Mobile Edge Computing System Research Articles

Task Offloading Strategy for UAV-Assisted Mobile Edge Computing with Covert Transmission

Task offloading strategies for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) -assisted mobile edge computing (MEC) systems have emerged as a promising solution for computationally intensive applications. However, the broadcast and open nature of radio transmissions makes such systems vulnerable to eavesdropping threats. Therefore, developing strategies that can perform task offloading in a secure communication environment is critical for both ensuring the security and optimizing the performance of MEC systems. In this paper, we first design an architecture that utilizes covert communication techniques to guarantee that a UAV-assisted MEC system can securely offload highly confidential tasks from the relevant user equipment (UE) and calculations. Then, utilizing the Markov Decision Process (MDP) as a framework and incorporating the Prioritized Experience Replay (PER) mechanism into the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm, a PER-DDPG algorithm is proposed, aiming to minimize the maximum processing delay of the system and the correct detection rate of the warden by jointly optimizing resource allocation, the movement of the UAV base station (UAV-BS), and the transmit power of the jammer. Simulation results demonstrate the convergence and effectiveness of the proposed approach. Compared to baseline algorithms such as Deep Q-Network (DQN) and DDPG, the PER-DDPG algorithm achieves significant performance improvements, with an average reward increase of over 16% compared to DDPG and over 53% compared to DQN. Furthermore, PER-DDPG exhibits the fastest convergence speed among the three algorithms, highlighting its efficiency in optimizing task offloading and communication security.

Intelligent Joint Optimization of Deployment and Task Scheduling for Mobile Users in Multi‐UAV‐Assisted MEC System

Mobile edge computing (MEC) servers integrated with multi‐unmanned aerial vehicles (multi‐UAVs) present a new system the multi‐UAV‐assisted MEC system. This system relies on the mobility of the UAVs to reduce the transmission distance between the servers and mobile users, thereby enhancing service quality and minimizing the overall energy consumption. Achieving optimal UAV deployment and precise task scheduling is crucial for improved coverage and service quality in this system. This problem is framed as a nonconvex optimization problem known as joint task scheduling and deployment optimization. Recently, an optimization technique based on a dual‐layer framework: Upper layer optimization and lower layer optimization have been proposed to tackle this problem and achieved superior performance compared to the alternative methods. In this framework, the lower layer was responsible for task scheduling optimization, while the upper layer was designed to assist in optimizing UAV deployment and thus achieving improved coverage and enhanced task scheduling for mobile users, thereby minimizing the total energy consumption. However, further refinement of upper layer optimization is needed to improve the deployment process. In this study, the upper layer undergoes enhancement through key modifications: First, random selection of the solutions is replaced with sequential selection to maintain the unique characteristics of each individual throughout the optimization process, fostering both exploration and exploitation. Second, a selection of recently reported metaheuristic algorithms, such as spider wasp optimizer (SWO), generalized normal distribution optimization (GNDO), and gradient‐based optimizer (GBO), are adapted to optimize UAV deployments. Both improved upper layer and lower layer optimization led to the development of novel, more effective optimization approaches, including IToGBOTaS, IToGNDOTaS, and IToSWOTaS. These techniques are evaluated using nine instances with a variety of mobile tasks ranging from 100 to 900 to test their stability and then compared to different optimization techniques to measure their effectiveness. This comparison is based on several statistical information to determine the superiority and difference between their outcomes. The results reveal that IToGBOTaS and IToSWOTaS exhibit slightly superior performance compared to all other algorithms, showcasing their competitiveness and efficacy in addressing the optimization challenges of the multi‐UAV‐assisted MEC system.

TD3-based trajectory optimization for energy consumption minimization in UAV-assisted MEC system

