Project description
Reducing energy use in future wireless systems
As 5G, and soon 6G, reshape wireless communication, their soaring energy demands are becoming a serious challenge. By 2030, these networks could be responsible for a substantial share of global electricity demand, largely because they rely on analog transmitters that, by nature, are inefficient and waste power. The ERC-funded DISRUPT project tackles this problem by developing revolutionary, fully digital transmitters that combine CMOS and custom III-nitride technologies, enabling dense arrays of tiny, ultra-precise electronic switches operating in perfect sync – down to trillionths of a second – to generate the desired radio frequency signals. Paired with advanced digital signal processing and AI-driven error correction, this breakthrough approach could cut network energy use by up to 50 %, paving the way for more sustainable mobile networks.
Objective
Wireless communications has made fantastic progress. Yet, the gravest concern is the relentless exponential increase in energy
consumption of next-generation networks that adopt massive multi-input/multi-output (mMIMO) technology (e.g. in 5G/6G).
Without any major breakthroughs, these networks will devour a big portion of the global electricity production in 2030. The chief
culprit is the incumbent analog-intensive radio-frequency (RF) transmitter (TX) architecture of its front-end part, which invariably
suffers from linearity/efficiency trade-offs and standby currents irrespective of data traffic.
DISRUPT aims to bring new materials, devices, and design paradigm shifts by pioneering a revolutionary fully digital time-domain
signal generation delivering high RF power that will finally profit from the (so-far mostly theoretical) 3000x performance advantage of
III-Nitrides over Silicon.
DISRUPTs breakthroughs will be: 1) Novel material and device concepts for the new “digital RF power” paradigm. 2) Merger of
advanced CMOS with a to-be-developed (gate-)segmented III-N technology. This solution will utilize up to thousands of tiny low-VT
III-N “digital” FET devices configured in switch-bank arrays that are individually controlled at picosecond accuracy by a CMOS
controller through ultra-high-density flip-chip technology. This arrangement allows 3) distributed coherent signal generation,
enabling a direct synthesis of nearly perfect high-power wideband TX waveforms with superior amplitude and phase control. As such,
4) new efficiency enhancement schemes will be pioneered. 5) Its CMOS-on-GaN nature will lead to seamless inclusion of 6) new:
digital signal processing, clock generation, error detection, and artificial intelligence-based error correction, thereby reaching
unprecedented system efficiencies.
When successful, DISRUPT will enable a 50% reduction in the energy consumption of wireless networks compared to just following
the expected development innovations.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering information engineering telecommunications radio technology radio frequency
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry metalloids
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-SyG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2628 CN Delft
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.