# Computation Diversity in Emerging Networking Paradigms

## TL;DR

This paper introduces the concept of computation diversity to describe the varied roles of computation resources in emerging wired and wireless networks, guiding future network design and resource allocation.

## Contribution

It proposes a unified framework linking computation resources to network QoS, analyzing their diverse functionalities in SDN, C-RAN, and MCC.

## Key findings

- Computation diversity influences network performance and resource allocation.
- Analysis of computation roles in SDN, C-RAN, and MCC.
- Guidance for energy-efficient and user-centric network design.

## Abstract

Nowadays, computation is playing an increasingly more important role in the future generation of computer and communication networks, as exemplified by the recent progress in software defined networking (SDN) for wired networks as well as cloud radio access networks (C-RAN) and mobile cloud computing (MCC) for wireless networks. This paper proposes a unified concept, i.e., computation diversity, to describe the impact and diverse forms of the computation resources on both wired and wireless communications. By linking the computation resources to the communication networks based on quality of service (QoS) requirements, we can show how computation resources influence the networks. Moreover, by analyzing the different functionalities of computation resources in SDN, C-RAN, and MCC, we can show diverse and flexible form that the computation resources present in different networks. The study of computation diversity can provide guidance to the future networks design, i.e., how to allocate the resources jointly between computation (e.g., CPU capacity) and communication (e.g., bandwidth), and thereby saving system energy and increase users' experiences.