DOGS: Dynamic Task Offloading in Space-Air–Ground Integrated Networks With Game-Theoretic Stochastic Learning
Jing Zhang, Jiaxuan Zhang, Fei Shen, Feng Yan, Zhiyong Bu
Abstract
The space-air–ground integrated network (SAGIN) integrates satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and terrestrial remote clouds to provide seamless network access and high-volume computing services for remote Internet of Things (IoT) devices, thus alleviating geographic and resource constraints. Existing methods typically focus on the network dynamics while overlooking the comprehensive consideration of device dynamics, namely, the time-varying task performance weights, task sizes, and task processing demands. Moreover, the centralized learning-based offloading schemes often lead to substantial signaling overhead. To bridge these gaps, this article proposes a distributed dynamic task offloading mechanism with game-theoretic multiagent stochastic learning (MASL). Technically, a stochastic game is formulated with each device as a player minimizing its weighted sum cost of latency and energy. We prove the existence of Nash equilibrium (NE) for our proposed game and propose a multiagent entropy-enhanced stochastic learning (MESL) algorithm in a fully distributed manner with no information exchange among IoT devices. By introducing the entropy of decision probability for each device, MESL increases decision dimensions, accelerates convergence, and facilitates optimal strategy achievement. Experimental results show that the MESL algorithm significantly reduces the overall cost and greatly enhances the convergence speed in dynamic SAGIN environments compared to existing algorithms.