Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing system

Abstract

To reduce power consumption by a relay device.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic, and a control unit that determines which of the plurality of relay devices to assign a new user session to on the basis of the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for enabling stable execution of jobs to be processed in a data center while predicting the amount of power supply. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-188283 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 leaves room for further improvement in power consumption.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique capable of reducing power consumption by a relay device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing device having an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic, and a control unit that determines, based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices, a relay device among the plurality of relay devices to which a new user session is to be assigned.

[0007] In addition, a second aspect of the present disclosure provides an information processing method for obtaining information indicating power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic, and determining, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices.

[0008] In addition, in a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing system having an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices relaying user data traffic, and a control means for determining, based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices, a relay device among the plurality of relay devices to which a new user session is to be assigned. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one aspect, it is possible to reduce power consumption by a relay device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a data center according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a power consumption DB (database) according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a load and power consumption according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an allocation process according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The principles of the present disclosure are described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are set forth for illustrative purposes only, to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0012] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0013] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may be associated with one or more other embodiments, rather than with only one particular embodiment. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing may be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings, for example, to create an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessarily required to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0014] (Embodiment 1) <Configuration> The configuration of an information processing device 10 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 10 according to an embodiment. The information processing device 10 has an acquisition unit 11 and a control unit 12. Each of these units may be realized by cooperation between one or more programs installed in the information processing device 10 and hardware such as a processor and memory of the information processing device 10.

[0015] The acquisition unit 11 acquires information indicating the power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic. The control unit 12 determines which of the plurality of relay devices to allocate a new user session to based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices. This makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the relay devices.

[0016] <Processing> Next, an example of processing of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. In step S101, the acquisition unit 11 acquires information indicating the power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic. Next, the control unit 12 determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices (step S102).

[0017] <System configuration> The configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment. The information processing system 1 has an acquisition means 11A and a control means 12A. These units may be realized by the same device, or may be realized by different devices.

[0018] The acquisition means 11A acquires information indicating the power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic. The control means 12A determines which of the plurality of relay devices to allocate a new user session to based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices. This makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the relay devices.

[0019] (Embodiment 2) Next, the configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. <System configuration> Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment. In the example of Fig. 4, the information processing system 1 includes an information processing device 10, user terminals 20A-C (hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will also be simply referred to as "user terminals 20"), and base stations 30A-C (hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will also be simply referred to as "base stations 30"). The information processing system 1 also includes data centers 40A-C (hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will also be simply referred to as "data center 40").

[0020] In the example of FIG. 4, the user terminal 20 and the base station 30 are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other via wireless communication (e.g., RAN (Radio Access Network)). In addition, the information processing device 10, the base station 30, and the data center 40 are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network N. Note that the numbers of the information processing devices 10, the user terminals 20, the base stations 30, and the data centers 40 are not limited to those in the example of FIG. 4.

[0021] Examples of the network N include, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication system, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), a LAN, and a bus, etc. Examples of the mobile communication system include, for example, a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G), a sixth generation mobile communication system (6G, Beyond 5G), a fourth generation mobile communication system (4G), a third generation mobile communication system (3G), etc.

[0022] The information processing device 10 is, for example, a device such as a server or a cloud server. The information processing device 10 controls, for example, each device in a data center 40. The user terminal 20 is, for example, a terminal (UE, User Equipment) such as a smartphone, a tablet, a notebook PC, or an IoT (Internet of Things) device owned by a user. The user terminal 20 transmits and receives data to and from an external data network via, for example, a base station 30.

[0023] The base station 30 is a base station (BS) that can provide or host a cell or coverage in which the user terminal 20 can wirelessly communicate. Examples of the base station 30 include a gNB (NR Node B), a Node B (Node B or NB), an Evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), and the like. Examples of the base station 30 also include a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), and a low power node (e.g., a femto node, a pico node), and the like.

