Efficiency of routing traffic to an edge compute server at the far edge of a cellular network

A method for dynamically relocating an edge compute workload based on a current load at a far edge of a cellular network, the method comprising:

• configuring a far edge user plane function (UPF) located at the far edge to forward edge compute traffic to a far edge compute server located at the far edge, the far edge compute server being configured to execute the edge compute workload;
• consuming telemetry about the current load at the far edge, the current load being based at least in part on physical layer processing operations performed by one or more distributed units at the far edge;
• detecting, based on the telemetry, that the current load at the far edge exceeds a first threshold level;
• and
• in response to determining that the current load at the far edge exceeds the first threshold level:
• causing the edge compute workload to be migrated to a different edge location;
• deprovisioning the far edge compute server;
• and
• provisioning at least one additional distributed unit (DU) at the far edge.

A system for improving efficiency of routing edge compute traffic from a user equipment (UE) to an edge compute server at a far edge of a cellular network, the cellular network comprising a core network and a software-based radio access network (RAN), the system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• memory in electronic communication with the one or more processors;
• and
• instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the one or more processors to:
• provision a near edge control unit (CU) and a near edge user plane function (UPF) at a near edge of the cellular network, the near edge being located closer to the UE than a datacenter that hosts one or more components of the core network;
• provision a far edge CU, a far edge UPF, and an edge compute workload at the far edge, the far edge being located closer to the UE than the near edge;
• receive UE traffic at one or more distributed units located at the far edge, the UE traffic comprising the edge compute traffic and non-edge compute traffic;
• identify the edge compute traffic among the UE traffic;
• route the edge compute traffic to the edge compute workload at the far edge;
• and
• route the non-edge compute traffic to the near edge UPF at the near edge.