Transformative effects of IoT, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence on cloud computing: Evolution, vision, trends and open challenges (1911.01941v1)

Abstract: Cloud computing plays a critical role in modern society and enables a range of applications from infrastructure to social media. Such system must cope with varying load and evolving usage reflecting societies interaction and dependency on automated computing systems whilst satisfying Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees. Enabling these systems are a cohort of conceptual technologies, synthesized to meet demand of evolving computing applications. In order to understand current and future challenges of such system, there is a need to identify key technologies enabling future applications. In this study, we aim to explore how three emerging paradigms (Blockchain, IoT and Artificial Intelligence) will influence future cloud computing systems. Further, we identify several technologies driving these paradigms and invite international experts to discuss the current status and future directions of cloud computing. Finally, we proposed a conceptual model for cloud futurology to explore the influence of emerging paradigms and technologies on evolution of cloud computing.

• The paper provides a comprehensive review of how IoT, Blockchain, and AI integrate with cloud computing to expand data processing, improve security, and optimize system performance.
• The paper employs a rigorous methodological analysis that highlights measurable benefits such as reduced latency, enhanced integrity through Blockchain, and energy savings via AI-driven resource management.
• The paper outlines open challenges and future research directions, emphasizing the need for SLA standardization, advanced cryptographic solutions, and exploration into quantum computing.

Transformative Effects of Emerging Technologies on Cloud Computing

The academic paper under review provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of three key emerging technologies—Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, and AI—on the evolution of cloud computing. It forecasts the trajectory of these integrations, examining the conceptual foundations and the substantial changes they have induced or are projected to induce in cloud infrastructures. The authors offer a rigorous methodological review of the literature, organizing findings under several core subtopics that highlight technological enablers, current challenges, and potential future opportunities.

Technological Integration and Impact

The paper elucidates how IoT, Blockchain, and AI integrate with cloud computing, fundamentally altering its landscape:

1. IoT's Contribution: IoT augments cloud computing by expanding the scope and scale of data inputs, allowing for real-time processing and analysis from diverse sources. This connects physical devices with cloud-based systems for tasks like smart healthcare and precision agriculture, demanding improved latency and reliability of cloud-based services.
2. Blockchain's Role: Blockchain introduces security, privacy, and decentralized management to cloud systems. Its distributed ledger framework promises enhanced data integrity and trust, addressing security challenges that have historically plagued cloud environments. These features create robust frameworks for cloud service providers by securing the communication channels using advanced cryptographic techniques.
3. AI's Influence: AI optimizes the performance of cloud systems through advanced data processing capabilities. Machine learning algorithms are pivotal in resource management within cloud ecosystems, supporting dynamic scheduling and predictive maintenance, thus enhancing efficiency and reducing operational costs.

Critical Analysis of Findings

The authors detail several noteworthy insights into these technologies' transformative potential within cloud ecosystems:

• IoT's facilitation of new applications across sectors such as smart grids and healthcare, with innovations like fog computing minimizing latency and optimizing resource use outside centralized data centers.
• Blockchain's potential to revolutionize resource provisioning and security protocols, albeit with challenges such as integration complexity and resource constraints on edge devices.
• AI’s contribution is evident in predictive analytics and task automation, underpinning the evolution towards more autonomous cloud systems.

Numerical Results and Future Speculations

The paper underscores the considerable quantitative benefits these technologies can offer, such as energy reduction metrics through AI optimization, enhanced transaction speeds via Blockchain, and IoT’s scalability in data management. The authors propose a conceptual model depicting a future vision of cloud computing, where these technologies converge in a cohesive system architecture. This offers potent industry implications, particularly regarding how future cloud systems might be structured for optimal service delivery and resource allocation.

Open Challenges and Future Directions

The paper identifies several open challenges, including standardization of SLA (Service Level Agreement) across multi-cloud environments, the need for sophisticated cryptographic solutions in Blockchain, and AI-driven resource scheduling for multi-tier architectures (IoT, Edge, Cloud).

The authors advance a forward-looking dialogue, positing that continued research into AI methodologies for enhanced fault tolerance and the incorporation of IoT with Blockchain for security and management will be pivotal. Moreover, the paper heralds further exploration into quantum computing as a potential game-changer for overcoming existing computational limitations in cloud computing.

In summary, this paper serves as both a reference and a springboard for future scholarship, emphasizing the imperative need for interdisciplinary approaches in advancing the next generation of cloud computing systems. By integrating IoT, Blockchain, and AI, computer science researchers can drive innovations that meet the rising demands of modern computational scenarios across diverse applications and industries.