Together, we set the stage for advancing tomorrow’s communications with new RF models.
Pioneering a new approach to software-enabled radio frequency (RF) requires a team of academics and industry partners. The goal at Arizona State University was to enable software-defined RF with many different functions around communications radar, positioning navigation, and timing, as part of DARPA’s Domain-System-on-Chip (DSSoC) program.
Arm provided both the IP and expertise, with leading RF genius, Dan Bliss, to help make the innovation a reality and move the project forward.
Early-Stage Research Driving Long-Term Technology
The Center for Wireless Information System’s Computation Architectures at Arizona State University builds experimental projects that are often applied to real-world challenges, in addition to conducting theoretical work. Currently, it’s working on radio frequency (RF) convergence and spectrum sharing, developing techniques to run multiple radio functions on the same spectrum, simultaneously.
Under the DARPA ERI program, DSSoC, a specific project called Domain-Focused Advanced Software-Reconfigurable Heterogeneous SoC (DASH-SoC) is investigating software-defined RF for communications, including radar, positioning navigation, and timing. Together with several other universities, including Arizona State, Arm collaborated on the proposal and is part of the project.
Since the project requires computationally expensive processor technology, Bliss and his team decided to build custom accelerators with a sophisticated, intelligent scheduler to perform process threading. To support this research, Arm provided valuable processor IP and tools, including the Arm Revere-AU architecture prototype.
DARPA’s requirements required us to really push the boundaries, and we were all concerned about this from the start. But because of Arm and how well the Revere-AMU architecture works, it went from a high-risk part of the project to low risk.”
Active Team Participation from Arm
In addition to providing IP, Arm experts have supported the researchers on regular calls and with valuable input in using each processor technology. Arm understands the importance of processor technology in research projects such as these and has designed its IP so it’s ready to be integrated into another product in whatever form is required.
By providing processor expertise and advice, Arm has helped the team navigate and mitigate program development risks and kept the project moving forward.
In the case of our DSSoC project, we are driving some tech development and pushing it out to industry. Meanwhile industry helps us make sure we are focused on the issues that are of actual real value to them. That makes us more efficient as researchers."