[0024] The wireless communication described in the present disclosure may conform to standards such as 5G (5th generation mobile communication system, NR: New Radio), 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), and 3G (3rd generation mobile communication system). Note that 4G may include, for example, LTE (Long Term Evolution) Advanced, WiMAX2, and LTE. The wireless communication described in the present disclosure may conform to standards such as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile (GSM), and Wireless Local Area Network (LAN). The wireless communication of the present disclosure may be performed according to any generation of wireless communication protocol currently known or developed in the future.

[0025] <Data Center Configuration> Next, a configuration of a data center 40 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a data center 40 according to an embodiment. In the example of Fig. 5, the data center 40 includes virtual radio access networks (vRAN) 41A-C (hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will also be simply referred to as "virtual radio access network 41"), an access and mobility management function (AMF) 42, user plane functions (UPF) 43A-C (hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will also be simply referred to as "UPF 43"), a session management function (SMF) 44, a policy control function (PCF) 45, and a management and orchestration (MANO) 46.

[0026] The virtual radio access network 41, the AMF 42, the UPF 43, the SMF 44, the PCF 45, and the MANO 46 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via, for example, a LAN or a bus, etc. Note that the numbers of the virtual radio access networks 41, the AMF 42, the UPF 43, the SMF 44, the PCF 45, and the MANO 46 are not limited to those in the example of FIG.

[0027] At least one of the virtual radio access networks 41 and the UPFs 43 is an example of a "relay device" in the present disclosure. The relay device may be realized by, for example, NFV (Network Function Virtualization) that virtualizes the functions of the relay device and runs on a general-purpose server. The relay device may also be realized by, for example, dedicated hardware.

[0028] The virtual radio access network 41 is a virtualized base station. The virtual radio access network 41 may be compliant with, for example, the specifications of the Open Radio Access Network Alliance (O-RAN Alliance). In this case, the virtual radio access network 41 may include, for example, at least one of a CU (Central Unit), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Radio Unit (RU) among three components into which a gNB is divided. The virtual radio access network 41 may transfer user data traffic to the UPF 43.

[0029] The AMF 42, UPF 43, SMF 44, and PCF 45 may be functions defined in, for example, TS 23.501, a specification of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In this case, the AMF 42 may manage, for example, user authentication and the location of the user terminal 20. The UPF 43 may forward user data traffic to an external data network. The SMF 44 may manage sessions. The PCF 45 may control subscriber access to network slices, services, QoS, data usage, and the like.

[0030] MANO46 performs integrated management, control, and optimization (orchestration) of network services and resources in the NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) architecture.

[0031] <Hardware configuration> Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device 10 according to an embodiment. In the example of Fig. 6, the information processing device 10 (computer 100) includes a processor 101, a memory 102, and a communication interface 103. These units may be connected by a bus or the like. The memory 102 stores at least a part of a program 104. The communication interface 103 includes an interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0032] When the program 104 is executed by the processor 101, the memory 102, etc. in cooperation with each other, the computer 100 performs at least some processing of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The memory 102 may be of any type. The memory 102 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, as a non-limiting example. The memory 102 may also be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. Although only one memory 102 is shown in the computer 100, several physically different memory modules may be present in the computer 100. The processor 101 may be of any type. The processor 101 may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as a non-limiting example. The computer 100 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0033] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device.

[0034] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, that execute on a target real or virtual processor device to perform the processes or methods of the present disclosure. Program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0035] The program codes for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus. When the program codes are executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations in the flowcharts and / or the block diagrams they implement are performed. The program codes are executed entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0036] The program can be stored and provided to the computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. The non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of the non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, magneto-optical recording media, optical disk media, semiconductor memories, and the like. The magnetic recording media include, for example, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives, and the like. The magneto-optical recording media include, for example, magneto-optical disks, and the like. The optical disk media include, for example, Blu-ray disks, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R (Recordable), CD-RW (ReWritable), and the like. The semiconductor memory includes, for example, solid-state drives, mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, RAMs (random access memories), and the like. The program may also be provided to the computer by various types of temporary computer-readable media. Examples of the temporary computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire or an optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0037] <Processing> Next, an example of processing of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 7 to 10. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a power consumption DB (database) 801 according to the embodiment. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between load and power consumption according to the embodiment. Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of allocation processing according to the embodiment. Note that the processing of Fig. 7 may be executed, for example, periodically or when a new session is requested.

