Collaborative Computing and Edge Computing in Communication Networks

Dear Colleagues,

Computing is undergoing a significant paradigm shift away from centralized cloud models and toward decentralized edge computing, driven by the escalating demands of emerging applications for low-latency, real-time processing, and data privacy. This shift brings computation and data storage closer to the sources of data, fostering a new ecosystem of intelligent services. Beyond simple computation offloading, the next frontier lies in enabling collaborative computing among heterogeneous edge nodes, creating a synergistic and intelligent edge infrastructure that can dynamically adapt to changing network and compute loads.

Despite extensive research in edge computing, several challenges remain, particularly at the intersection of communication and computation. Recent trends focus on the complex interplay between resource-constrained edge devices, dynamic network conditions, and the need for seamless collaboration. Issues such as efficient resource allocation, intelligent task scheduling, mobility management, and establishing trust and security in distributed environments are paramount. New real-world applications in domains like autonomous systems, Industrial IoT, and augmented reality continue to emerge, motivating researchers to develop advanced strategies that tightly integrate communication-aware computing, ranging from novel network protocols to distributed artificial intelligence frameworks.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together original research that addresses these key problems and solutions in the convergence of collaborative computing and edge computing within modern communication networks from both methodological and application-oriented perspectives. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Novel architectures for edge, fog, and collaborative computing;
• Resource management, task scheduling, and load balancing at the network edge;
• Computation offloading strategies and decision-making algorithms;
• Collaborative and federated learning for edge intelligence;
• Integration of edge computing with 5G/6G, SDN, and NFV;
• Security, privacy, and trust management in collaborative edge environments;
• Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) provisioning;
• Energy-efficient algorithms and green edge computing;
• Performance evaluation, simulation, and real-world testbeds;

Applications in smart cities, industrial IoT, autonomous vehicles, mobile health, and immersive media.

Dr. Sujie Shao
Guest Editor

Dr. Fei Zheng
Guest Editor Assistant

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. Information 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.