Edge computing brings unique challenges as the resources on the edge are highly diverse in capabilities and capacities, and highly distributed across many users and the physical world. Existing distributed computing frameworks cannot adequately handle this level of heterogeneity and distribution. This paper proposes EdgeFaaS, a novel function-based edge computing framework to enable edge applications to effectively utilize heterogeneous resources distributed across the Internet of Things (IoT), edge, and cloud for computing. It proposes function virtualization and storage virtualization to abstract distributed and heterogeneous physical resources and provides consistent virtual interfaces for deploying and executing functions and storing and accessing data. EdgeFaaS provides comprehensive support to diverse edge computing workflows, and at the same time allows users to flexibly adjust the configurations and explore various important tradeoffs. To demonstrate its usability, the paper also presents the implementation and evaluation of three representative workflows on EdgeFaaS for video analytics, federated learning, and audio classification, on a real testbed of 100+ geographically
Emerging distributed computing paradigms, such as the computing continuum, are inherently heterogeneous, stochastic, and complex. Efficiently and effectively utilizing all available resources across the continuum demands a unified formal model of the system. To address this gap, we propose a general framework for modeling distributed computing systems as a generative Markov model, factorized over a structured system state. In our model, the state decomposes into high-dimensional variables, each further factorized over its elements, reflecting the sparse dependency structure inherent to distributed systems. This yields a tractable model enabling simulation, inference, and policy learning over otherwise intractable system states, bridging distributed computing with Markov chain theory and reinforcement learning (RL). We demonstrate our framework through a case study of collaborative AI inference, in which a dedicated server combines resources with those volunteered by service users. Our results show that centralized scheduling becomes a bottleneck at scale, while distributing computation across user devices reduces both latency and server resource consumption. These findings highligh
Quantum simulation and computing traditionally has been based on two main paradigms, namely, digital and analog. In the digital paradigm, usually single and two-qubit gates (where qubit is an acronym for quantum bit) are employed as building blocks for scalable, universal quantum computing, although errors add up fast and error correction will be ultimately needed for scaling up. In the analog paradigm, large analog blocks are normally employed for a unitary dynamics that carries out the computation, enabling quantum operations on many qubits with reduced errors, but with the drawback of a limited choice of evolutions and lack of universality. In the past decade, a new paradigm has emerged, showing interesting possibilities for quantum simulation and computing in the near and mid term. This is the paradigm of digital-analog quantum technologies, which proposes to combine the best of both paradigms: large analog blocks, provided by native interactions of the employed quantum platform, enabling scalability, combined with digital gates, allowing for more versatility and, ultimately, universality. In this Perspective, I give an overview of the evolution of the field along the past deca
This Conceptual Design Report (CDR) presents the plans of the computing infrastructure for research at FAIR, Darmstadt, Germany. It presents the computing requirements of the various research groups, the policies for the computing and storage infrastructure, the foreseen FAIR computing model including the open data, software and services policies and architecture for the periods starting in 2028 with the "first science (plus)" phase to the modularized start version of FAIR. The overall ambition is to create a federated and centrally-orchestrated infrastructure serving the large diversity of the research lines present with sufficient scalability and flexibility to cope with future data challenges that will be present at FAIR.