[0038] In step S1, the acquisition unit 11 acquires information indicating the power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic. Here, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire, for example, at least one of the throughput of the relayed traffic and the CPU utilization rate as the information indicating the power consumption.

[0039] Next, the control unit 12 estimates the power consumption of each relay device (step S2). Here, the control unit 12 may estimate the power consumption of each relay device by referring to the power consumption DB 801 of Fig. 8. Note that the power consumption DB 801 may be recorded in a storage device inside the information processing device 10, or may be recorded in a storage device outside the information processing device 10.

[0040] In the example of Fig. 8, the power consumption DB 801 records an estimated value of power consumption in association with a combination of a relay device ID and a load value. The relay device ID is identification information of the relay device. The load value is information indicating the load on the relay device. The load may be, for example, at least one of the throughput and the CPU utilization rate. The estimated value of power consumption is an estimated value of power consumption by the relay device according to the load value.

[0041] 9 shows an example of data 901 for a certain relay device recorded in the power consumption DB 801 of Fig. 8, where the vertical axis represents the load and the horizontal axis represents an estimated value of power consumption. The data in the power consumption DB 801 may be, for example, data based on actual measurements or theoretical simulation results, which may be set (registered) by an operator (administrator) of the information processing device 10 or the like.

[0042] The power consumption of the relay device varies according to the amount of data being relayed (throughput). The amount of data being relayed and the power consumption do not have a linear relationship, but have a nonlinear relationship as shown in FIG. 9. This is considered to be due to, for example, the characteristics of the hardware of the relay device, such as the CPU and power supply, memory swapping, and a drop in the operating clock due to heat generation. Here, the power supply devices, such as the uninterruptible power supply device, rectifier device, and power supply unit (PSU, Power Supply Unit) in the relay device, have conversion efficiency characteristics according to the ratio of actual output to rated output (power load factor). Therefore, when the power consumption of the CPU, etc. according to the current throughput of the relay device corresponds to a power load factor with a relatively low conversion efficiency of the power supply device, the power consumption of the power supply device becomes relatively large.

[0043] Next, the control unit 12 determines a relay device to which the new user session is to be assigned based on the power consumption of each of the relay devices (step S3). Here, the control unit 12 may determine a relay device to which the new user session is to be assigned so that the total value Wa of the estimated power consumption of each relay device in the following formula (1) is minimized. i is the load of each relay device when a new user session is assigned to a specific relay device. f i is the load of each relay device i is an estimate of the power consumption of each relay device for the network. i is a subscript for each relay device. n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2 and is the number of relay devices. Wa = f1(l1) + f2(l2) + + f n (l n ) ···(1)

[0044] The following examples (variations, options) can be implemented in any suitable combination. (Example of deciding based on electricity rate plan) The control unit 12 may determine which relay device among the multiple relay devices to allocate a new user session to based on the electricity rate plan for each relay device. This allows, for example, the relay device of the data center 40 in an area where electricity is relatively cheap to be used preferentially.

[0045] In this case, the control unit 12 may determine a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned so that the total value Pa of the estimated electricity charges by the relay devices in the following formula (2) is minimized. i is the electricity charge for the estimated power consumption of each relay device. Pa = F1(f1) + F2(f2) + + F n (f n ) ···(2)

[0046] (An example of deciding based on the tightness of the local electricity supply and demand) The control unit 12 may determine which of the multiple relay devices to allocate a new user session to based on the tightness of the power supply and demand in the area where each relay device is installed. This makes it possible to reduce the use of relay devices in the data center 40 in an area where the power supply and demand is tight due to, for example, summer or an accident.