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) assisted Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) systems provide substantial benefits for task offloading and communication services, especially in situations where traditional communication infrastructure is unavailable. Current research emphasizes maintaining communication quality while minimizing total energy consumption and optimizing UAV flight trajectories. However, several issues remain: First, the energy consumption objective function lacks comprehensiveness, neglecting the impact of UAV flight energy consumption; second, an effective Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithm has not been employed to address the non-convexity of the objective function; third, there is insufficient discussion regarding the practical significance of the proposed approach. To address these issues, this paper formulates an objective function aimed at minimizing MEC energy consumption by considering task offloading decisions, communication delays, computational energy consumption, and UAV flight energy consumption. We propose a Population Diversity-based Particle Swarm Optimization-Double Delay Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (PDPSO-TD3) algorithm to find the optimal solution, enhance UAV flight trajectories through optimized offloading decisions, ensure efficient communication, and minimize the total energy consumption of the MEC system. Furthermore, we discuss the practical applicability of PDPSO-TD3 in detail and present the proposed scheme. Experimental results demonstrate that compared to the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm, for transmission delay, MEC energy consumption, UAV flight energy consumption, and User Equipments (UEs) access rate metrics. The proposed PDPSO-TD3 algorithm can improvement the performance by about 14.3%, 10.1%, 6.1%, and 3.3%, respectively.

A multi-strategy optimizer for energy minimization of multi-UAV-assisted mobile edge computing

Disasters in remote areas often cause damage to communication facilities, which presents significant challenges for rescue efforts. As flexible mobile devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can provide temporary network services to address this issue. This paper studies the use of UAVs as mobile base stations to offer offload computing services for disaster relief devices in affected areas. To ensure reliable communication between disaster relief devices and UAVs, we construct a multi-UAV-assisted mobile edge computing (MEC) system with the objective of minimizing system energy consumption. Inspired by swarm intelligence principles, we propose a multi-strategy optimizer (MSO) that defines various population search functions and employs superior neighborhood methods for population updates. Experimental results demonstrate that MSO achieves superior system energy efficiency and exhibits greater stability compared to several state-of-the-art swarm intelligence algorithms.

UAV-mounted IRS assisted wireless powered mobile edge computing systems: Joint beamforming design, resource allocation and position optimization

Intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) have been recently used in wireless-powered mobile edge computing (MEC) systems to enhance the computation bits and energy harvesting performance. However, in the conventional IRS- and UAV-aided MEC systems, the IRS is installed at fixed locations on a building, which restricts the computation performance. UAV-mounted IRS (UAV-IRS), as a promising technology, combines the advantages of UAV and IRS. Hence, in this work, we study a UAV-IRS wireless-powered MEC system, where multiple UAV-IRSs are considered between Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the base station to improve the computation bits and energy harvesting. The multi-antenna base station first charges the IoT devices via radio frequency signals, and then IoT devices offload their computation tasks to the base station via UAV-IRSs. We formulate a computation bits maximization problem for all IoT devices by jointly determining detection beamforming at IoT devices, active energy beamforming at the base station, power allocation, time slot assignment, CPU frequency, the phase shifts design in the wireless energy transfer (WET) and task offloading, and UAV-IRSs positions. A block coordinate descent (BCD) algorithm by decomposing the introduced problem into four blocks is proposed, while the detection beamforming, active energy beamforming, transmit power, time slot assignment, CPU frequency, and the phase shifts design in the task offloading are derived in closed-form results. Also, the successive convex approximation and semidefinite relaxation (SDR) are adopted to obtain the UAV-IRS positions and the phase shifts in the WET, respectively. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the presented BCD method compared with the different benchmark schemes.

Joint Computation Offloading and Trajectory Optimization for Edge Computing UAV: A KNN-DDPG Algorithm

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely used to improve the coverage and communication quality of wireless networks and assist mobile edge computing (MEC) due to their flexible deployments. However, the UAV-assisted MEC systems also face challenges in terms of computation offloading and trajectory planning in the dynamic environment. This paper employs deep reinforcement learning to jointly optimize the computation offloading and trajectory planning for UAV-assisted MEC system. Specifically, this paper investigates a general scenario where multiple pieces of user equipment (UE) offload tasks to a UAV equipped with a MEC server to collaborate on a complex job. By fully considering UAV and UE movement, computation offloading ratio, and blocked relations, a joint computation offloading and trajectory optimization problem is formulated to minimize the maximum computational delay. Due to the non-convex nature of the problem, it is converted into a Markov decision process, and solved by the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm. To enhance the exploration capability and stability of DDPG, the K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm is employed, namely KNN-DDPG. Moreover, the prioritized experience replay algorithm, where the constant learning rate is replaced by the decaying learning rate, is utilized to enhance the converge. To validate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm, KNN-DDPG is compared with the benchmark DDPG algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that KNN-DDPG can converge and achieve 3.23% delay reduction compared to DDPG.

