1 Cloud Computing for Mobile Users: Can Offloading Computation Save Energy? Karthik Kumar and Yung-Hsiang Lu Purdue University Abstract: The Cloud heralds a new era of computing where application services are provided through the Internet. Cloud computing can enhance the computing capability of mobile systems. Is cloud computing the ultimate solution for extending battery lifetimes of mobile systems? keywords: mobile cloud computing, energy savings What is cloud computing? Cloud computing [1] is a new type of service provided through the Internet. In cloud computing, the computing resources such as processor, memory, and storage are not physically present at the users’ location. Instead, the computing resources are owned and managed by a service provider and the users access the resources via the Internet. For example, Amazon offers Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3); personal data can be stored on their cloud using S3 and computation can be performed on the stored data using EC2. This type of computing paradigm provides many advantages for businesses, including low initial capital investment, shorter start-up time for new services, lower maintenance and operation cost, higher utilization through virtualization, and easier disaster recovery. Such advantages make cloud computing an attractive option. Some reports [1], [2] suggest that there are only benefits in shifting computing from desktops to the cloud. How about cloud computing for mobile users? The primary constraints for mobile computing are limited energy and wireless bandwidth. In this article, we investigate how cloud computing may provide energy savings as a service to mobile users and describe challenges and possible solutions. Techniques to save energy for mobile systems Mobile systems, such as smart phones, become the primary computing platforms for many users. Various studies have shown that “longer battery lifetime” is the most desired feature of mobile systems. DRAFT Digital Object Indentifier 10.1109/MC.2010.89 0018-9162/$26.00 © 2010 IEEE This article has been accepted for publication in Computer but has not yet been fully edited. Some content may change prior to final publication.