DRJLRA: A Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Joint Load and Resource Allocation in Heterogeneous Coded Distributed Computing

In this paper, we introduce the DRJLRA algorithm, a load and resource allocation scheme based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) for a generic multi-master, multiworker coded distributed computing (CDC) system. Our aim is to minimize the combined delay of communication and computation for a set of matrix-vector multiplication tasks. The proposed DRL-based approach has several unique features that set it apart from existing literature. Firstly, it is applicable to general CDC systems with multiple masters and workers. Additionally, it considers multi-task CDC systems with stochastic task arrivals, takes into account the heterogeneity of workers with random computation and communication delays, and utilizes the state-of-the-art soft actor-critic (SAC) DRL algorithm, making it versatile and efficient in handling complex and dynamic CDC environments. Our results demonstrate that DRJLRA outperforms benchmark schemes significantly. It is thus well-suited for real-world CDC systems with diverse and dynamic workloads.