Integrated trajectory optimization for UAV-enabled wireless powered MEC system with joint energy consumption and AoI minimization

This paper studies an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-enabled wireless powered mobile edge computing (MEC) system, where a UAV, equipped with RF Chains and MEC servers, can sustainably provide wireless energy for charging Internet of Things (IoT) devices and executing computing tasks from these devices while hovering at designated hover points. Our goal is to minimize the weighted sum of energy consumption and Age of information (AoI) in this system, which depended on the UAV’s hovering time at designated points and its flying time. To achieve this, we jointly optimize the deployment of hover points and the visiting order of these points by the UAV. It is NP hard and mixed-integer non-convex which is difficult to solve by traditional methods. To tackle this problem, we present a trajectory optimization algorithm for joint energy consumption and AoI (TOJEA), which consists of two phases. In the first phase, an Equilibrium Optimizer (EO) algorithm with a variable individual size via its coding and updating strategies, in which each particle (individual) with its concentration (position) represents a target solution i.e. the whole deployment of hover points, is proposed to optimize the number and locations of hover points. Based on the deployment of hover points, a low-complexity greedy algorithm is adopted in the second stage to generate the optimal visiting order for the UAV. Experimental results demonstrate that TOJEA outperforms other algorithms on ten instances with up to 400 IoT devices.

Multi-UAV Assisted Air–Ground Collaborative MEC System: DRL-Based Joint Task Offloading and Resource Allocation and 3D UAV Trajectory Optimization

In disaster-stricken areas that were severely damaged by earthquakes, typhoons, floods, mudslides, and the like, employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as airborne base stations for mobile edge computing (MEC) constitutes an effective solution. Concerning this, we investigate a 3D air–ground collaborative MEC scenario facilitated by multi-UAV for multiple ground devices (GDs). Specifically, we first design a 3D multi-UAV-assisted air–ground cooperative MEC system, and construct system communication, computation, and UAV flight energy consumption models. Subsequently, a cooperative resource optimization (CRO) problem is proposed by jointly optimizing task offloading, UAV flight trajectories, and edge computing resource allocation to minimize the total energy consumption of the system. Further, the CRO problem is decoupled into two sub-problems. Among them, the MATD3 deep reinforcement learning algorithm is utilized to jointly optimize the offloading decisions of GDs and the flight trajectories of UAVs; subsequently, the optimal resource allocation scheme at the edge is demonstrated through the derivation of KKT conditions. Finally, the simulation results show that the algorithm has good convergence compared with other algorithms and can effectively reduce the system energy consumption.

E-CARGO-based dynamic weight offload strategy with resource contention mitigation for edge networks

With the widespread use of Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) in smart manufacturing systems in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and 5G networks, determining how to efficiently offload computing tasks has become a hot research area. The Role-Based Collaboration (RBC) Environments-Classes, Agents, Roles, Groups, and Objects (E-CARGO) model is introduced to comprehensively manage MEC servers and user computation tasks in edge network environments, thereby improving the effectiveness and performance of task offloading in smart manufacturing systems. To begin with, latency and energy consumption are important indicators for evaluating the offloading effect. A pre-allocation algorithm based on user latency tolerance is proposed to dynamically adjust the latency-energy consumption weighting factor to optimize system resource allocation for real-time adjustment of offloading decisions. Second, the Group Role Assignment of Agent Role Conflicts (GRACAR) model based on E-CARGO is extended, along with a dynamic weighting of the GRACAR (GRACAR-DW) model and formal modeling. By introducing resource contention constraints, the resource contention caused by excessive task data offloading to the same MEC server is proactively mitigated. Finally, a Gurobi solution based on Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) is developed to help validate and synthesize the proposed model. Simulation results show that the strategy considerably enhances the MEC system's overall performance in terms of latency and energy consumption while also providing new ideas and technological support for offloading decisions in edge networks.