[0047] In this case, the control unit 12 may determine a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned so that the sum Wa′ of the estimated values ​​of the power consumption by each relay device weighted by the following formula (3) is minimized. i is a weighting coefficient according to the degree of tightness of the power supply and demand in the area where each relay device is installed. Wa'=α1f1(l1)+α2f2(l2)+···+α n f n (l n ) ···(3)

[0048] (An example of determining the amount of renewable energy used by each relay device) The control unit 12 may determine which relay device among the multiple relay devices to allocate a new user session to based on the degree of use of renewable energy in each relay device. This allows preferential use of relay devices in the data center 40 that use power from energy sources that do not increase carbon dioxide, such as solar, wind, and geothermal power.

[0049] In this case, the control unit 12 may, for example, set α i may be a weighting coefficient according to the degree of use of renewable energy in each relay device, and a relay device to which a new user session is assigned may be determined so that the total value Wa' is minimized.

[0050] (An example of determining the temperature based on the area where each relay device is installed) The control unit 12 may further determine which of the multiple relay devices to assign a new user session to based on the temperature of the area in which each relay device is installed. This allows, for example, the relay device of the data center 40 installed in an area where the current temperature is relatively low to be used preferentially.

[0051] In this case, the control unit 12 may, for example, set α i The relay device to which a new user session is assigned may be determined so that the sum Wa' is minimized by setting the weighting coefficient Wa' according to the temperature of the area where each relay device is installed.

[0052] (Example of determination based on the user's contract rank and the location of the user terminal 20) The control unit 12 may further determine a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned from among a plurality of relay devices based on the contract rank of the user and the location of the user's terminal. As a result, for example, for a user who has a relatively expensive contract with a telecommunications carrier, a relay device of a data center 40 installed in an area relatively close to the current location of the user terminal 20 is preferentially used, thereby reducing latency (communication delay).

[0053] In this case, the control unit 12 may assign, for example, to a user who has signed a relatively expensive contract, a relay device of a data center 40 that is installed in an area relatively close to the current location of the user terminal 20. Then, to other users, the control unit 12 may assign a relay device determined based on the above-mentioned formula (1) or the like.

[0054] (Example of starting (adding) or stopping (removing) a relay device) The control unit 12 may at least one of starting a new relay device and stopping a relay device included in the plurality of relay devices based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices. This can, for example, further reduce the power consumption of the relay device. For example, the control unit 12 may instruct the MANO 46 to start or stop the determined relay device.

[0055] In this case, the control unit 12 may determine which relay device to start or stop based on, for example, the above-mentioned formula (1) or the like. The control unit 12 may intensively assign new user sessions to the newly started relay device, or redirect existing sessions from other relay devices to the newly started relay device. This may allow a relatively early transition to the state calculated by the above-mentioned formula (1) or the like.

[0056] In addition, the control unit 12 may prevent new user sessions from being assigned to the relay device that has been determined to be stopped, or may redirect existing sessions to another relay device, thereby allowing the state to be shifted to the state calculated by the above-mentioned formula (1) or the like relatively quickly.

[0057] Next, the control unit 12 assigns a new user session to the determined relay device (step S4).

[0058] (Example of assigning UPF43) 10, the control unit 12 transmits to the PCF 45 an instruction 801 to change the ratio at which new user sessions are allocated to each UPF 43. Then, the SMF 44 allocates the new user sessions to each UPF 43 based on the ratio set in the PCF 45 by the information processing device 10.

[0059] For example, in mobile networks such as 4G (LTE, etc.) and 5G, user data traffic is transmitted through a UPF, which is a network device. With the increase in traffic volume in recent years, many UPFs are deployed at multiple locations or data centers. In addition, with the spread of network slicing technology, UPFs may be used according to communication use cases, such as UPFs for large capacity and UPFs for low latency.

[0060] Due to the architecture of the mobile network, the UPF to which the user terminal 20 connects is selected by the SMF / PCF. Therefore, load balancing cannot be achieved by packet filtering in front of the UPF. On the other hand, according to the example of FIG. 10 of the present disclosure, load balancing of the UPF can be achieved by adjusting the traffic volume in conjunction with the SMF / PCF.

