Exact and Approximation Algorithms for Task Offloading with Service Caching and Dependency in Mobile Edge Computing

With the continuous development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and communication technologies, the demand for low latency in practical applications is becoming increasingly significant. Mobile edge computing, as a promising computational model, is receiving growing attention. However, most existing...

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Main Authors: Bowen Cui, Jianwei Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Future Internet
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/17/6/255
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author Bowen Cui
Jianwei Zhang
author_facet Bowen Cui
Jianwei Zhang
author_sort Bowen Cui
collection DOAJ
description With the continuous development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and communication technologies, the demand for low latency in practical applications is becoming increasingly significant. Mobile edge computing, as a promising computational model, is receiving growing attention. However, most existing studies fail to consider two critical factors: task dependency and service caching. Additionally, the majority of proposed solutions are not related to the optimal solution. We investigate the task offloading problem in mobile edge computing. Considering the requirements of applications for service caching and task dependency, we define an optimization problem to minimize the delay under the constraint of maximum completion cost and present a <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>1</mn><mo>+</mo><mi>ϵ</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>-approximation algorithm and an exact algorithm. Specifically, the offloading scheme is determined based on the relationships between tasks as well as the cost and delay incurred by data transmission and task execution. Simulation results demonstrate that in all cases, the offloading schemes obtained by our algorithm consistently outperform other algorithms. Moreover, the approximation ratio to the optimal solution from the approximation algorithm is validated to be less than <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>1</mn><mo>+</mo><mi>ϵ</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, and the exact algorithm consistently produces the optimal solution.
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spelling doaj-art-39f2626b6fca4b9986a4b339f3d597432025-08-20T03:27:29ZengMDPI AGFuture Internet1999-59032025-06-0117625510.3390/fi17060255Exact and Approximation Algorithms for Task Offloading with Service Caching and Dependency in Mobile Edge ComputingBowen Cui0Jianwei Zhang1School of Information Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, ChinaSchool of Information Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, ChinaWith the continuous development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and communication technologies, the demand for low latency in practical applications is becoming increasingly significant. Mobile edge computing, as a promising computational model, is receiving growing attention. However, most existing studies fail to consider two critical factors: task dependency and service caching. Additionally, the majority of proposed solutions are not related to the optimal solution. We investigate the task offloading problem in mobile edge computing. Considering the requirements of applications for service caching and task dependency, we define an optimization problem to minimize the delay under the constraint of maximum completion cost and present a <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>1</mn><mo>+</mo><mi>ϵ</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>-approximation algorithm and an exact algorithm. Specifically, the offloading scheme is determined based on the relationships between tasks as well as the cost and delay incurred by data transmission and task execution. Simulation results demonstrate that in all cases, the offloading schemes obtained by our algorithm consistently outperform other algorithms. Moreover, the approximation ratio to the optimal solution from the approximation algorithm is validated to be less than <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>1</mn><mo>+</mo><mi>ϵ</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, and the exact algorithm consistently produces the optimal solution.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/17/6/255mobile edge computing (MEC)task offloadingtask dependencyservice cachingapproximation algorithm
spellingShingle Bowen Cui
Jianwei Zhang
Exact and Approximation Algorithms for Task Offloading with Service Caching and Dependency in Mobile Edge Computing
Future Internet
mobile edge computing (MEC)
task offloading
task dependency
service caching
approximation algorithm
title Exact and Approximation Algorithms for Task Offloading with Service Caching and Dependency in Mobile Edge Computing
title_full Exact and Approximation Algorithms for Task Offloading with Service Caching and Dependency in Mobile Edge Computing
title_fullStr Exact and Approximation Algorithms for Task Offloading with Service Caching and Dependency in Mobile Edge Computing
title_full_unstemmed Exact and Approximation Algorithms for Task Offloading with Service Caching and Dependency in Mobile Edge Computing
title_short Exact and Approximation Algorithms for Task Offloading with Service Caching and Dependency in Mobile Edge Computing
title_sort exact and approximation algorithms for task offloading with service caching and dependency in mobile edge computing
topic mobile edge computing (MEC)
task offloading
task dependency
service caching
approximation algorithm
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/17/6/255
work_keys_str_mv AT bowencui exactandapproximationalgorithmsfortaskoffloadingwithservicecachinganddependencyinmobileedgecomputing
AT jianweizhang exactandapproximationalgorithmsfortaskoffloadingwithservicecachinganddependencyinmobileedgecomputing