Blockchain-enabled dispersed computing paradigm in Web 3.0 metaverse

Abstract

The metaverse is rapidly gaining momentum, thanks to its inherent capabilities to create an immersive virtual environment that runs in parallel to the physical world. At the same time, it raises new technical challenges due to its unique characteristics. On the one hand, metaverse applications are composed of multiple computing sub-tasks, and performing these sub-tasks sequentially can hinder computational efficiency. On the other hand, current centralized task offloading for metaverse applications is contrary to the core concept of Web 3.0. Moreover, fair incentives for all participants are not fully considered. To address these issues, a new computing paradigm for metaverse is required. Hence, we propose a Blockchain-enabled Intelligent Dispersed Computing Framework (BIDC). In this paper, we first design a two-layered architecture and model the sub-tasks as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) by utilizing their dependent relations. Inspired by the interconnection of blocks in blockchain, BIDC transforms the execution process of sub-tasks into a mining process, cleverly integrating task computation with mining. On this basis, Mining Mechanism and Main Chain Confirmation Mechanisms are presented, to ensure the efficiency of task offloading and the fairness of reward distribution. Then BIDC transforms the overhead time minimization problem into a multi-party mining problem. By leveraging Actor-Critic-based Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning, every device can dynamically adjust its own mining strategy to achieve the lowest latency. At last, experimental results demonstrate BIDC’s reliability, scalability, and superior service quality compared to existing state-of-the-art solutions.