[0061] (Example of allocating virtual wireless access network 41) When allocating the virtual radio access network 41, the control unit 12 may, for example, control a load balancer to allocate a new user session to a specific virtual radio access network 41. In this case, the load balancer may be provided between the RU and the DU, or between the DU and the CU.

[0062] <Modification> The information processing device 10 may be a device included in one housing, but the information processing device 10 of the present disclosure is not limited to this. Each unit of the information processing device 10 may be realized by cloud computing configured by one or more computers, for example. The information processing device 10 may be disposed inside a data center 40, for example. The information processing device 10 may be the same device (node) as at least one of the virtual wireless access network 41, the AMF 42, the UPF 43, the SMF 44, the PCF 45, and the MANO 46, for example.

[0063] The information processing device 10 may be included inside the user terminal 20. At least a part of the processing of each functional unit of the information processing device 10 may be executed by at least one of the virtual radio access network 41, the AMF 42, the UPF 43, the SMF 44, the PCF 45, the MANO 46, and the user terminal 20. Such information processing devices 10 are also included in the examples of the "information processing device" of the present disclosure.

[0064] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by a person skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be appropriately combined with other embodiments.

[0065] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as, but are not limited to, the following appendices. Note that some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in each appendix that is dependent on appendix 1 may also be dependent on independent appendices in other categories in a similar dependent relationship. Some or all of the elements described in any appendix may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means for recording software, systems, and methods. (Appendix 1) an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic; a control unit that determines, based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, among the plurality of relay devices; An information processing device having the above configuration. (Appendix 2) The information indicating the power consumption includes at least one of a throughput of a relayed traffic and a CPU utilization rate, The control unit estimates the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices based on the information indicating the power consumption. 2. An information processing device according to claim 1. (Appendix 3) The relay device has a UPF (User Plane Function) or a virtual radio access network (vRAN, virtual Radio Access Network), 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 4) The control unit further determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on an electricity rate plan for each relay device. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 5) The control unit further determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on a tightness of power supply and demand in an area in which each relay device is installed. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 6) The control unit further determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on a usage level of renewable energy in each relay device. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 7) The control unit further determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on the temperature of an area in which each relay device is installed. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 8) The control unit further determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on a contract rank of the user and a location of the terminal of the user. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 9) the control unit performs at least one of starting a new relay device and stopping a relay device included in the plurality of relay devices based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 10) acquiring information indicating power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic; determining, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices; Information processing methods. (Appendix 11) an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic; a control means for determining, based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned; An information processing system having the above configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Information Processing Systems 10. Information processing device 11 Acquisition Department 12 Control section 20 User terminal 30 base station 40 Data Center 41 Virtual Radio Access Network (vRAN) 42 AMF(Access and Mobility Management Function) 43 UPF (User Plane Function) 44 SMF(Session Management Function) 45 PCF(Policy Control Function) 46 MANO(Management and Orchestration)

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic; a control unit that determines, based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, among the plurality of relay devices; An information processing device having the above configuration.

2. The information indicating the power consumption includes at least one of a throughput of a relayed traffic and a CPU utilization rate, The control unit estimates the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices based on the information indicating the power consumption. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The relay device has a UPF (User Plane Function) or a virtual radio access network (vRAN), 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control unit further determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on an electricity rate plan for each relay device.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The control unit further determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on a tightness of power supply and demand in an area in which each relay device is installed.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The control unit further determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on a usage level of renewable energy in each relay device.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The control unit further determines, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on a contract rank of the user and a location of the terminal of the user.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. the control unit performs at least one of starting a new relay device and stopping a relay device included in the plurality of relay devices based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

9. acquiring information indicating power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic; determining, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices; Information processing methods.

10. an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating power consumption of each of a plurality of relay devices that relay user data traffic; a control means for determining, from among the plurality of relay devices, a relay device to which a new user session is to be assigned, based on the power consumption of each of the plurality of relay devices; An information processing system having the above configuration.

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