NetSE: Medium: Collaborative Research: Green Edge Networks

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This project focuses on understanding the principles and methods for the design of green networks at the edge of the Internet. The total power consumption of edge networks is estimated to be quite significant, so even moderate improvements in energy-usage in an individual device can result in non-trivial savings overall. Obtaining these moderate improvements in the energy-efficiency of edge networks is challenging for two reasons: the diversity of edge networks and the dynamics in their workload. Intellectual Merit. Leveraging the researchers' combined expertise in low-power electronics, link-layer technologies, and energy-efficient network subsystem design and architecture, the project will: a) devise a deep energy-inspection architecture that encompasses a broad range of edge devices and networking technologies, and incorporates innovative hardware designs for subsystem-level monitoring and control of energy usage; b) explore run-time energy adaptation at various levels of the network, enabled by this inspection architecture; c) examine coordination mechanisms for controlling edge network energy usage which will allow coordinated energy management across components and devices, enabling more aggressive energy savings. Broad Impacts. The project can have significant societal benefit, targeted as it is on sustainable technologies. Moreover, the techniques it develops for energy efficiency can be broadly applied to other areas of computing: large server systems, mobile devices, and consumer appliances. Beyond its impact on technology, the project will also contribute to workforce development by training EE and CS students in sustainability.