ZLP-Memory: Zero-Local-Provisioning for Collective Memory, Knowledge, and Historical Information Services
Abstract
Memory is a fundamental component of computational, intelligent, robotic, and organizational systems. Conventional architectures frequently assume that each individual object should maintain a local collection of memories, historical records, learned information, or task experiences required for its operation. Although local memory can provide rapid access, offline availability, and operational independence, maintaining extensive local memory across multiple objects may introduce redundant storage, synchronization overhead, inconsistent information, and increased lifecycle costs. This paper proposes ZLP-Memory, a specialization of the Zero-Local-Provisioning (ZLP) framework for investigating the collective provisioning of memory and information-access capabilities.
The central principle of ZLP-Memory is that the locally provisioned quantity of a specified memory category may equal zero for an individual object, provided that the system can satisfy the corresponding functional requirements through shared memory infrastructure, other objects, external information services, or alternative retrieval mechanisms. The absence of a local memory copy does not imply that the information must be absent from the overall system. Instead, local memory configuration and system-level memory availability are treated as distinct design variables.
The paper formalizes objects, memory categories, local memory quantities, collective memory providers, retrieval assignments, information quality, temporal validity, consistency, access control, and lifecycle costs. It distinguishes the physical storage of information from the availability of usable memory services and develops an optimization formulation that jointly determines local memory provisioning, collective storage, retrieval, replication, and caching decisions. The formulation accommodates complete local omission, partial local retention, selective replication, and hybrid memory architectures.
The framework further examines the conditions under which zero local memory provisioning is feasible, including retrieval latency, network availability, information freshness, privacy, reliability, and task-specific requirements. It proposes a system architecture, a decision procedure, testable hypotheses, and an empirical evaluation methodology. ZLP-Memory is presented as a conceptual research framework rather than an experimentally validated system. Its principal research question is whether explicitly permitting selected local memory quantities to equal zero, while jointly optimizing system-level memory services, provides a useful design methodology beyond existing distributed storage, caching, and memory-management approaches.
Related
- Zero-Local-Provisioning for Training (ZLP-Training): A General Framework for Collective Provisioning of Training Capabilities
- Zero-Local-Provisioning (ZLP): A General Framework for Collective Provisioning of Resources, Capabilities, and Attributes
- ZAC-Specialization: Collective Capability Provisioning Through Hardware–Role Co-Design in Heterogeneous Intelligent Agent Populations
- Beyond Individual Ownership: ZAC, a General Framework for Collective Provisioning of Resources and Capabilities
- ZAC-Memory: Collective Provisioning of Memory and World Models for Embodied Intelligence
BibTeX
@misc{zhang2026zlpmemory,
title = {{ZLP-Memory: Zero-Local-Provisioning for Collective Memory, Knowledge, and Historical Information Services}},
author = {Jincheng Zhang},
howpublished = {Zenodo},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23451078},
url = {https://zenodo.org/records/23451078},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - ZLP-Memory: Zero-Local-Provisioning for Collective Memory, Knowledge, and Historical Information Services
AU - Jincheng Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/18
PB - Zenodo
DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23451078
UR - https://zenodo.org/records/23451078
AB - Memory is a fundamental component of computational, intelligent, robotic, and organizational systems. Conventional architectures frequently assume that each individual object should maintain a local collection of memories, historical records, learned information, or task experiences required for its operation. Although local memory can provide rapid access, offline availability, and operational independence, maintaining extensive local memory across multiple objects may introduce redundant storage, synchronization overhead, inconsistent information, and increased lifecycle costs. This paper proposes ZLP-Memory, a specialization of the Zero-Local-Provisioning (ZLP) framework for investigating the collective provisioning of memory and information-access capabilities. The central principle of ZLP-Memory is that the locally provisioned quantity of a specified memory category may equal zero for an individual object, provided that the system can satisfy the corresponding functional requirements through shared memory infrastructure, other objects, external information services, or alternative retrieval mechanisms. The absence of a local memory copy does not imply that the information must be absent from the overall system. Instead, local memory configuration and system-level memory availability are treated as distinct design variables. The paper formalizes objects, memory categories, local memory quantities, collective memory providers, retrieval assignments, information quality, temporal validity, consistency, access control, and lifecycle costs. It distinguishes the physical storage of information from the availability of usable memory services and develops an optimization formulation that jointly determines local memory provisioning, collective storage, retrieval, replication, and caching decisions. The formulation accommodates complete local omission, partial local retention, selective replication, and hybrid memory architectures. The framework further examines the conditions under which zero local memory provisioning is feasible, including retrieval latency, network availability, information freshness, privacy, reliability, and task-specific requirements. It proposes a system architecture, a decision procedure, testable hypotheses, and an empirical evaluation methodology. ZLP-Memory is presented as a conceptual research framework rather than an experimentally validated system. Its principal research question is whether explicitly permitting selected local memory quantities to equal zero, while jointly optimizing system-level memory services, provides a useful design methodology beyond existing distributed storage, caching, and memory-management approaches.
ER -