Energy-Efficient RSMA-enabled Low-altitude MEC Optimization Via Generative AI-enhanced Deep Reinforcement Learning

Abstract: The growing demand for low-latency computing in 6G is driving the use of UAV-based low-altitude mobile edge computing (MEC) systems. However, limited spectrum often leads to severe uplink interference among ground terminals (GTs). In this paper, we investigate a rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA)-enabled low-altitude MEC system, where a UAV-based edge server assists multiple GTs in concurrently offloading their tasks over a shared uplink. We formulate a joint optimization problem involving the UAV 3D trajectory, RSMA decoding order, task offloading decisions, and resource allocation, aiming to mitigate multi-user interference and maximize energy efficiency. Given the high dimensionality, non-convex nature, and dynamic characteristics of this optimization problem, we propose a generative AI-enhanced deep reinforcement learning (DRL) framework to solve it efficiently. Specifically, we embed a diffusion model into the actor network to generate high-quality action samples, improving exploration in hybrid action spaces and avoiding local optima. In addition, a priority-based RSMA decoding strategy is designed to facilitate efficient successive interference cancellation with low complexity. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method for low-altitude MEC systems outperforms baseline methods, and that integrating GDM with RSMA can achieve significantly improved energy efficiency performance.