Project description
Novel adaptive technologies for next-generation wireless networks
The demand for faster and more reliable wireless communication grows with the advent of 6G, yet traditional technologies face limitations in adapting to these complex and dynamic radio environments. Fluid antenna systems (FASs) are promising for 6G as they involve the use of liquid antennas that can adjust their positions in real time, thereby improving capacity and interference management. However, optimising the antenna positions is computationally challenging owing to the vast number of possibilities. The ERC-funded QUARTO project will integrate FAS-based MIMO systems with quantum annealing – a quantum computing technique that could help overcome this challenge. The proposed method will be compared to existing technologies to examine how it performs in different scenarios, such as solving mathematical problems and working with up to 100 antennas.
Objective
Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology transformed wireless communications. However, the extreme requirements of the envisioned 6G services and the highly complex and dynamic radio environments of next-generation wireless networks call for better exploitation of the spatial channel dynamics and adaptation to rapid channel variations. Fluid antenna systems (FAS) have been recently proposed in response to these issues. They leverage liquid antennas whose position can be adjusted in real-time to enhance reconfigurability and, therefore, improve capacity, reliability, energy harvesting, and interference management. Nevertheless, antenna positions optimization is a particularly challenging problem that cannot be efficiently tacked by conventional means, especially given the excess of possible positions required to unlock FAS potential. Quantum computing alleviates this processing bottleneck.
Based on the above, QUARTO Proof-of-Concept (PoC) aims at developing and validating through D-WAVE experimentation a novel FAS-based and Quantum Annealing (QA)-enabled MIMO communication paradigm. QUARTO focuses on establishing the effectiveness of a proposed pre-processing technique for large-scale quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problems, experimentally validating the QA-based antenna configuration solution for FAS-based MIMO systems, demonstrating its benefits in comparison to the state of the art, and exploring its commercial potential. The project will benchmark the pre-processing technique on classical graph problems, such as MaxCut, scaling from 100 up to 2,000 variables, and will test the QA-based solution on MIMO configurations with up to 100 liquid antennas and ports.
The proposed solution provides new R&D directions in quantum computing and 6G wireless communication technologies. By integrating QA with FAS-based MIMO systems, QUARTO aims to deliver superior performance and pave the way for future technological breakthroughs.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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
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.
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-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept 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-POC
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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.
1678 Nicosia
Cyprus
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