Distributed Computing Paradigms for the Internet of Things: Exploring Cloud, Edge, and Fog Solutions

Dear Colleagues,

The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming industries, environments, and everyday life by connecting devices, systems, and people. However, as IoT applications generate massive amounts of data, traditional centralized computing paradigms face challenges in meeting the requirements for real-time processing, scalability, and resource efficiency. Distributed computing paradigms, such as cloud, edge, and fog computing, offer promising solutions by bringing computation closer to data sources, reducing latency, and enhancing operational efficiency.

This Special Issue on "Distributed Computing Paradigms for the Internet of Things: Exploring Cloud, Edge, and Fog Solutions" invites high-quality research articles, reviews, and case studies that investigate the roles, challenges, and innovations related to distributed computing frameworks tailored for IoT applications. We welcome submissions that address theoretical, experimental, and practical aspects of these paradigms and their synergistic integration to support the complex requirements of IoT systems.

This special issue seeks submissions addressing (but not limited to) the following topics:

• Cloud, Edge, and Fog Architectures for IoT:
• Design and implementation of cloud, edge, and fog computing systems for IoT;
• Novel distributed architectures and frameworks for IoT environments;
• Interoperability across cloud, edge, and fog systems.
• Resource Management and Optimization:
• Efficient resource allocation and scheduling for IoT data processing;
• Adaptive resource management in resource-constrained IoT environments;
• Performance optimization in cloud, edge and fog computing environments;
• Load balancing and fault tolerance in distributed IoT systems.
• Green and Energy-efficient Computing for IoT:
• Energy-saving techniques in distributed IoT systems;
• Green computing frameworks for cloud, edge, and fog environments;
• Low-power IoT device management and optimization;
• Renewable energy integration in distributed IoT computing frameworks.
• Data Analytics and Processing for IoT:
• Real-time data processing and analytics in distributed computing;
• Machine learning and AI techniques for decentralized IoT networks;
• Data privacy, security, and trust in cloud–edge–fog environments;
• Communication and Networking for Distributed Computing Paradigms:
• Low-latency and high-reliability communication protocols
• 5G and beyond for IoT networking in cloud-edge-fog architectures
• Network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) in distributed IoT systems
• Adaptive communication models for dynamic IoT environments
• Security, Privacy and Trust in Distributed Computing Paradigms:
• Security frameworks and architectures for distributed IoT environments;
• Threat detection and mitigation for IoT, edge, and fog layers;
• Cybersecurity challenges in multi-tenant cloud–edge–fog networks;
• Authentication, authorization, and identity management for IoT systems;
• Secure data transmission, storage, and processing in cloud–edge–fog systems;
• Privacy-preserving mechanisms and cryptographic solutions in IoT networks.
• AI Technologies in IoT, Cloud, Edge, and Fog Computing:
• AI-driven decision-making in distributed IoT systems;
• Deep learning and reinforcement learning for IoT data processing and optimization;
• Autonomous IoT systems with AI for real-time decision-making;
• Integrating AI with cloud–edge–fog computing for intelligent IoT applications.
• Applications and Case Studies:
• Practical IoT applications leveraging cloud, edge, and fog solutions;
• Case studies in smart cities, healthcare, agriculture, and other IoT fields;
• Evaluation and benchmarking of distributed computing frameworks in real-world scenarios.

Dr. Kevin (Qixiang) Pang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Computers is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.