Graph neural networks for communication networks: context, use cases and opportunities

Graph neural networks (GNN) have shown outstanding applications in fields where data is essentially represented as graphs (e.g., chemistry, biology, recommendation systems). In this vein, communication networks comprise many fundamental components that are naturally represented in a graph-structured...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Suárez-Varela Maciá, José Rafael|||0000-0002-7141-3414, Almasan Puscas, Felician Paul|||0000-0003-3903-6759, Ferriol Galmés, Miquel|||0000-0002-7806-2979, Rusek, Krzysztof, Geyer, Fabien, Cheng, Xiangle, Shi, Xiang, Xiao, Shihan, Scarselli, Franco, Cabellos Aparicio, Alberto|||0000-0001-9329-7584, Barlet Ros, Pere|||0000-0001-7837-0886
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/385051
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/385051
https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/MNET.123.2100773
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Neural networks (Computer science)
Artificial neural networks
Data models
Computational modeling
Communication networks
Network topology
Biological system modeling
Training
Xarxes neuronals (Informàtica)
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica::Intel·ligència artificial
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica::Arquitectura de computadors
Descripción
Sumario:Graph neural networks (GNN) have shown outstanding applications in fields where data is essentially represented as graphs (e.g., chemistry, biology, recommendation systems). In this vein, communication networks comprise many fundamental components that are naturally represented in a graph-structured manner (e.g., topology, routing, signal interference). This position article presents GNNs as a fundamental tool for modeling, control and management of communication networks. GNNs represent a new generation of data-driven models that can accurately learn and reproduce the complex behaviors behind real-world networks. As a result, these models can be applied to a wide variety of networking use cases, such as planning, online optimization, or troubleshooting. The main advantage of GNNs over traditional neural networks lies in their unprecedented generalization capabilities when applied to other networks and configurations unseen during training. This is a critical feature for achieving practical data-driven solutions for networking. This article starts with a brief tutorial on GNNs and some potential applications to communication networks. Then, it presents two state-of-the-art GNN models respectively applied to wired and wireless networks. Lastly, it delves into the key open challenges and opportunities yet to be explored in this novel research area.