Disaggregated Memory at the Edge

TL;DR

This paper explores integrating disaggregated non-volatile memory with distributed shared memory techniques to enable flexible, scalable, and efficient memory management at the edge, addressing volatility and mobility challenges.

Contribution

It proposes an architectural evolution combining recent disaggregated memory research with shared memory techniques for edge environments, supported by prototype implementations.

Findings

Feasibility demonstrated through two prototypes

Identified key advantages and challenges of disaggregated edge memory

Proposed architectural enhancements for production readiness

Abstract

This paper describes how to augment techniques such as Distributed Shared Memory with recent trends on disaggregated Non Volatile Memory in the data centre so that the combination can be used in an edge environment with potentially volatile and mobile resources. This article identifies the main advantages and challenges, and offers an architectural evolution to incorporate recent research trends into production-ready disaggregated edges. We also present two prototypes showing the feasibility of this proposal.