CAREER: WolfPack: An Application-Network Co-Design Framework for Performance-Guaranteed Real-time Applications at the Network Edge

Distributed real-time applications constitute the core of many life-changing technologies. To satisfy the real-time requirement of such applications, edge computing provides a low-latency and high-throughput computing environment near the end devices and users. However, the complex structures of modern applications significantly hinder providing end-to-end real-time guarantee to these applications, especially in face of the also complex structures and dynamic nature of various edge computing networks. This project investigates the joint optimization and configuration of edge applications and the edge network, for providing end-to-end performance guarantee to modern distributed real-time applications.

Specifically, this CAREER project aims to co-design the provisioning of both computing and network resources in edge computing, to provide end-to-end performance guarantee for a wide range of applications and edge network scenarios under a general optimization framework named the WolfPack. The project will focus on three complementary research thrusts: (i) a general packing-based optimization framework for applications and edge networks with arbitrary structures, (ii) a set of modeling and algorithmic tools for handling risks and providing robustness in face of application and network dynamics, and (iii) economic mechanisms for incentivized edge resource provisioning with performance guarantees. Collectively, the outcomes of this research will contribute to not only the core knowledge of edge resource management and performance guarantee, but also the literature of packing/covering optimization, truthful mechanism design, and optimization-based system design.

The research component of this project will empower life-changing real-time applications that benefit citizens and society, including but not limited to smart city, connected industry, autonomous driving. The research outcomes will be broadly disseminated through journal/conference publications, tutorial papers, public talks, research seminars, and course teaching. Research is closely integrated with education to advance the curriculum of undergraduate and graduate education with renewed materials and practical teaching tools, promote active STEM research by students in K-12 through postgraduate levels, and increase awareness and participation in computing from female and underrepresented students.

All research artifacts and outcomes of this project will be publicly available on the project website (https://people.engr.ncsu.edu/ryu5/project_wolfpack.php). The website will be actively maintained for at least the entire period of this project (five years), and also routinely updated after the end of this project to include further research advances following from this research.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.