Realizing In-Memory Baseband Processing for Ultra-Fast and Energy-Efficient 6G

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel RRAM-based in-memory computing approach for 6G baseband processing, significantly improving speed and energy efficiency over traditional CMOS methods, enabling ultra-fast, energy-efficient wireless communication.

Contribution

It introduces a new RRAM-based in-memory processing architecture for MIMO-OFDM systems, including key operations and channel estimation, with hardware prototype and large-scale simulation validation.

Findings

Achieves 91.2× latency reduction compared to state-of-the-art processors.

Attains 671× energy efficiency improvement in simulations.

Proves feasibility of RRAM-based full communication system in hardware.

Abstract

To support emerging applications ranging from holographic communications to extended reality, next-generation mobile wireless communication systems require ultra-fast and energy-efficient baseband processors. Traditional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-based baseband processors face two challenges in transistor scaling and the von Neumann bottleneck. To address these challenges, in-memory computing-based baseband processors using resistive random-access memory (RRAM) present an attractive solution. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate RRAM-implemented in-memory baseband processing for the widely adopted multiple-input-multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) air interface. Its key feature is to execute the key operations, including discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and MIMO detection using linear minimum mean square error (L-MMSE) and zero forcing (ZF), in one-step. In addition, RRAM-based channel estimation module is proposed and discussed. By prototyping and simulations, we demonstrate the feasibility of RRAM-based full-fledged communication system in hardware, and reveal it can outperform state-of-the-art baseband processors with a gain of 91.2$\times$ in latency and 671$\times$ in energy efficiency by large-scale simulations. Our results pave a potential pathway for RRAM-based in-memory computing to be implemented in the era of the sixth generation (6G) mobile communications.