Convergence of Networking and Cloud/Edge Computing: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities

The wide applications of virtualization and service-oriented principles in various emerging networking technologies introduce a trend of network cloudification that enables network systems to be realized based on cloud technologies and allows network services to be provisioned following the cloud service model. Network cloudification together with the critical role of networking in the latest cloud/edge computing technologies leads to the convergence of networking and cloud/edge computing, which calls for a holistic vision across the fields of networking and computing that may shape relevant technology developments. in this article, we attempt to sketch a big picture to reflect the current status of on-going research toward network-cloud/edge convergence. We first describe the notion of such convergence and present an architectural framework for converged network-cloud/edge systems. Then, we survey the state of the art of enabling technologies for network-cloud/edge convergence by reviewing recent progress in relevant standardization and technology developments in representative research projects. We also discuss challenges that must be fully addressed for realizing the convergence of networking and cloud/ edge computing and identify some opportunities for future research in this exciting interdisciplinary field.