IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - March 2021 - 72

Having a robust collection of concepts to articulate our concerns and
metrics to help address them, our
next required step was to introduce a
tool for modeling, simulation, network assessment, and optimization
for EE. Our original objective was the
creation of a block diagram to facilitate working with other work groups
a nd clea rly illustrate relations
between key stakeholders and network constituents. This effort grew
to not only serve as documenting
these relationships, but also quickly
became an obvious consolidation of
concepts and something to expand as
a usable tool to drive the EEWG roadmap chapter creation methodology.
We refer to this framework as the
Systems of Systems (SoS). The complete global view of this SoS block
diagram can be seen in Figure 1. It is
meant to show how we view the
entire world of 5G and how these
contributors fall into major categories of stakeholder focus.
From this high-level, our goal was
to establish a system in which all
these black boxes can " talk " to each
other in our " global currency. " Once
all black box outputs are translated
into a global currency, both static

and dynamic analyses can be performed to provide an extremely useful tool that allows any one network
constituent to assess the state of any
network configuration as well as the
impact of any black box (or boxes)
onto the other elements in the rest of
the chain. Ultimately, the desired
outcome is to enhance the tool to be
used to optimize a network configuration for EE. At the very least, it
should be able to recognize network
bottlenecks and provide reporting
and/or recommendations on how to
alleviate these bottlenecks and/or
optimize specific blocks for maximal EE.
As we are attempting to address
the near-impossible feat of providing
a mechanism to enable a technical
and/or business analysis across the
entire network, some kind of standardized process is required, which
any stakeholder can follow to apply
their expertise and generate a particular black box's content. One can
argue every single black box in the
SoS has its unique inputs, yet a compromise must be found to not only
enable translation into common, universal outputs of energy, but also
incorporate network or performance-

related inputs (QoS/QoE, payback
periods, real time energy pricing, utility caps, etc.). The ultimate culmination of all these analyses is demonstrated in Figure 2.
In closing, this effort puts forth a
major revamp in how energy is architected, distributed, utilized, and optimized in la rge networks. Even
though a lot of ground has been covered here, it is only a preview of the
INGR EEWG Roadmap Chapter
releasing in early 2021, which deepdives on many items from base
-station power to battery mitigation
and embodied energy in a 3-, 5-, and
10-year outlook. If you are interested
in learning more about the 5GEG, the
PVC, PCF, 5GDF, and how they all
come together in the SoS framework,
then please consider joining us.
Email 5GRM-Energy@ieee.org, or
visit https://futurenetworks.ieee.org/
roadmap. You can always feel free
to contact Brian Zahnstecher (bz@
powerrox.com) or Francesco Carobolante (Francesco@iotissimo.com).

This article is dedicated to the
memory of Earl McCune Jr. who
left us tragically too soon on 27
May 2020. Earl was a microwave/
RF Guru, brilliant technologist,

Network/System Optimization/Utilization Chain Calc Example:

Resource Model/
PVC
Chain Input Sim Assessment
Assessment
Engine
Output

Economic
Payback
Engine

Performance
Assessment

External Performance Inputs
- CAPEX Limits (i.e., - Available Power/Energy/Cooling)
- Desired Performance (i.e., - Bandwidth, Number of Users, QoE, etc.)
- Monetary Targets (i.e., - Payback Period, Utility Bill, etc.)
- Real-Time Energy Pricing

Optimization
Required?

Yes

No

Optimization
Engine

Analysis Complete

Deliverables
- Achievable 5GDF
- Resource Allocation Recommendations
- PCF Optimization Recommendations
- Peak Power/Energy/Thermal Predictions
- Energy Utilization Prediction
- Cost Prediction
- Risk Assessment?!?
FIG 2 The SoS network/system optimization chain analysis (Dynamic) example flow. (Source: PowerRox, used with permission.)

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IEEE POWER ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE	

z	March 2021
https://futurenetworks.ieee.org/
IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - March 2021

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