This paper addresses multi-objective service placement in computing continuum environments through a collaborative hybrid island-model MOEA. The key innovation is not the design of a new general hybrid algorithm, but the systematic application and analysis of heterogeneous hybridization for this specific optimization domain through two independent experimental campaigns: a first one with four state-of-the-art MOEAs (NSGA-II, NSGA-III, U-NSGA-III, and SMS-EMOA), and a second one with a complementary hybrid configuration based on NSGA-II, MOEA/TS, and MOCPO, both co-evolving and periodically exchanging solutions. These designs enable complementary search behaviors across islands and are naturally aligned with the distributed edge-fog-cloud architecture of the computing continuum, facilitating scalable parallel execution. To evaluate the approach, we define two research hypotheses: (i) whether hybrid cooperation yields significant performance gains over standalone algorithms, and (ii) whether all constituent algorithms contribute equally to the final outcomes. We combine standard Pareto-front quality indicators (GD, IGD, HV, S, and STE) with a traceability-oriented analysis based on g
In this work, we present HiAER-Spike, a modular, reconfigurable, event-driven neuromorphic computing platform designed to execute large spiking neural networks with up to 160 million neurons and 40 billion synapses - roughly twice the neurons of a mouse brain at faster-than real-time. This system, which is currently under construction at the UC San Diego Supercomputing Center, comprises a co-designed hard- and software stack that is optimized for run-time massively parallel processing and hierarchical address-event routing (HiAER) of spikes while promoting memory-efficient network storage and execution. Our architecture efficiently handles both sparse connectivity and sparse activity for robust and low-latency event-driven inference for both edge and cloud computing. A Python programming interface to HiAER-Spike, agnostic to hardware-level detail, shields the user from complexity in the configuration and execution of general spiking neural networks with virtually no constraints in topology. The system is made easily available over a web portal for use by the wider community. In the following we provide an overview of the hard- and software stack, explain the underlying design princ
The recent development of quantum computing, which uses entanglement, superposition, and other quantum fundamental concepts, can provide substantial processing advantages over traditional computing. These quantum features help solve many complex problems that cannot be solved otherwise with conventional computing methods. These problems include modeling quantum mechanics, logistics, chemical-based advances, drug design, statistical science, sustainable energy, banking, reliable communication, and quantum chemical engineering. The last few years have witnessed remarkable progress in quantum software and algorithm creation and quantum hardware research, which has significantly advanced the prospect of realizing quantum computers. It would be helpful to have comprehensive literature research on this area to grasp the current status and find outstanding problems that require considerable attention from the research community working in the quantum computing industry. To better understand quantum computing, this paper examines the foundations and vision based on current research in this area. We discuss cutting-edge developments in quantum computer hardware advancement and subsequent ad
Delegated quantum computing (DQC) allows clients with low quantum capabilities to outsource computations to a server hosting a quantum computer. This process is often envisioned within the measurement-based quantum computing framework, as it naturally facilitates blindness of inputs and computation. Hence, the overall process of setting up and conducting the computation encompasses a sequence of three stages: preparing the qubits, entangling the qubits to obtain the resource state, and measuring the qubits to run the computation. There are two primary approaches to distributing these stages between the client and the server that impose different constraints on cryptographic techniques and experimental implementations. In the prepare-and-send setting, the client prepares the qubits and sends them to the server, while in the receive-and-measure setting, the client receives the qubits from the server and measures them. Although these settings have been extensively studied independently, their interrelation and whether setting-dependent theoretical constraints are inevitable remain unclear. By implementing the key components of most DQC protocols in the respective missing setting, we p
The rapid growth of demanding applications in domains applying multimedia processing and machine learning has marked a new era for edge and cloud computing. These applications involve massive data and compute-intensive tasks, and thus, typical computing paradigms in embedded systems and data centers are stressed to meet the worldwide demand for high performance. Concurrently, over the last 15 years, the semiconductor industry has established power efficiency as a first-class design concern. As a result, the community of computing systems is forced to find alternative design approaches to facilitate high-performance and power-efficient computing. Among the examined solutions, Approximate Computing has attracted an ever-increasing interest, which has resulted in novel approximation techniques for all the layers of the traditional computing stack. More specifically, during the last decade, a plethora of approximation techniques in software (programs, frameworks, compilers, runtimes, languages), hardware (circuits, accelerators), and architectures (processors, memories) have been proposed in the literature. The current article is Part I of a comprehensive survey on Approximate Computin
