# The Vision of Self-Evolving Computing Systems

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.06825 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.06825/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 11 of its 100 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 14 Apr 2022.

## Builds on (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [Continual Lifelong Learning with Neural Networks: A Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.07569/) (2018)
- [FEMOSAA: Feature Guided and Knee Driven Multi-Objective Optimization for Self-Adaptive Software](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.08933/) (2016)
- [A Survey and Taxonomy of Self-Aware and Self-Adaptive Cloud Autoscaling Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.03590/) (2016)
- [Provable Self-Representation Based Outlier Detection in a Union of Subspaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1704.03925/) (2017)
- [Engineering Trustworthy Self-Adaptive Software with Dynamic Assurance Cases](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.06350/) (2017)
- [Software Architecture for ML-based Systems: What Exists and What Lies Ahead](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.07950/) (2021)
- [Perpetual Assurances for Self-Adaptive Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.04771/) (2019)
- [Synergizing Domain Expertise with Self-Awareness in Software Systems: A Patternized Architecture Guideline](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.07076/) (2020)
- [Dynamic Multi-Objectives Optimization with a Changing Number of Objectives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.06514/) (2016)
- [ActivFORMS: A Formally-Founded Model-Based Approach to Engineer Self-Adaptive Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.11179/) (2019)
- [Lifelong Computing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.08802/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Distilled Lifelong Self-Adaptation for Configurable Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.00840/) (2025)
- [DarwinNet: An Evolutionary Network Architecture for Agent-Driven Protocol Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.01236/) (2026)
- [Dealing with Drift of Adaptation Spaces in Learning-based Self-Adaptive Systems using Lifelong Self-Adaptation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.02658/) (2022)
- [From Connectivity to Autonomy: The Dawn of Self-Evolving Communication Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.23710/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Computing systems are omnipresent; their sustainability has become crucial for our society. A key aspect of this sustainability is the ability of computing systems to cope with the continuous change they face, ranging from dynamic operating conditions, to changing goals, and technological progress. While we are able to engineer smart computing systems that autonomously deal with various types of changes, handling unanticipated changes requires system evolution, which remains in essence a human-centered process. This will eventually become unmanageable. To break through the status quo, we put forward an arguable opinion for the vision of self-evolving computing systems that are equipped with an evolutionary engine enabling them to evolve autonomously. Specifically, when a self-evolving computing system detects conditions outside its operational domain, such as an anomaly or a new goal, it activates an evolutionary engine that runs online experiments to determine how the system needs to evolve to deal with the changes, thereby evolving its architecture. During this process the engine can integrate new computing elements that are provided by computing warehouses. These computing elements provide specifications and procedures enabling their automatic integration. We motivate the need for self-evolving computing systems in light of the state of the art, outline a conceptual architecture of self-evolving computing systems, and illustrate the architecture for a future smart city mobility system that needs to evolve continuously with changing conditions. To conclude, we highlight key research challenges to realize the vision of self-evolving computing systems.