In-Network Computing Empowered Mobile Edge Offloading Architecture for Internet of Things

Abstract

In recent years, the rapid growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and applications has posed significant challenges for existing Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) architectures. The inherent latency uncertainties in MEC architectures make it difficult to support latency-sensitive applications such as autonomous vehicles. Additionally, the increasing number of connected devices has led to substantial challenges in terms of limited throughput for MEC servers. With the recent advancements in programmable network hardware, such as SmartNICs and programmable switches, the Network-based Computing (NBC) paradigm has gained widespread attention. Leveraging line-rate processing capabilities, NBC offers a promising solution for high throughput and low latency processing. This paper aims to explore the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating NBC into existing MEC architectures. The feasibility of our proposed architecture is evaluated using two use cases, Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control and Complex Event Processing (CEP), demonstrating significant improvements in latency performance.