Quantum computing offers new ways to explore the theory of computation via the laws of quantum mechanics. Due to the rising demand for quantum computing resources, there is growing interest in developing cloud-based quantum resource sharing platforms that enable researchers to test and execute their algorithms on real quantum hardware. These cloud-based systems face a fundamental challenge in efficiently allocating quantum hardware resources to fulfill the growing computational demand of modern Internet of Things (IoT) applications. So far, attempts have been made in order to make efficient resource allocation, ranging from heuristic-based solutions to machine learning. In this work, we employ quantum reinforcement learning based on parameterized quantum circuits to address the resource allocation problem to support large IoT networks. We propose a python-based toolkit called QAISim for the simulation and modeling of Quantum Artificial Intelligence (QAI) models for designing resource management policies in quantum cloud environments. We have simulated policy gradient and Deep Q-Learning algorithms for reinforcement learning. QAISim exhibits a substantial reduction in model complexi
Modern astronomical surveys detect asteroids by linking together their appearances across multiple images taken over time. This approach faces limitations in detecting faint asteroids and handling the computational complexity of trajectory linking. We present a novel method that adapts ``digital tracking" - traditionally used for short-term linear asteroid motion across images - to work with large-scale synoptic surveys such as the Vera Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (Rubin/LSST). Our approach combines hundreds of sparse observations of individual asteroids across their non-linear orbital paths to enhance detection sensitivity by several magnitudes. To address the computational challenges of processing massive data sets and dense orbital phase spaces, we developed a specialized high-performance computing architecture. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method through experiments that take advantage of the extensive computational resources at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This work enables the detection of significantly fainter asteroids in existing and future survey data, potentially increasing the observable asteroid population by orders of magnit
In this study, we explore how the combination of synthetic biology, neuroscience modeling, and neuromorphic electronic systems offers a new approach to creating an artificial system that mimics the natural sense of smell. We argue that a co-design approach offers significant advantages in replicating the complex dynamics of odor sensing and processing. We propose a hybrid system of synthetic sensory neurons that provides three key features: (a) receptor-gated ion channels, (b) interface between synthetic biology and semiconductors and (c) event-based encoding and computing based on spiking networks. Our approach is validated using simulation-based modeling of the complete sensing and processing pipeline. This research seeks to develop a platform for ultra-sensitive, specific, and energy-efficient odor detection, with potential implications for environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and security.
Cloud computing represents a shift away from computing as a product that is purchased, to computing as a service that is delivered to consumers over the internet from large-scale data centers - or "clouds". This paper discusses some of the research challenges for cloud computing from an enterprise or organizational perspective, and puts them in context by reviewing the existing body of literature in cloud computing. Various research challenges relating to the following topics are discussed: the organizational changes brought about by cloud computing; the economic and organizational implications of its utility billing model; the security, legal and privacy issues that cloud computing raises. It is important to highlight these research challenges because cloud computing is not simply about a technological improvement of data centers but a fundamental change in how IT is provisioned and used. This type of research has the potential to influence wider adoption of cloud computing in enterprise, and in the consumer market too.
The challenging deployment of compute-intensive applications from domains such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Signal Processing (DSP), forces the community of computing systems to explore new design approaches. Approximate Computing appears as an emerging solution, allowing to tune the quality of results in the design of a system in order to improve the energy efficiency and/or performance. This radical paradigm shift has attracted interest from both academia and industry, resulting in significant research on approximation techniques and methodologies at different design layers (from system down to integrated circuits). Motivated by the wide appeal of Approximate Computing over the last 10 years, we conduct a two-part survey to cover key aspects (e.g., terminology and applications) and review the state-of-the art approximation techniques from all layers of the traditional computing stack. Part II of the survey classifies and presents the technical details of application-specific and architectural approximation techniques, which both target the design of resource-efficient processors/accelerators and systems. Moreover, it reports a quantitative analysis of the technique
Cloud Computing has become another buzzword after Web 2.0. However, there are dozens of different definitions for Cloud Computing and there seems to be no consensus on what a Cloud is. On the other hand, Cloud Computing is not a completely new concept; it has intricate connection to the relatively new but thirteen-year established Grid Computing paradigm, and other relevant technologies such as utility computing, cluster computing, and distributed systems in general. This paper strives to compare and contrast Cloud Computing with Grid Computing from various angles and give insights into the essential characteristics of both.
