Beamforming using Artificial Intelligence for 6G Networks

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems have shown promising features to significantly increase the spectral efficiency of cellular communication systems.

Future wireless communications such as 6G requires the implementation of such systems in extremely high frequency (EHF) range up to 300 GHz for various reasons such as shortage of available spectrum and low attenuation, within 1-2dB/km. Deployment of massive MIMO systems in EHF band, i.e., millimetre-wave (mmWave) will result in spectral efficiency as well as increased available bandwidth.

Nevertheless, the severe attenuation of mmWave signals is a dominant obstacle and is generally compensated via beamforming techniques that employ the benefit of large antenna arrays in massive MIMO structures often embedded in a tiny dimension in mmWave frequencies. Analog beamforming has shown extensive advantages compared to its traditional counterpart, digital beamforming. Dominant techniques proposed so far for analog beamforming are often practically challenging. Down-to-earth confrontations are namely the necessity of possessing excellent channel state information (CSI) by the base station (BS) or search complexity. Reduction in search complexity can be achieved by performing a high number of iterations between user and BS to exchange information; this leads to inevitable practical overhead.

In our research, we plan to propose intelligent beamforming (IB) schemes in contrast. IB is achievable by deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques through design structures that can margin novel context-awareness beamforming to drive 6G. Such implementation will aggregate the advantages of combined massive MIMO and mmWave systems, specifically when designed in upper band EHF such as 200-300GHz, and at the same time intelligently diminishes the complexity and overhead of existing schemes to make it a resourceful option for engineering 6G.

The next generation Communication system will benefit from the results and this project will open the door for more research in future applications for the connectivity between users with high data rate.

One of the benefits of mmWave characteristic is a small wavelength, for example in 240GHz frequency the half-wavelength is = 0.625mm, so a 10x10 antenna array would be in about the size of portcullis of a penny.

Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project

Professor Hamed Al-Raweshidy - Hamed Al-Raweshidy is professor of Communications Engineering and has been awarded BEng and MSc from University of Technology/Baghdad in 1977 and 1980 respectively. He completed his Post Graduate Diploma from Glasgow University/ Glasgow/ UK in 1987. He awarded his PhD in 1991 from Strathclyde University in Glasgow/UK. He was with Space and Astronomy Research Centre/Iraq, PerkinElmer/USA, Carl Zeiss/Germany, British Telecom/UK, Oxford University, Manchester Met.University and Kent University. Professor Al-Raweshidy is currently the Director of the Wireless Networks and Communications Centre (WNCC) and Director of PG studies (ECE) at Brunel University, London, UK. He published over 370 papers in International Journals and referred conferences. He is the editor of the first book in Radio over Fibre Technologies for Mobile Communications Networks. He has acted as Guest editor for the International Journal of Wireless Personal Communications. He is a member of several Journal Editorial Boards such as Journal of Wireless Personal Communications. Professor Al-Raweshidy acts as a consultant and involved in projects with several companies and operators such as Vodafone (UK), Ericsson (Sweden), Andrew (USA), NEC (Japan), Nokia (Finland), Siemens (Germany), Franc Telecom (France), Thales (UK & France) and Tekmar (Italy). He is a principal investigator for several EPSRC projects and European project such as MAGNET EU project (IP) 2004-2008. He is a member of several International Conference Advisory Committees and Technical Program Committees such as VTC, PIMRC, GLOBECOM, WPMC and IST. He has organised several Workshops on Wireless Technology in Europe and Japan. He is on the EPSRC peer Review College /UK and Review Panel for EU Commission, Hong Kong and Cyprus. He has been invited to deliver research lectures in Delft University (Holland), Chalmers University (Sweden), University of Valenciennes (France) and Aalborg University (Denmark). He is PhD external examiner for several British universities such as Oxford, UCL, Leeds, Kings College, Cardiff, New Castle, Strathclyde and Surrey. He is a member of NETworld 2020 Network which is the top Technology Platform in Europe and it advise European Commission for research directions in communications for the next 10-15 years. He has been invited to give a lecture at EU Commission (Future Internet/2010), Photonics21/ 2010 in Brussels. In addition, he is represnting Brunel University London in WWRF. He was an external examinar for Wirless Communications MSc course for Kings College London / University of London. He is an external examinar for Queen Mary University of London and Bejing University of Posts & Telecommunications. He is a reviewer for several Governmental Agencies such as Cyprus, Greece, Holland, UK and Hong Kong. His current research area are beyond 5G and 6G such as 6G Quantum and AI, RIS with Quantum and AI, Near and Far Edge, IoT with AI, Radio over Fibre for IoT with Quantum and AI, Off Loading and and Load Balancing with AI.

Related Research Group(s)

Wireless Network and Communication - Application of Networks for the communication of information, media and services within the media, energy and environment, security and defence, manufacturing and medical industries.

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Project last modified 29/06/2021