COMSYS-led RFC 9817 Published

Over the last several years, COMSYS has actively contributed to the IRTF Computing in the Network research group (COINRG), aiming to help shape the global research agenda tackling the increasing programmability of networking devices, often referred to as “in-network computing”. As part of this commitment, we have (co-)authored multiple Internet Drafts to capture and inspire discussions in and drive the agenda of the research group. These efforts have now culminated in the publication of RFC 9817 on “Use Cases for In-Network Computing” in the informational IRTF stream of the RFC series. As such, it provides general guidance and inspiration to the research community.

COMSYS researchers Ike Kunze and Klaus Wehrle co-authored RFC 9817 as part of an international author group of experts from leading institutes and companies. The RFC provides an overview of possible application domains for in-network computing, ranging from Extended Reality (XR) to the distributed training of Artificial Intelligence. In addition to leading the document, COMSYS has contributed expertise regarding the application of in-network computing to industrial networks, which is founded on multiple corresponding publications and our experience from the Excellence Cluster Internet of Production.

With the now-published RFC 9817 and the formal conclusion of COINRG in March 2025, we look back at more than five years of insightful discussions and fruitful collaborations and would like to thank all COINRG contributors with whom we have interacted over the years!

Despite COINRG ending, COMSYS will continue contributing to relevant topics in the IETF/IRTF ecosystem. Specifically, aligning with our core vision of making the Internet more sustainable and our increasing efforts in transforming the energy grid, we are particularly excited about continuing our contributions to the newly-formed SUSTAIN research group, which deals with sustainability aspects of the Internet, and to the GREEN working group, which is chartered to prepare the community for energy-efficient networking.