related to the themes to provide a comprehensive analysis of these technologies. The literature was sourced from Google Scholar, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore, focusing on publications from the last decade. The review identified that while 5G is set to revolutionize connectivity and IoT is transforming industries, both face challenges such as high infrastructure costs and cybersecurity risks. Edge computing was found to be crucial for real-time data processing, yet scalability issues persist. Quantum internet, though promising unprecedented security, is still in its infancy with significant technical hurdles. This study contributes to the field by highlighting the transformative potential of these technologies while also addressing the challenges that must be managed for their successful implementation. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers, emphasizing the need for coordinated efforts to harness these technologies' benefits responsibly.

An optimized heterogeneous multi-access edge computing framework based on transfer learning and artificial internet of things

In most practical applications, the feature space of the training datasets and the target domain datasets are inconsistent, or the data distribution between them is inconsistent, which leads to the problem of data starvation and makes it difficult for terminal devices to obtain high accurate results. Aiming at the problems of limited terminal device resources, low accuracy of data processing results, and unsatisfactory processing speed, a Heterogeneous Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) Framework based on Transfer Learning (TL) is proposed, abbreviated as HMECF-TL. This framework adopts a cloud-edge-end three-layer architecture. It uses model transfer to optimize the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) model at each layer to achieve the goal of improving data processing speed and accuracy. Furthermore, a multi-agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Algorithm having Attention Mechanism (DRLAAM) is designed to further increase the timeliness performance of computation-intensive applications. The performance of HMECSF-TL framework is verified by simulation experiments, which not only reduces the delay by more than 24.66 %, but also improves the accuracy by more than 8.34 %. The framework not only increase the computing capacity to solve the shortage of terminal device resources, but also improve the quality of data processing to solve the problem of data starvation.

Vehicular edge cloud computing content caching optimization solution based on content prediction and deep reinforcement learning

In conventional studies on vehicular edge computing, researchers frequently overlook the high-speed mobility of vehicles and the dynamic nature of the vehicular edge environment. Moreover, when employing deep reinforcement learning to address vehicular edge challenges, insufficient attention is given to the potential issue of the algorithm converging to a local optimal solution. This paper presents a content caching solution tailored for vehicular edge cloud computing, integrating content prediction and deep reinforcement learning techniques. Given the swift mobility of vehicles and the ever-changing nature of the vehicular edge environment, the study proposes a content prediction model based on Informer. Leveraging the Informer prediction model, the system anticipates the vehicular edge environment dynamics, thereby informing the caching of vehicle task content. Acknowledging the diverse time scales involved in policy decisions such as content updating, vehicle scheduling, and bandwidth allocation, the paper advocates a dual time-scale Markov modeling approach. Moreover, to address the local optimality issue inherent in the A3C algorithm, an enhanced A3C algorithm is introduced, incorporating an ɛ-greedy strategy to promote exploration. Recognizing the potential limitations posed by a fixed exploration rate ɛ, a dynamic baseline mechanism is proposed for updating ɛ dynamically. Experimental findings demonstrate that compared to alternative content caching approaches, the proposed vehicle edge computing content caching solution substantially mitigates content access costs. To support research in this area, we have publicly released the source code and pre-trained models at https://github.com/JYAyyyyyy/Informer.git.

Application of Fuzzy Logic for Horizontal Scaling in Kubernetes Environments within the Context of Edge Computing

This paper presents a fuzzy logic-based approach for replica scaling in a Kubernetes environment, focusing on integrating Edge Computing. The proposed FHS (Fuzzy-based Horizontal Scaling) system was compared to the standard Kubernetes scaling mechanism, HPA (Horizontal Pod Autoscaler). The comparison considered resource consumption, the number of replicas used, and adherence to latency Service-Level Agreements (SLAs). The experiments were conducted in an environment simulating Edge Computing infrastructure, with virtual machines used to represent edge nodes and traffic generated via JMeter. The results demonstrate that FHS achieves a reduction in CPU consumption, uses fewer replicas under the same stress conditions, and exhibits more distributed SLA latency violation rates compared to HPA. These results indicate that FHS offers a more efficient and customizable solution for replica scaling in Kubernetes within Edge Computing environments, contributing to both operational efficiency and service quality.

