Towards a Hybrid Hierarchical Digital Twin Architecture for the 6G Compute Continuum

José Santos, Javad Sameri, Sam Van Damme, Susanna Schwarzmann, Qing Wei, Riccardo Trivisonno, Maria Torres Vega, Filip De Turck

Abstract: The emergence of the 6 G era demands seamless orchestration across an increasingly heterogeneous and distributed compute continuum-spanning edge, fog, and cloud resources. Moreover, the next generation of the mobile network is poised to redefine the digital landscape by enabling pervasive intelligence, ultra-low latency communication, and extreme heterogeneity across the entire network infrastructure. This transformation introduces unprecedented orchestration challenges due to the dynamic, multi-domain, and resource-constrained nature of emerging workloads such as Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) inference, immersive eXtended Reality (XR), and autonomous systems. To tackle this complexity, we advocate for a Hybrid Hierarchical Digital Twin (DT) architecture that serves as a foundation for intelligent, adaptive, and real-time orchestration in 6 G environments. We present a comprehensive vision for integrating DTs as enablers of intelligent, context-aware, and adaptive orchestration mechanisms that span across multiple domains. The proposed architecture introduces a multi-layered DT hierarchy combining local and global views, enabling scalable coordination and real-time decision-making. We highlight key architectural enhancements required to realize this vision, including inter-twin interoperability and behavioral modeling for QoE estimation. This work aims to guide researchers and practitioners in shaping the foundations of resilient and efficient orchestration frameworks for 6 G systems.

External IDs:dblp:conf/cnsm/SantosSDSWTVT25