Open-Loop wireless communication enables minimal latency communication with the assistance of machine learning in various aspects. A typical predictive downlink radio resource access for such minimal latency communications requires real-time optimization, which is not possible for standard classical machine learning and particularly deep learning using artificial neural networks, due to computational complexity. However, quantum optimization introduces a new technology opportunity to achieve such a purpose. Turning an allocation or knapsack problem into a quadratic unconstrainted binary optimization problem, given a quantum edge processor, we employ quantum approximation optimization algorithm to accomplish with polynomial computational complexity, to successfully realize radio resource allocation and pave a new approach to 6G mobile communications of minimal latency communication.
Open-Loop wireless communication enables minimal latency communication with the assistance of machine learning in various aspects. A typical predictive downlink radio resource access for such minimal latency communications requires real-time optimization, which is not possible for standard classical machine learning and particularly deep learning using artificial neural networks, due to computational complexity. However, quantum optimization introduces a new technology opportunity to achieve such a purpose. Turning an allocation or knapsack problem into a quadratic unconstrainted binary optimization problem, given a quantum edge processor, we employ quantum approximation optimization algorithm to accomplish with polynomial computational complexity, to successfully realize radio resource allocation and pave a new approach to 6G mobile communications of minimal latency communication.
Immersive and mission-critical data-driven applications, such as virtual or augmented reality, tactile Internet, industrial automation, and autonomous mobility, are creating unprecedented challenges for ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) in the sixth generation (6G) networks. Machine intelligence approaches deep learning, reinforcement learning, and federated learning (FL), to provide new paradigms to ensure 6G URLLC on the stream of big data training. However, classical limitations of machine learning capabilities make it challenging to achieve stringent 6G URLLC requirements. In this article, we investigate the potential of variational quantum computing and quantum machine learning (QML) for 6G URLLC by utilizing the advantage of quantum resources, such as superposition, entanglement, and quantum parallelism. The underlying idea is to integrate quantum machine intelligence with 6G networks to ensure stringent 6G URLLC requirements. As an example, we demonstrate the quantum approximate optimization algorithm for NP-hard URLLC task offloading optimization problems. The variational quantum computation for QML is also adopted in wireless networks to enhance the learning rate of machine intelligence and ensure the learning optimality for mission-critical applications. Considering the security and privacy issues, as well as computational-resource overheads in FL, distributed quantum computation in blind and remote fashions is further investigated for quantum-assisted FL.
The Internet of Things (IoT) drives an exponential surge in computing and communication devices. Consequently, it triggers capacity, coverage, interference, latency, and security issues in the existing communication networks. The forthcoming sixth-generation (6G) networks will address these issues by providing comprehensive solutions. In particular, quantum communication technology can potentially address the challenges of 6G networks. However, its implementation requires substantial infrastructure upgrades. Therefore, the quantum-inspired (QI) techniques offer an intermediate resort due to their ability to utilize the classical communication infrastructure for design and implementation. Hence, we review QI techniques in this survey that address radio resource optimization challenges across various communication aspects, including channel assignment, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, spectrum sensing, uncrewed aerial vehicle-assisted networks, and related areas. The analysis explores diverse aspects, including objectives, constraints, problem characterization, proposed solutions, and lessons learnt. Research indicates that QI techniques offer advantages such as faster convergence and reduced complexity, providing promising solutions to complex optimization problems in communication networks. Furthermore, we identify the future directions, research gaps, and ongoing challenges from the QI radio resource optimization dataset.
RAN slicing technology is a key aspect of the Open RAN paradigm, allowing simultaneous and independent provision of various services such as ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC) through virtual networks that share a single radio access infrastructure. Efficient resource allocation is crucial for RAN slicing, as each service has specific quality of service (QoS) requirements, and a balance between different services must be maintained. Although heuristic and reinforcement learning (RL) techniques have been explored to achieve efficient resource allocation, these approaches face notable limitations: heuristic algorithms face complexity issues that limit their effectiveness in large networks, RL solutions are constrained by their dependency on training data and struggle to adapt to new scenarios and environments. This paper proposes a framework that leverages quantum optimization techniques to optimize radio resource blocks allocation in Open RAN slicing for URLLC and eMBB services. We provide a classical problem formulation and the quantum implementation using the constrained quadratic model on Dwave quantum annealing platform, showcasing the potential of quantum optimization techniques to deliver in real-time optimal solutions for optimization problems in 5G and beyond networks.
It is envisioned that 6G, unlike its predecessor 5G, will depart from connected machines and connected people to connected intelligence. The main goal of 6G networks is to support massive connectivity for time-sensitive and computation-sensitive services in mission-critical applications. The creation of real-time optimisation (RTO) enabled by the fast growing data analytic and machine learning will seize the opportunities for 6G wireless networks to support such immersive services such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and tactile Internet. Recently, with the rapid development of quantum computers, quantum-inspired optimisation and machine learning algorithms have been exploited as efficient solutions for future wireless networks. In this article, we provide a comprehensive view on the new concept of quantum-inspired RTO and its application to the optimal resource allocation for 6G wireless networks. Our main contributions are to introduce some of the initial research results and introduce the potentiality of quantum-inspired RTO on some 6G emerging technologies. Not only do we review the fundamental principles; we also explore the challenges and opportunities of this exciting research direction.
Beamforming optimization in 6G networks is essential for ensuring energy-efficient and interference-aware transmission, where ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) and scalable antenna technologies play a key role. Classical optimization methods face scalability challenges, making real-time beamforming infeasible. This paper applies the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) to minimize transmit power while ensuring signal quality constraints. The problem is formulated as a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) and solved using quantum simulation. Simulation results demonstrate that QAOA achieves lower transmit power compared to classical solvers, with faster convergence and improved efficiency. These findings suggest that quantum computing can significantly enhance beamforming optimization, paving the way for its integration into future wireless networks.
The upcoming fifth generation (5G) of wireless networks is expected to lay a foundation of intelligent networks with the provision of some isolated artificial intelligence (AI) operations. However, fully intelligent network orchestration and management for providing innovative services will only be realized in Beyond 5G (B5G) networks. To this end, we envisage that the sixth generation (6G) of wireless networks will be driven by on-demand self-reconfiguration to ensure a many-fold increase in the network performance and service types. The increasingly stringent performance requirements of emerging networks may finally trigger the deployment of some interesting new technologies, such as large intelligent surfaces, electromagnetic-orbital angular momentum, visible light communications, and cell-free communications, to name a few. Our vision for 6G is a massively connected complex network capable of rapidly responding to the users' service calls through real-time learning of the network state as described by the network edge (e.g., base-station locations and cache contents), air interface (e.g., radio spectrum and propagation channel), and the user-side (e.g., battery-life and locations). The multi-state, multi-dimensional nature of the network state, requiring the real-time knowledge, can be viewed as a quantum uncertainty problem. In this regard, the emerging paradigms of machine learning (ML), quantum computing (QC), and quantum ML (QML) and their synergies with communication networks can be considered as core 6G enablers. Considering these potentials, starting with the 5G target services and enabling technologies, we provide a comprehensive review of the related state of the art in the domains of ML (including deep learning), QC, and QML and identify their potential benefits, issues, and use cases for their applications in the B5G networks. Subsequently, we propose a novel QC-assisted and QML-based framework for 6G communication networks while articulating its challenges and potential enabling technologies at the network infrastructure, network edge, air interface, and user end. Finally, some promising future research directions for the quantum- and QML-assisted B5G networks are identified and discussed.