Deep reinforcement learning-based low-latency task offloading for mobile-edge computing networks

Wireless Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) is an emerging solution to facilitate users’ computing. However, there are still some drawbacks, such as slow learning speed and high task latency. To overcome these difficulties, a deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based task offloading (DRTO) framework is proposed, taking into account the time-varying nature of wireless channels and the unpredictability of task arrivals in multi-user MEC systems. Many deep neural networks (DNNs) are also used as scalable solutions to quickly determine the best offloading strategy by combining the perceptual capabilities of deep learning with the decision making capabilities of reinforcement learning (RL). Additionally, the concept of a minimum upper bound on the target Q-value is utilized to address the value overestimation problem that occurs during offload policy updates. This approach aims to minimize the latency of offload decisions by considering different channel environments, variable latency constraints among many users, and limited computational resources. Simulation results show that the algorithm reduces computation time and latency while achieving near-optimal performance compared to traditional Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) and Q-learning optimization methods. In addition, DRTO achieves more than 99.6% computational speedup compared to current almost ideal benchmarking techniques. Thus, the DRTO computational offload approach offers great potential for reducing overall system latency and improving the user experience.

A Multi-Dimensional Reverse Auction Mechanism for Volatile Federated Learning in the Mobile Edge Computing Systems

Federated learning (FL) can break the problem of data silos and allow multiple data owners to collaboratively train shared machine learning models without disclosing local data in mobile edge computing. However, how to incentivize these clients to actively participate in training and ensure efficient convergence and high test accuracy of the model has become an important issue. Traditional methods often use a reverse auction framework but ignore the consideration of client volatility. This paper proposes a multi-dimensional reverse auction mechanism (MRATR) that considers the uncertainty of client training time and reputation. First, we introduce reputation to objectively reflect the data quality and training stability of the client. Then, we transform the goal of maximizing social welfare into an optimization problem, which is proven to be NP-hard. Then, we propose a multi-dimensional auction mechanism MRATR that can find the optimal client selection and task allocation strategy considering clients’ volatility and data quality differences. The computational complexity of this mechanism is polynomial, which can promote the rapid convergence of FL task models while ensuring near-optimal social welfare maximization and achieving high test accuracy. Finally, the effectiveness of this mechanism is verified through simulation experiments. Compared with a series of other mechanisms, the MRATR mechanism has faster convergence speed and higher testing accuracy on both the CIFAR-10 and IMAGE-100 datasets.

Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Dynamic Task Offloading in a Device-to-Device Mobile-Edge Computing Network to Minimize Average Task Delay with Deadline Constraints.

Device-to-device (D2D) is a pivotal technology in the next generation of communication, allowing for direct task offloading between mobile devices (MDs) to improve the efficient utilization of idle resources. This paper proposes a novel algorithm for dynamic task offloading between the active MDs and the idle MDs in a D2D-MEC (mobile edge computing) system by deploying multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to minimize the long-term average delay of delay-sensitive tasks under deadline constraints. Our core innovation is a dynamic partitioning scheme for idle and active devices in the D2D-MEC system, accounting for stochastic task arrivals and multi-time-slot task execution, which has been insufficiently explored in the existing literature. We adopt a queue-based system to formulate a dynamic task offloading optimization problem. To address the challenges of large action space and the coupling of actions across time slots, we model the problem as a Markov decision process (MDP) and perform multi-agent DRL through multi-agent proximal policy optimization (MAPPO). We employ a centralized training with decentralized execution (CTDE) framework to enable each MD to make offloading decisions solely based on its local system state. Extensive simulations demonstrate the efficiency and fast convergence of our algorithm. In comparison to the existing sub-optimal results deploying single-agent DRL, our algorithm reduces the average task completion delay by 11.0% and the ratio of dropped tasks by 17.0%. Our proposed algorithm is particularly pertinent to sensor networks, where mobile devices equipped with sensors generate a substantial volume of data that requires timely processing to ensure quality of experience (QoE) and meet the service-level agreements (SLAs) of delay-sensitive applications.

A Heuristic Routing Algorithm for Heterogeneous UAVs in Time-Constrained MEC Systems

The rapid proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) ground devices (GDs) has created an unprecedented demand for computing resources and real-time data-processing capabilities. Integrating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) emerges as a promising solution to bring computation and storage closer to the data sources. However, UAV heterogeneity and the time window constraints for task execution pose a significant challenge. This paper addresses the multiple heterogeneity UAV routing problem in MEC environments, modeling it as a multi-traveling salesman problem (MTSP) with soft time constraints. We propose a two-stage heuristic algorithm, heterogeneous multiple UAV routing (HMUR). The approach first identifies task areas (TAs) and optimal hovering positions for the UAVs and defines an effective fitness measurement to handle UAV heterogeneity. A novel scoring function further refines the path determination, prioritizing real-time task compliance to enhance Quality of Service (QoS). The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed HMUR method surpasses the existing baseline algorithms on multiple metrics, validating its effectiveness in optimizing resource scheduling in MEC environments.

