[Paper Review] Edge Computing: A Comprehensive Survey of Current Initiatives and a Roadmap for a Sustainable Edge Computing Development

Andrea Hamm, Alexander Willner+1 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Dec 18, 2019

Green IT and Sustainability28 references4 citations

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of current edge computing initiatives and proposes a sustainability-focused roadmap for future development. Using explorative content analysis of reference architectures, it identifies key trends in telecom and industrial sectors, highlights network virtualization as a primary focus, and maps sustainability dimensions—environmental, economic, and social—against four cross-concerns: energy use, bias, monitoring, and business models.

ABSTRACT

Edge Computing is a new distributed Cloud Computing paradigm in which computing and storage capabilities are pushed to the topological edge of a network. However, various standards and implementations are promoted by different initiatives. Lead by a reference architecture model for Edge Computing, current initiatives are analyzed by explorative content analysis. Providing two main contributions to the field, we present, first, how current initiatives are characterized, and second, a roadmap for sustainable Edge Computing relating three dimensions of sustainable development to four cross-concerns of Edge Computing. Findings show that most initiatives are internationally organized software development projects; important branches are currently telecom and industrial sectors; most addressed is the network virtualization layer. The roadmap reveals numerous chances and risks of Edge Computing related to sustainable development; such as the use of renewable energies, biases, new business models, increase and decrease of energy consumption, responsiveness, monitoring and traceability.

Motivation & Objective

• To analyze the current landscape of edge computing initiatives through a systematic review of existing standards and projects.
• To identify dominant sectors and technological layers (e.g., network virtualization) driving edge computing adoption.
• To develop a sustainability roadmap integrating environmental, economic, and social dimensions into edge computing development.
• To examine cross-concerns such as energy consumption, algorithmic bias, and monitoring traceability in edge systems.
• To provide actionable insights for policymakers, industry, and researchers toward sustainable edge computing deployment.

Proposed method

• Conducting explorative content analysis on reference architecture models from major edge computing initiatives.
• Categorizing initiatives by organizational structure, sector focus, and technical layer (e.g., network, compute, storage).
• Mapping four cross-concerns—energy use, bias, monitoring, and business models—onto three sustainability dimensions: environmental, economic, and social.
• Synthesizing findings into a structured roadmap for sustainable edge computing development.
• Using a multidimensional framework to assess risks and opportunities across technical, economic, and ethical aspects.
• Drawing on findings from 15th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (2020) for validation and contextualization.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How are current edge computing initiatives structured, and which sectors are leading their development?
• RQ2 Which technical layers (e.g., network virtualization) are most prominently addressed in existing edge computing initiatives?
• RQ3 What are the key sustainability challenges and opportunities in edge computing across environmental, economic, and social dimensions?
• RQ4 How do cross-concerns such as energy consumption, algorithmic bias, and monitoring traceability impact the long-term viability of edge systems?
• RQ5 What strategic roadmap can guide sustainable development of edge computing in alignment with global sustainability goals?

Key findings

• Most edge computing initiatives are internationally coordinated software development projects, primarily driven by telecom and industrial sectors.
• The network virtualization layer is the most frequently addressed technical component across initiatives, indicating a focus on infrastructure flexibility.
• Significant sustainability risks include increased energy consumption from edge deployments, while opportunities exist in leveraging renewable energy sources.
• Algorithmic bias and lack of transparency in decision-making processes pose major ethical challenges in edge computing systems.
• Monitoring and traceability are critical for ensuring accountability and compliance, especially in regulated industrial and healthcare applications.
• New business models are emerging, but their long-term economic sustainability remains uncertain without regulatory and technical alignment.