ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the system architecture of aerial computing and analyzes the fundamental features of aerial computing. It analyzes that aerial computing has distinctive features for providing advanced services, including mobility, availability, scalability, flexibility, and simultaneity. Aerial computing accommodates task offloading and execution from massive internet-of-things (IoT) devices via different computing platforms. The novel computing architecture is constituted by one layer of computing and IoT devices and four computing layers: conventional terrestrial computing, low-altitude computing, high-altitude computing, and satellite computing. As a full complement to terrestrial computing, aerial computing can provide computing and wireless services to massive devices on a global scale. The chapter depicts the role of aerial computing in important vertical domains, including smart vehicles, smart cities, manufacturing, and smart grids. It discusses critical challenges and potential solutions for the realization of aerial computing in 6G network systems.
