Convergence of computing, communication, and caching in Internet of Things

Abstract

Internet of Things (IoTs) is a big world of connected objects, including the small and low-resources devices, like sensors, as well as the full-functional computing devices, such as servers and routers in the core network. With the emerging of new IoT-based applications, such as smart transportation, smart agriculture, healthcare, and others, there is a need for making great efforts to achieve a balance in using the IoT resources, including Computing, Communication, and Caching. This paper provides an overview of the convergence of Computing, Communication, and Caching (CCC) by covering the IoT technology trends. At first, we give a snapshot of technology trends in communication, computing, and caching. As well, we describe the convergence in sensors, devices, and gateways. Addressing the aspect of convergence, we discuss the relationship between CCC technologies in collecting, indexing, processing, and storing data in IoT. Also, we introduce the three dimensions of the IoTs based on CCC. We explore different existing technologies that help to solve bottlenecks caused by a large number of physical devices in IoT. Finally, we propose future research directions and open problems in the convergence of communication, computing, and cashing with sensing and actuating devices.