Transceiver-Integrated BD-RIS: Wave-Domain Signal Processing for Sustainable and Inclusive 6G

TL;DR

This paper proposes transceiver-integrated BD-RISs that perform wave-domain analog signal processing, reducing digital complexity and energy use, thus supporting sustainable, high-performance 6G wireless systems.

Contribution

It introduces BD-RIS as an embedded wave-domain analog processing unit within transceivers, enabling scalable, energy-efficient 6G communication architectures.

Findings

BD-RIS enables direct electromagnetic wave manipulation in the analog domain.

Wave-domain processing reduces digital computational load and power consumption.

Transceiver-integrated BD-RIS offers high flexibility and modularity for 6G systems.

Abstract

The shift toward sixth-generation (6G) wireless communications demands transceiver architectures that simultaneously support high-data-rate communications, pervasive sensing, and sub-meter-level localization. Beyond these performance targets, 6G systems are also expected to align with long-term societal goals, including sustainability and inclusiveness. Conventional radio designs, however, remain heavily reliant on digital baseband processing, whose cost, power consumption, and computational complexity scale unfavorably with increasing array size and carrier frequency, making them poorly aligned with these emerging requirements. Beyond-diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (BD-RISs) introduce a new paradigm by enabling direct manipulation of electromagnetic waves in the analog domain. This article presents BD-RIS as a wave-domain analog processing unit embedded within the transceiver aperture. By migrating linear signal processing functions from the digital baseband to the wave domain, BD-RISs significantly reduce computational load and energy consumption, enabling scalable and sustainable operation for extra-large antenna array systems. Owing to their ability to jointly provide high operational flexibility, modularity, and energy-efficient analog processing, transceiver-integrated BD-RISs offer a compelling architectural trade-off and emerge as a strong candidate for next-generation wireless transceivers.