# Transformer Actor-Critic for Efficient Freshness-Aware Resource Allocation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.22774 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.22774/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in RL for energy, networks and operations, one of 15 directions in Deep reinforcement learning methods.
- Builds on 7 of its 16 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 26 Feb 2026.

## Placed in

- Deep reinforcement learning methods / [RL for energy, networks and operations](https://mlsanity.com/deeprl/rl-for-energy-networks-and-operations/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [High-Dimensional Continuous Control Using Generalized Advantage Estimation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1506.02438/) (2015)
- [AoI-Aware Resource Allocation for Platoon-Based C-V2X Networks via Multi-Agent Multi-Task Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.04196/) (2021)
- [Deep-Reinforcement-Learning-Based AoI-Aware Resource Allocation for RIS-Aided IoV Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.11245/) (2024)
- [Age of Information-Aware Radio Resource Management in Vehicular Networks: A Proactive Deep Reinforcement Learning Perspective](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.02047/) (2019)
- [AI-based Radio and Computing Resource Allocation and Path Planning in NOMA NTNs: AoI Minimization under CSI Uncertainty](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.00780/) (2023)
- [Mean Age of Information in Partial Offloading Mobile Edge Computing Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.16115/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Emerging applications such as autonomous driving and industrial automation demand ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), where maintaining fresh and timely information is critical. A key performance metric in such systems is the age of information (AoI). This paper addresses AoI minimization in a multi-user uplink wireless network using non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), where users offload tasks to a base station. The system must handle user heterogeneity in task sizes, AoI thresholds, and penalty sensitivities, while adhering to NOMA constraints on user scheduling. We propose a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) framework based on proximal policy optimization (PPO), enhanced with a Transformer encoder. The attention mechanism allows the agent to focus on critical user states and capture inter-user dependencies, improving policy performance and scalability. Extensive simulations show that our method reduces average AoI compared to baselines. We also analyze the evolution of attention weights during training and observe that the model progressively learns to prioritize high-importance users. Attention maps reveal meaningful structure: early-stage policies exhibit uniform attention, while later stages show focused patterns aligned with user priority and NOMA constraints. These results highlight the promise of attention-driven DRL for intelligent, priority-aware resource allocation in next-generation wireless systems.