This paper presents the Kafka Slurm Agent (KSA), an open source (Apache 2.0 license) distributed computing and stream processing engine designed to help researchers distribute Python-based computational tasks across multiple Slurm-managed HPC clusters and workstations. Written entirely in Python, this extensible framework utilizes an Apache Kafka broker for asynchronous communication between its components. It is intended for non-expert users and does not require administrative privileges or additional libraries to run on Slurm. The framework's development was driven by the introduction of the AlphaFold protein structure prediction model, specifically, it was first created to facilitate the detection of knots in protein chains within structures predicted by AlphaFold. KSA has since been applied to several structural bioinformatics research projects, among others, leading to the discovery of new knotted proteins with previously unknown knot types. These knotted structures are now part of the AlphaKnot 2.0 web server and database, where KSA is applied to manage the knot detection process for user-uploaded structures.
Serverless computing enables developers to deploy code without managing infrastructure, but suffers from cold start overhead when initializing new function instances. Existing solutions such as "keep-alive" or "pre-warming" are costly and unreliable under bursty workloads. We propose universal workers, which are computational units capable of executing any function with minimal initialization overhead. Based on an analysis of production workload traces, our key insight is that requests in Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) platforms show a highly skewed distribution, with most requests invoking a small subset of functions. We exploit this observation to approximate universal workers through locality groups and three-tier caching (handler, install, import). With this work, we aim to enable more efficient and scalable FaaS platforms capable of handling diverse workloads with minimal initialization overhead.
Recently, academics and the corporate sector have paid attention to serverless computing, which enables dynamic scalability and an economic model. In serverless computing, users only pay for the time they actually use resources, enabling zero scaling to optimise cost and resource utilisation. However, this approach also introduces the serverless cold start problem. Researchers have developed various solutions to address the cold start problem, yet it remains an unresolved research area. In this article, we propose a systematic literature review on clod start latency in serverless computing. Furthermore, we create a detailed taxonomy of approaches to cold start latency, which we use to investigate existing techniques for reducing the cold start time and frequency. We have classified the current studies on cold start latency into several categories such as caching and application-level optimisation-based solutions, as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML)-based solutions. Moreover, we have analyzed the impact of cold start latency on quality of service, explored current cold start latency mitigation methods, datasets, and implementation platforms, and classified
Scheduling in Grid computing has been active area of research since its beginning. However, beginners find very difficult to understand related concepts due to a large learning curve of Grid computing. Thus, there is a need of concise understanding of scheduling in Grid computing area. This paper strives to present concise understanding of scheduling and related understanding of Grid computing system. The paper describes overall picture of Grid computing and discusses important sub-systems that enable Grid computing possible. Moreover, the paper also discusses concepts of resource scheduling and application scheduling and also presents classification of scheduling algorithms. Furthermore, the paper also presents methodology used for evaluating scheduling algorithms including both real system and simulation based approaches. The presented work on scheduling in Grid containing concise understandings of scheduling system, scheduling algorithm, and scheduling methodology would be very useful to users and researchers
High-Performance Computing (HPC) in the public cloud democratizes the supercomputing power that most users cannot afford to purchase and maintain. Researchers have studied its viability, performance, and usability. However, HPC in the cloud has a unique feature -- users have to export data and computation to somewhat untrusted cloud platforms. Users will either fully trust cloud providers to protect from all kinds of attacks or keep sensitive assets in-house instead. With the recent deployment of the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) in the cloud, confidential computing for HPC in the cloud is becoming practical for addressing users' privacy concerns. This paper discusses the threat models, unique challenges, possible solutions, and significant gaps, focusing on TEE-based confidential HPC computing. We hope this discussion will improve the understanding of this new topic for HPC in the cloud and promote new research directions.