Optimization of resource allocation strategy for high-speed railway based on deep reinforcement learning

With the accelerated development of high-speed railway (HSR), the contradiction between the surge of user services and the demand for resource has become increasingly prominent. Mobile edge computing (MEC) has emerged to improve performance, reduce communication delay and ease network load. In this paper, we design a multi-user MEC system framework that aims to solve the joint optimization problem of computation offloading and resource allocation in HSR communication scenario with deep reinforcement learning algorithm. The framework dynamically allocates computation resource and network bandwidth through the real-time distance between users and base station (BS) to achieve optimal resource utilization and maximize user experience. To achieve this goal, we use a deep reinforcement learning based dynamic computation offloading and resource allocation (DDCORA) optimization algorithm. The algorithm minimizes the system cost by sharing state information among different users and making collaborative decisions to rationally allocate spectrum resource and computation resource. Simulation results show that DDCORA algorithm can significantly decrease the system cost while enhancing the overall system performance and user experience.

Task Offloading and Execution in Edge-Cloud Collaborative Network Using Genetic Algorithm

Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) system is now one of the most emerging sectors in wireless communication. It provides computation capability near the edge users and reduces the dependency on the Internet Cloud (IC). The edge users offload the task to the MEC server due to the lack of computing resources for executing resource-hungry applications. MEC servers can serve faster as they are quite close to the edge users but have limited computation resources compared to IC. On the other hand, IC has abundant computation resources but offloading to IC will add extra latency to complete tasks execution. In this scenario, an MEC has to decide intelligently which tasks should be executed by itself and which should be sent to IC. In this paper, we addressed this issue of task assignment and execution either on MEC or on IC and formulated an optimization problem to reduce the task processing latency. The problem is Integer Linear and NP-Complete, thus having higher time complexity. In this regard, we proposed a Genetic algorithm-based Meta-Heuristic method to solve the task completion problem considering the delay constraint of the user. Simulation results of the proposed method indicated improvement in terms of successful task execution, task turnaround time, and better Quality of experience (QoE) compared to the state-of-the-art works. GUB JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, Vol 9(1), 2022 P 42-51

A Novel intelligent SAV oriented QL-based task offloading in mobile edge environments

Edge computing is a novel and potential computing model which moves storage and computing capabilities to the network edge, substantially decreasing service latency and network traffic. The existing Internet of Things (IoT) network offloading algorithm faces limitations such as a fixed number of applications, high edge-to-edge delay, and reliance on a single Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server, posing security and privacy concerns. Moreover, resource-constrained mobile devices need more effective data integration and compression strategies. Addressing these challenges, this study suggests an approach based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL), specifically the SAV (State Action Value) Oriented QL (Q-Learning) based Task Offloading method, to optimise task offloading and resource allocation in edge-cloud computing. The model aims to empower Mobile Devices (MDs) to develop optimal offloading decisions for long-term Quality Perception, utilising a neural network to establish the relationship between MD state and action value. The paper introduces a Recurrent Extended Memory Network (REMN) to capture dynamic workload behaviour at Edge nodes (ENs). It incorporates Quality Mapping, Quality Estimation, and a Quality-Aware DRL Task Offloading Algorithm to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the offloading procedure in MEC systems. This systematic approach improves overall system performance and enables MDs to leverage ENs for neural network training, reducing computational burdens. As a result, it can accomplish a more significant number of tasks, reducing latency from 0.74 ms to 7.168 ms and decreasing energy consumption from 270 J to 1820.39 J for tasks ranging from 10 to 50, respectively.

