Softwarized Resource Allocation in Digital Twins-Empowered Networks for Future Quantum-Enabled Consumer Applications

Network softwarization (NetSoft), recognized as crucial attribute of 6G networks, promises to provide enhanced and advanced services, including future quantum-enabled consumer applications. Softwarized resource allocation is the core issue in NetSoft concept. Digital twins (DT) guarantees to generate the corresponding digital world that reflects and interacts with the original physical world seamlessly. With DT empowering, the digital replica of softwarized networks can be generated to predict, simulate, analyze the softwarized resource allocation in more economical, convenient and scalable methods.In this paper, we research the softwarized resource allocation of requested services, usually, called as slices, in DT-empowered networks for future quantum-enabled consumer applications. We focus on developing efficient softwarized resource allocation algorithm. At first, we present models of the DT-empowered networks and service requests by using graph theory and hypergraph theory. Then, we design one softwarized resource management framework, labeled as DT-Slice-Soft-6G. This framework has the functions of managing softwarized resources, calculating resource allocation solution in digital replica and sending the calculated solution back to softwarized 6G networks. Thereafter, one efficient and fine-grained softwarized resource allocation algorithm, inserted in DT-Slice-Soft-6G, is detailed. This algorithm is labeled as Heu-DT-Slice-6G and is proposed based on efficient heuristic methods. To validate the highlights of DT-Slice-Soft-6G and Heu-DT-Slice-6G, we conduct the simulation work in our self-developed simulator.

I. Introduction

Currently, 6G are investigated for providing enhanced and advanced applications and services, including quantum related applications and consumer electronics [1], [2] (Fig. 1). Though official standards and consensuses of 6G have not launched, massive literature [1], [2], [3] and (experiment or simulation) data have been released. Learning from released publications and our gained knowledge, 6G networks are designed to have softwarization and virtualization attributes. Known to all, network softwarization and virtualization (Fig. 1) are mainly realized via SDN and NFV technologies [3]. Consequently, traditional dedicated network hardware and physical infrastructure (e.g., base stations, switches, routers, servers) will be decoupled into software blocks (resource and function) and general-purpose hardware (e.g., high volume servers) in 6G era. Services, also called as slices, can be executed by chaining these (resource and function) software blocks in predefined order on top of the general-purpose hardware. This chaining scheme contributes to constituting customized services. Initiated slices usually vary in terms of performance metrics, including emerging quantum-enabled applications and consumer applications. Fig. 1.

Major Application Scenarios and Emerging Scenarios in 6G Networks and Softwarization Attribute.