# Network Function Virtualization: State-of-the-art and Research Challenges

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1509.07675 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1509.07675/

## Key facts

- Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 25 Sep 2015.

## Built on by (most cited first, 9 of 9)

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- [A Heuristically Assisted Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach for Network Slice Placement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.06741/) (2021)
- [Secure Multi-Function Computation with Private Remote Sources](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.09485/) (2021)
- [Learning Not to Optimize: Physics-Informed Action-Space Reshaping for Intent-Based Network Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.00908/) (2026)
- [Collaboration in Immersive Environments: Challenges and Solutions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.00689/) (2023)
- [Dynamic Preference Multi-Objective Reinforcement Learning for Internet Network Management](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.13153/) (2025)
- [Learning based E2E Energy Efficient in Joint Radio and NFV Resource Allocation for 5G and Beyond Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.05991/) (2021)
- [A Graph Neural Networks based Framework for Topology-Aware Proactive SLA Management in a Latency Critical NFV Application Use-case](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.00714/) (2022)
- [Dynamic Management of a Deep Learning-Based Anomaly Detection System for 5G Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.15177/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) has drawn significant attention from both industry and academia as an important shift in telecommunication service provisioning. By decoupling Network Functions (NFs) from the physical devices on which they run, NFV has the potential to lead to significant reductions in Operating Expenses (OPEX) and Capital Expenses (CAPEX) and facilitate the deployment of new services with increased agility and faster time-to-value. The NFV paradigm is still in its infancy and there is a large spectrum of opportunities for the research community to develop new architectures, systems and applications, and to evaluate alternatives and trade-offs in developing technologies for its successful deployment. In this paper, after discussing NFV and its relationship with complementary fields of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and cloud computing, we survey the state-of-the-art in NFV, and identify promising research directions in this area. We also overview key NFV projects, standardization efforts, early implementations, use cases and commercial products.