Energy saving computation offloading for dynamic CR-MEC systems with NOMA via decomposition based soft actor–critic

This paper investigates resource allocation in cognitive radio (CR) based mobile edge computing (MEC) systems under time-varying channels while considering non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) technique. In contrast to prior research on NOMA-MEC, we introduce a generalized user grouping scheme, which makes the secondary users (SUs) have the flexibility to participate in multiple NOMA groups simultaneously, enabling the partial offloading of their task data to multiple MEC servers. To tackle the non-convex long-term energy minimization problem, we propose a decomposition based soft actor–critic (DB-SAC) approach combining conventional convex optimization with deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms, which divides the problem into a joint communication and computation resource allocation subproblem and an offloading ratios optimization subproblem. The former one is further divided into a series of local computation resource and offloading energy minimization problems, addressed through theoretical analysis and convex optimization techniques. For the latter subproblem, we adopt the SAC algorithm to dynamically allocate offloading ratios for SUs. Simulation results showcase that when compared to the conventional non-generalized user grouping scheme, the generalized user grouping scheme can achieve remarkable energy savings of up to 87.5%.

UAV-Assisted Mobile Edge Computing: Dynamic Trajectory Design and Resource Allocation.

The recent advancements of mobile edge computing (MEC) technologies and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have provided resilient and flexible computation services for ground users beyond the coverage of terrestrial service. In this paper, we focus on a UAV-assisted MEC system in which the UAV equipped with MEC servers is used to assist user devices in computing their tasks. To minimize the weighted average energy consumption and delay in the UAV-assisted MEC system, a LQR-Lagrange-based DDPG (LLDDPG) algorithm, which jointly optimizes the user task offloading and the UAV trajectory design, is proposed. To be specific, the LLDDPG algorithm consists of three subproblems. The DDPG algorithm is used to address the issue of UAV desired trajectory planning, and subsequently, the LQR-based algorithm is employed to achieve the real-time tracking control of UAV desired trajectory. Finally, the Lagrange duality method is proposed to solve the optimization problem of computational resource allocation. Simulation results indicate that the proposed LLDDPG algorithm can effectively improve the system resource management and realize the real-time UAV trajectory design.

DRL‐based computing offloading approach for large‐scale heterogeneous tasks in mobile edge computing

AbstractIn the last few years, the rapid advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the widespread adoption of smart cities have posed new challenges to computing services. Traditional cloud computing models fail to fulfil the rapid response requirement of latency‐sensitive applications, while mobile edge computing (MEC) improves service efficiency and customer experience by transferring computing tasks to servers located at the network edge. However, designing an effective computing offloading strategy in complex scenarios involving multiple computing tasks, nodes, and services remains a pressing issue. In this paper, a computing offloading approach based on Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) is proposed for large‐scale heterogeneous computing tasks. First, Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) is used to formulate computing offloading decision and resource allocation problems in large‐scale heterogeneous MEC systems. Subsequently, a comprehensive framework comprising the "end‐edge‐cloud" along with the corresponding time‐overhead and resource allocation models is constructed. Finally, through extensive experiments on real datasets, the proposed approach is demonstrated to outperform existing methods in enhancing service response speed, reducing latency, balancing server loads, and saving energy.

Lyapunov-guided deep reinforcement learning for delay-aware online task offloading in MEC systems

With the arrival of 5G technology and the popularization of the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile edge computing (MEC) has great potential in handling delay-sensitive and compute-intensive (DSCI) applications. Meanwhile, the need for reduced latency and improved energy efficiency in terminal devices is becoming urgent increasingly. However, the users are affected by channel conditions and bursty computational demands in dynamic MEC environments, which can lead to longer task correspondence times. Therefore, finding an efficient task offloading method in stochastic systems is crucial for optimizing system energy consumption. Additionally, the delay due to frequent user–MEC interactions cannot be overlooked. In this article, we initially frame the task offloading issue as a dynamic optimization issue. The goal is to minimize the system’s long-term energy consumption while ensuring the task queue’s stability over the long term. Using the Lyapunov optimization technique, the task processing deadline problem is converted into a stability control problem for the virtual queue. Then, a novel Lyapunov-guided deep reinforcement learning (DRL) for delay-aware offloading algorithm (LyD2OA) is designed. LyD2OA can figure out the task offloading scheme online, and adaptively offload the task with better network quality. Meanwhile, it ensures that deadlines are not violated when offloading tasks in poor communication environments. In addition, we perform a rigorous mathematical analysis of the performance of Ly2DOA and prove the existence of upper bounds on the virtual queue. It is theoretically proven that LyD2OA enables the system to realize the trade-off between energy consumption and delay. Finally, extensive simulation experiments verify that LyD2OA has good performance in minimizing energy consumption and keeping latency low.