T6: Intelligent Synchronization for Networked Systems in the 6G Era: Challenges, Recent Results, and Future Directions

Co-organizer: Pengyi Jia, Western University, Canada
Co-organizer: Xianbin Wang, Western University, Canada

Abstract: Synchronizing large-scale networked systems lays the foundation for holistic temporal collaboration among distributed devices, machines, and infrastructures, which is essential for achieving tight orchestration of vertical industries in the 6G era. However, the unpredictable accuracy, low efficiency, and situation agnosticism of conventional synchronization methods with routine “observing-and-calibrating” over the Internet will impede the performance of vertical applications with dramatically increased system scale and intrinsic heterogeneity.

This tutorial will first provide an in-depth analysis of the challenges associated with conventional network synchronization schemes in meeting the stringent synchronization requirements of large-scale 6G-enabled vertical applications. A systematic overview of the network synchronization process and theoretical analysis of contributing factors to these performance gaps are given to shed light on potential synchronization design directions. In bridging the gaps, several recent promising synchronization techniques will be presented to achieve more accurate, intelligent, low-overhead, and secure network synchronization. Specifically, we will first introduce digital twin-based network synchronization schemes that can proactively enable low-overhead clock calibration by exploring the inherent characteristics of heterogeneous clocks. Second, we will present customized network synchronization design methods to achieve intelligent and tailored clock calibration for different devices by clustering their distinctive synchronization requirements and device-specific clock attributes. Third, we will elaborate on timestamp-free and timestamp-retaining mechanisms to achieve low-overhead and accurate network synchronization. Furthermore, future research directions on synchronization over networked systems about synchronization process design and integration with vertical applications will be presented to guide researchers and industry practitioners toward effective network synchronization in the 6G era.

 

Co-organizer’s Bios:

Pengyi Jia

Pengyi Jia (Member, IEEE) received his M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Western University, London, ON, Canada, in 2016 and 2021, respectively. He is currently a Postdoctoral Associate at Western University. His research interests include intelligent network synchronization, digital twin, and machine learning, as well as their applications in vertical IoT systems and wireless networks. One focus of his recent research is to develop goal-oriented digital twin paradigms for optimized network operation and service provisioning by exploring spatial temporal correlations behind the massive sampling data.

He has been involved in organizing IEEE CCECE 2021 and served as a TPC member for many conferences. He is serving as the Vice Chair of ComSoc Chapter in IEEE London Section.

Xianbin Wang

Xianbin Wang (Fellow, IEEE) received his Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from the National University of Singapore in 2001. He is a Professor and a Tier-1 Canada Research Chair in 5G and Wireless IoT Communications with Western University, Canada. Prior to joining Western University, he was with the Communications Research Centre Canada as a Research Scientist/Senior Research Scientist from 2002 to 2007. From 2001 to 2002, he was a System Designer at STMicroelectronics. His current research interests include 5G/6G technologies, Internet of Things, communications security, machine learning, and intelligent communications. He has over 500 highly cited journals and conference papers, in addition to over 30 granted and pending patents and several standard contributions.

Dr. Wang is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada. He has received many prestigious awards and recognitions, including the IEEE Canada R. A. Fessenden Award, Canada Research Chair, Engineering Research Excellence Award at Western University, Canadian Federal Government Public Service Award, Ontario Early Researcher Award, and nine Best Paper Awards. He was involved in many IEEE conferences, including GLOBECOM, ICC, VTC, PIMRC, WCNC, CCECE, and CWIT, in different roles, such as General Chair, TPC Chair, Symposium Chair, Tutorial Instructor, Track Chair, Session Chair, and Keynote Speaker. He serves/has served as the Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor-in-Chief, and editor/associate editor for over ten journals. He was the Chair of the IEEE ComSoc Signal Processing and Computing for Communications (SPCC) Technical Committee and is currently serving as the Central Area Chair for IEEE Canada.