Joint Positioning and Computation Offloading in Multi-UAV MEC for Low Latency Applications: A Proximal Policy Optimization Approach

Abstract

Multi-access edge computing (MEC) has emerged as a proven solution for reducing communication latency and enhancing user experience in delay-sensitive applications by offloading computation-intensive tasks to edge servers. In future networks, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), with their flexible deployment and reliable communication capabilities, have the potential to be deployed as aerial MEC servers in areas lacking cellular infrastructure. However, the joint optimization of UAV placement and task offloading poses significant challenges due to the interdependence between communication latency, computational demands, and the resource limitations of UAVs. In this paper, we propose a novel joint optimization framework utilizing proximal policy optimization (PPO) to simultaneously address UAV placement and computation offloading in UAV-enabled MEC networks. The framework dynamically adapts to changing network conditions, minimizing end-to-end latency while balancing computational loads and energy consumption. Extensive simulations demonstrate that the proposed PPO-based approach achieves superior performance compared to conventional optimization methods, with significant improvements in system latency, resource utilization, and network resilience. This work contributes scalable, adaptive solutions for UAV-assisted MEC networks in dynamic environments, enabling robust support for mission-critical and latency-sensitive applications.