5G • 5G-Advanced (Rel-18)
Cloud-Native NF Energy Scaling
Dynamic Scaling and Microservice Sleep for Core Network Functions
Orchestrates cloud-native 5G Core microservices (AMF, SMF, UPF pods), shutting down idle server cores during low night-time traffic.
Technical Explanation
While RAN energy savings focus on radio antennas, core network data centers consume substantial server power. Rel-18 defines Cloud-Native NF Energy Scaling: AMF, SMF, and UPF container pods report processing load to management systems, which dynamically consolidate active subscriber sessions onto fewer physical CPU cores and power down idle blade servers.
Key Functions
- Consolidates active subscriber sessions onto minimal physical cloud server hardware
- Puts idle server CPU cores and container pods into deep low-power sleep states
- Reduces cloud data center electricity and cooling consumption during off-peak hours
- Scales microservice instances back up in seconds when morning traffic demand rises
Specifications
3GPP TS 28.552, TR 28.908 (Rel-18)
Interfaces
O1Kubernetes CNI
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