Microelectronics-based Solutions for 6G Networks

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

• Increased capabilities of European microelectronics industry to provide solutions for communication networks and devices (beyond the today 4% of global markets), in line with the findings of the CoreNect CSA^[1].
• Available solutions for devices at various levels of the device data processing chain, from baseband and mixed-signal processing to RF and Antenna system and considering new spectrum that may be needed for 6G.
• Availability of validated hardware solutions that may be used, especially from a physical layer radio perspective, in the context of the 6G standardisation with strong partnership between the microelectronics and communication industrial actors.
• Availability of open solutions that may support further innovation at any level, from the end devices to core 6G network components.
• Availability of solutions that will offer significant energy reduction for 6G communication systems.
• Availability of detailed technology and subsystem characterisation that can be further leveraged from a full development perspective under the KDT JU, in view of materialising the 6G-IA and AENEAS MoU agreement^[2].

Please refer to the "Specific Challenges and Objectives" section for Stream B in the Work Programme, available under ‘Topic Conditions and Documents - Additional Documents’.

The focus of this Strand is on several complementary issues mentioned below and applicants may select one or more of these issues:

• Improved and more energy- and cost- efficient radio hardware for 6G RAN solutions for any ranges from below 6 GHz up to THz supported by implementations requiring integration of heterogeneous technologies, very wideband transceivers (>5GHz at Baseband), low impairments in general, low EVM support of moderate to high spectral efficiency that are potentially capable of joint communication and sensing, broadband same frequency full-duplex RF frontends for massive MIMO, reconfigurable surfaces, multi-band or multi-octave transceivers, high linearity, low phase noise, low impairments in general, also possibly addressing NTN environments requirements for low/medium earth orbit.
• Beamforming and multi-user technologies for any ranges from below 6 GHz up to THz including indicatively topics like Wideband beamforming, True time delay, Solutions for beam squint, Run-time calibration, Hybrid beamforming and MIMO, THz antenna systems (e.g., lens arrays and intelligent reflecting surfaces) that overcome the high path loss of THz bands that can be integrated by 6G networks to meet the new demanding KPIs.
• Antenna and packaging technologies and materials for 6G RAN solutions for any ranges from below 6 GHz up to THz including topics like On-chip antennas, Lens-integrated antennas, Planar and conformal antenna arrays, Integrated waveguides, Low loss distribution networks, Beamforming and MIMO, Meta-materials and meta-surfaces, human friendly radio systems (handle increased density, higher frequency ranges, control EMF).

Topics beyond the above scope may also be considered as long as they are complementary, relevant for the development of 6G networks and clear synergy with KDT topics is established in the proposals.

Applicants are encouraged to validate the aforementioned technologies in a system context, i.e. including power-efficient and ultra-fast ADC and DAC converters suitable for the aforementioned frequency bands, and an optimized use of advanced/heterogeneous computing platforms for baseband processing (e.g. based on general-purpose processors, GPUs, FPGAs, ASICs and combinations thereof), with the purpose of providing ultra-low latency, energy efficiency and optimised performance in the radio access network and the edge-to-cloud continuum.

[1]CoreNect Roadmap: see https://www.corenect.eu/roadmap

[2]https://5g-ppp.eu/aeneas-and-6g-ia-join-forces-to-build-synergies-for-european-leadership-in-next-generation-telecommunications/