ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the technologies, opportunities, and challenges of the autonomous network—a product of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with software-defined network (SDN). It provides an overview of the importance of automation for driving personalization, intelligence, and elasticity in the network. The chapter presents an overview of the network transformation from proprietary vendor-locked networks to open SDNs running in the cloud, and soon, to autonomous networks adopting AI. It introduces the role of AI for driving an elastic, self-healing, and secure network and explains the importance of data that fuels the autonomous network. The chapter describes a new world of applications that will be enabled by the autonomous network. AI drives an autonomous network by enabling improved stability, security, scalability, and performance. The evolution of the network access to 5Generation (5G), the move of cloud applications to the edge, and the shift from a SDN to an autonomous network are key drivers for enabling ultra-low latency services.
