Multi-objective joint optimization of task offloading based on MADRL in internet of things assisted by satellite networks

The Internet of Things (IoT) integrates a large number of heterogeneous terminals and systems, possessing ubiquitous sensing and computing capabilities. Satellite networks are the crucial supplement to terrestrial networks, particularly in remote areas where network infrastructures are sparingly distributed or unavailable. Combining edge computing with satellite networks provides on-orbit computing capabilities for IoT applications, reducing service delay and enhancing service quality. Due to the resource constraints of satellites, achieving collaborative services through task offloading among multiple satellites becomes essential. Both the privacy leakage risk arising from frequent data interactions and the load imbalance resulting from offloading preferences cannot be overlooked. The key challenge of task offloading is to safeguard the privacy of offloaded data and ensure the system’s load balance while minimizing the delay and energy consumption. In this paper, the task offloading problem is formulated as a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP), and a task offloading algorithm based on multi-objective joint optimization using multi-agent deep reinforcement learning in a distributed architecture is proposed. The simulation results validate the efficacy of our model and algorithm, demonstrating that our proposed algorithm achieves better performance in minimizing comprehensive offloading costs.