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A radio chip that transmits data at a speed of 120 Gbps has been developed in California.
Wireless communication that operates almost like fiber optics no longer sounds like science fiction. Engineers at the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) have developed a radio transceiver capable of operating at frequencies up to 140 GHz and transmitting data at speeds comparable to physical fiber optic cables. This development paves the way for 6G and FutureG networks and could radically change the way we transmit data.
The new chip is a complete transmitter and receiver system, built on an unusual architecture that combines analog and digital signal processing. This approach not only achieves record speeds but also high energy efficiency compared to existing solutions. According to the scientists, this technology can be compared to a "wireless fiber optic patch cord"—it delivers the speed of fiber optics without the need for cables. Operating in the so-called F-band, which is significantly higher than the frequencies of today's 5G networks, provides enormous throughput and lays the foundation for future communication standards.
The idea for a new architecture began to take shape back in 2020, when researchers realized that classic chips based on mixed analog-digital processing would eventually reach their performance and power consumption limits. Increased speeds have always been accompanied by a sharp increase in power consumption, and if old approaches were maintained, mobile device batteries would drain in minutes. The solution was to move most of the complex calculations to the analog domain, thereby overcoming the key limitations of traditional digital solutions.
As a result, the resulting transceiver is capable of operating at 120 Gbps. This is enough to transmit several 4K movies almost instantly. Furthermore, the developers eliminated the traditional power-hungry digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters, which are considered a bottleneck in high-speed systems. The transmitter generates a signal directly in the radio frequency range, and the receiver uses hierarchical analog demodulation, allowing data to be extracted before the digitalization stage. This approach dramatically reduces power consumption and makes the technology suitable even for portable devices.
The project's practical benefits are also emphasized. The chip is manufactured using a standard 22-nanometer process, without any exotic manufacturing methods, paving the way for mass production and lower costs. According to the developers, the technology could be particularly useful in data centers , where it will eliminate complex copper connections and replace them with ultra-fast wireless links between server racks. This will result in savings on equipment, cooling, and power consumption.
The new communications system operating at frequencies around 140 GHz is seen as a crucial step toward the next generation of wireless networks. It could become the technological foundation for future 6G networks, next-generation IoT , autonomous vehicles, and distributed AI systems, which require not only high speed but also minimal latency during data transmission.
Wireless communication that operates almost like fiber optics no longer sounds like science fiction. Engineers at the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) have developed a radio transceiver capable of operating at frequencies up to 140 GHz and transmitting data at speeds comparable to physical fiber optic cables. This development paves the way for 6G and FutureG networks and could radically change the way we transmit data.
The new chip is a complete transmitter and receiver system, built on an unusual architecture that combines analog and digital signal processing. This approach not only achieves record speeds but also high energy efficiency compared to existing solutions. According to the scientists, this technology can be compared to a "wireless fiber optic patch cord"—it delivers the speed of fiber optics without the need for cables. Operating in the so-called F-band, which is significantly higher than the frequencies of today's 5G networks, provides enormous throughput and lays the foundation for future communication standards.
The idea for a new architecture began to take shape back in 2020, when researchers realized that classic chips based on mixed analog-digital processing would eventually reach their performance and power consumption limits. Increased speeds have always been accompanied by a sharp increase in power consumption, and if old approaches were maintained, mobile device batteries would drain in minutes. The solution was to move most of the complex calculations to the analog domain, thereby overcoming the key limitations of traditional digital solutions.
As a result, the resulting transceiver is capable of operating at 120 Gbps. This is enough to transmit several 4K movies almost instantly. Furthermore, the developers eliminated the traditional power-hungry digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters, which are considered a bottleneck in high-speed systems. The transmitter generates a signal directly in the radio frequency range, and the receiver uses hierarchical analog demodulation, allowing data to be extracted before the digitalization stage. This approach dramatically reduces power consumption and makes the technology suitable even for portable devices.
The project's practical benefits are also emphasized. The chip is manufactured using a standard 22-nanometer process, without any exotic manufacturing methods, paving the way for mass production and lower costs. According to the developers, the technology could be particularly useful in data centers , where it will eliminate complex copper connections and replace them with ultra-fast wireless links between server racks. This will result in savings on equipment, cooling, and power consumption.
The new communications system operating at frequencies around 140 GHz is seen as a crucial step toward the next generation of wireless networks. It could become the technological foundation for future 6G networks, next-generation IoT , autonomous vehicles, and distributed AI systems, which require not only high speed but also minimal latency during data transmission.