Evaluating Dimensionality Reduction Methods for the Detection of Industrial IoT Attacks in Edge Computing

Edge computing is essential for 6G mobile networks for improving reliability, reducing data rates and latency, and enhancing mobile connectivity. Edge computing is also meant to meet the increasing demands of the Internet of Things (IoT)/ Internet of Everything (IoE). In these approaches, IIoT systems necessitate precision, reliability, and scalability, while vulnerabilities in IIoT systems may lead to financial losses and safety hazards. To tackle this, Edge AI/ML-based IDSs provide adaptability and robustness for IIoT security challenges. These solutions improve security levels, threat detection rates, and response times. However, main issues such as limited resources and the accuracy of attack detection rate are challenged nowadays. In this paper, we present contributions in proposing an intrusion detection system (IDS) for edge devices deploying a lightweight deep neural network to detect IIoT attacks. We present performance analysis of the typical dimensionality reduction methods and balancing data features of the Edge-IIoT dataset to get higher performance metrics than other state-of-the-art studies.

Smart Health Infrastructure: Integrating Internet of Things (IoT) with Edge Computing for Enhanced Disease Surveillance and Response

Smart health infrastructure that incorporates the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing offers an innovative approach to improving disease response and surveillance Public health emergencies and chronic disease surveillance are two areas where this program is particularly important because of the significant impact that early intervention can have on patient outcomes. Hurdles for the integration of healthcare IoT and edge computing are data privacy and security concerns, performance issues on IoT devices as well as robust network infrastructure needs. To reduce its reliance on computers, Cloud has come up with a plan of introducing Edge Computing-based Context Health Monitoring System (EC-CHMS) which enables faster data analysis and response times by eliminating its use. The healthcare information is locally managed between the networks throughout the system network through edge computing in EC-CHMS that incorporates cloud to manage healthcare information locally between networks within the entire network. This technology can recognize a patient’s life threatening condition by fusing IoT sensors with machine learning algorithms and has numerous possibilities for healthcare applications such as early disease detection, real-time outbreak management, remote patient care among others. Continuous and context-aware health monitoring is possible using this system that supports proactive healthcare interventions towards enhancing overall health delivery efficiency. These results demonstrate that EC-CHMS outperforms traditional cloud-based systems in terms of handling data efficiently and time taken to run the code. To ensure accuracy and reliability of these vital signs, simulation shows how multiple health issues can be handled by it.

An efficient model of enhanced optimization and dilated-GRU based secured multi-access edge computing with blockchain for VANET sector

The establishment of Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) has brought significant advantages to humans, yet it also raises crucial safety considerations. Security is one of the major challenges in VANETs and is receiving significant attention. Hostile Onboard Units (OBUs) can use a variety of tactics including blocking, monitoring and tampering to harm neighboring OBUs to make illicit profits. The widespread use of the decentralized architecture built around blockchain technology has enabled the clear, safe, and dispersed storage and transmission of VANET application-related information without the need for an administrative center of authority. Perhaps the most important parts of the blockchain-driven VANET system involve implementing an efficient and adaptable consensus system, which remains an open academic issue. The objective of the suggested solution is to create a deep learning model for blockchain that will guarantee VANET security. This network topology is comprised of three layers: “perception, edge computing, and services”. The initial layer that comprises the blockchain operation is employed to demonstrate the privacy of VANET information. Additionally, cloud-based services as well as edge computing are used by the perception layer. The data is safeguarded by the service layer through the application of the blockchain system and storage in the cloud. The last layer aids in meeting user criteria for throughput and QoS. The main objective of this model is to evaluate the reliability of vehicle nodes maintained on the blockchain. Here, the node authentication is handled by an Adaptive Dilated Gated Recurrent Unit (AD-GRU), where the hyper-parameters of the recommended AD-GRU model are optimally tuned by an Enhanced Osprey Optimization Algorithm (EOOA). Finally, the proposed system is simulated and its extensive results are carried out. In contrast with other approaches, the novel system delivers the superior results of securing the data over the VANET environment.

An Investigation on Handling IoT Big Data with RBSEE Architecture

Internet of Things (IoT) devices have resulted in an unprecedented surge in data generation, presenting both opportunities and challenges in data management and analytics. This paper investigates the feasibility and effectiveness of utilizing the RBSEE (Resource-Based Storage, Edge Computing, and Elasticity) architecture for handling IoT Big Data. Firstly, the paper elucidates the fundamental concepts of IoT and Big Data, highlighting the unique characteristics and challenges associated with managing large volumes of heterogeneous data streams generated by IoT devices. Subsequently, it introduces the RBSEE architecture, which integrates resource-based storage, edge computing, and elasticity to address the scalability, latency, and resource constraints inherent in IoT environments. The architecture's ability to distribute data storage and processing tasks across edge devices and cloud infrastructure while dynamically adapting to fluctuating workloads makes it particularly suitable for handling IoT Big Data. In any typical IoT ecosystem, real-time and instantaneous handling of request and dataset is pivotal and a fundamental property. This aims to propose energy efficient distributed system architecture for persuasive, privacy-preserved and real time handling of data generated from IoT devices.