Energy Consumption Optimization of Cooperative NOMA Secure Offload for Mobile Edge Computing

ObjectiveMobile Edge Computing (MEC) is used to strengthen the computational capability and response speed of mobile devices by shifting computing and caching functions to the network edge. Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) further supports high spectral efficiency and large-scale connectivity. Because wireless channels are broadcast, the MEC offload transmission process is exposed to potential eavesdropping. To address this risk, physical-layer security is integrated into a NOMA-MEC system to safeguard secure offloading. Existing studies mainly optimize performance metrics such as energy use, latency, and throughput, or improve security through NOMA-based co-channel interference and cooperative interference. However, the combined effect of performance and security has not been fully examined. To reduce the energy required for secure offloading, a cooperative NOMA secure offload scheme is designed. The distinctive feature of the proposed scheme is that cooperative nodes provide forwarding and computational assistance at the same time. Through joint local computation between users and cooperative nodes, the scheme strengthens security in the offload process while reducing system energy consumption.MethodsThe joint design of computational and communication resource allocation for the nodes is examined by dividing the offloading procedure into two stages: NOMA offloading and cooperative offloading. Offloading strategies for different nodes in each stage are considered, and an optimization problem is formulated to minimize the weighted total system energy consumption under secrecy outage constraints. To handle the coupled multi-variable and non-convex structure, secrecy transmission rate constraints and secrecy outage probability constraints, originally expressed in probabilistic form, are first transformed. The main optimization problem is then separated into two subproblems: slot and task allocation, and power allocation. For the non-convex power allocation subproblem, the non-convex constraints are replaced with bilinear substitutions, and sequential convex approximations are applied. An alternating iterative resource allocation algorithm is ultimately proposed, allowing the load, power, and slot assignment between users and cooperative nodes to be adjusted according to channel conditions so that energy consumption is minimized while security requirements are satisfied.Results and DiscussionsTheoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed scheme converges quickly and maintains low computational complexity. Relative to existing NOMA full-offloading schemes, assisted computing schemes, and NOMA cooperative interference schemes, the proposed offloading design reduces system energy consumption and supports a higher load under identical secrecy constraints. The scheme also demonstrates strong robustness, as its performance is less affected by weak channel conditions or increased eavesdropping capability.ConclusionsThe study shows that system energy consumption and security constraints are closely coupled. In the MECg offloading process, communication, computation, and security are not independent. Performance and security can be improved at the same time through the effective use of cooperative nodes. When cooperative nodes are present, NOMA and forwarding cooperation can reduce the effects of weak channel conditions or high eavesdropping risks on secure and reliable transmission. Cooperative nodes can also share users’ local computational load to strengthen overall system performance. Joint local computation between users and cooperative nodes further reduces the security risks associated with long-distance wireless transmission. Thus, secure offloading in MEC is not only a Physical Layer Security issue in wireless transmission but also reflects the coupled relationship between communication and computation that is specific to MEC. By making full use of idle resources in the network, cooperative communication and computation among idle nodes can enhance system security while maintaining performance.