  Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-empowered communication is being
considered as an enabling technology for sixth generation (6G) wireless
networks. The key idea of RIS-assisted communication is to enhance the
capacity, coverage, energy efficiency, physical layer security, and many other
aspects of modern wireless networks. At the same time, mobile edge computing
(MEC) has already shown its huge potential by extending the computation,
communication, and caching capabilities of a standalone cloud server to the
network edge. In this article, we first provide an overview of how MEC and RIS
can benefit each other. We envision that the integration of MEC and RIS will
bring an unprecedented transformation to the future evolution of wireless
networks. We provide a system-level perspective on the MEC-aided RIS (and
RIS-assisted MEC) that will evolve wireless network towards 6G. We also outline
some of the fundamental challenges that pertain to the implementation of
MEC-aided RIS (and RIS-assisted MEC) networks. Finally, the key research trends
in the RIS-assisted MEC are discussed.
