Information Bottleneck-Based Domain Adaptation for Hybrid Deep Learning in Scalable Network Slicing

Network slicing enables operators to efficiently support diverse applications on a shared infrastructure. However, the evolving complexity of networks, compounded by inter-cell interference, necessitates agile and adaptable resource management. While deep learning offers solutions for coping with complexity, its adaptability to dynamic configurations remains limited. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid deep learning algorithm called IDLA (integrated deep learning with the Lagrangian method). This integrated approach aims to enhance the scalability, flexibility, and robustness of slicing resource allocation solutions by harnessing the high approximation capability of deep learning and the strong generalization of classical non-linear optimization methods. Then, we introduce a variational information bottleneck (VIB)-assisted domain adaptation (DA) approach to enhance integrated deep learning and Lagrangian method (IDLA)’s adaptability across diverse network environments and conditions. We propose pre-training a variational information bottleneck (VIB)-based Quality of Service (QoS) estimator, using slice-specific inputs shared across all source domain slices. Each target domain slice can deploy this estimator to predict its QoS and optimize slice resource allocation using the IDLA algorithm. This VIB-based estimator is continuously fine-tuned with a mixture of samples from both the source and target domains until convergence. Evaluating on a multi-cell network with time-varying slice configurations, the VIB-enhanced IDLA algorithm outperforms baselines such as heuristic and deep reinforcement learning-based solutions, achieving twice the convergence speed and 16.52% higher asymptotic performance after slicing configuration changes. Transferability assessment demonstrates a 25.66% improvement in estimation accuracy with VIB, especially in scenarios with significant domain gaps, highlighting its robustness and effectiveness across diverse domains.