An AI-Driven Intent-Based Network Architecture

Next-generation communication systems are envisioned to offer fully autonomous networks, where infrastructure components will demonstrate self-X capabilities. The emerging paradigm of intent-based networking (IBN) facilitates autonomous operations and user-friendly management, eliminating the need for continuous human intervention. This article offers a comprehensive overview of the IBN paradigm, its core technologies, and its transformative impact on network resilience and efficiency, proposing an end-to-end artificial intelligence (All-powered IBN architecture (IBNA). The article initially explores the main components of an IBNA, which encompasses structured iterations of refinement, activation, and assurance. Then, it presents network softwarization and AI-powered schemes for each component. Finally, it consolidates all the proposed schemes into one comprehensive pipeline, demonstrating the feasibility of a full IBNA implementation.