Dr. Dennis Prather and Dr. Xiao-Feng Qi, co-directors of UD-WiSE, were invited to be panelists at an NSF event hosted by ERVA in Denver, Colorado on June 13-14, 2024. The event focused on addressing US wireless competitiveness for the next two decades through engineering innovation. Topics included AI/ML, spectrum sharing, network architectures for distributed sensing, and hardware aspects of ultra-high-frequency systems.

Dr. Prather emphasized the potential of analog photonic computing as a feasible complement to the all-RF approach in upcoming wireless networks, which are transitioning towards higher beam-bandwidth products. He stated that processing at RF, whether analog or digital, is costly in the electronic realm. His proposed solution is to conduct all “RF” processing in the optical domain through the use of photonic integrated circuits (PICs).

Dr. Qi emphasized the view that competitiveness ought to be measured by system level performance: “Competitiveness should be evaluated at the SYSTEM level … in that antennas, fronthauls, and data centers are jointly optimized to allow rapid network deployment uptake. Hardware competitiveness will remain key to system competitiveness, …”

The outcomes of this event will serve as a blueprint for engineering research in the United States, addressing key challenges and paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in the next decade. This roadmap will empower stakeholders to lead the nation towards enhanced competitiveness in the global wireless industry.