AIDRC Seminar Series - Carles Antón-Haro

Title:

AI/ML- and model-driven designs for B5G/6G radio interface (ARISTIDES)

Abstract:

As 5G deployments get underway, the focus of wireless research is shifting towards the definition of 6G. In this process, sophisticated technologies such as Terahertz communications, ultra-massive MIMO, or network virtualization and disaggregation are coming into play. Their adoption will boost network performance and, by doing so, enable futuristic use cases such as holographic communications, tactile internet for remote operations, or massive connectivity. However, efficiently running 6G networks will become increasingly complex. To manage such complexity, higher automation levels will be needed. In fulfilling these goals, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques will play a pivotal role.

Over the last three years, in the ARISTIDES project, CTTC has investigated how to further develop AI, machine and statistical learning techniques, as well as how to harness their potential for the design of the physical and lower layer functionalities of beyond-5G and 6G networks. The performance of the proposed schemes has been validated in proof-of-concept demonstrators. This presentation will provide an overview of selected research results in ARISTIDES. This includes novel random-access schemes powered by deep reinforcement learning, data-driven beam selection for hybrid beamforming, user clustering strategies for MIMO-NOMA networks, or hierarchical beamforming approaches for random access channels, among others. Besides, the experimental equipment and testbeds developed by the project and, notably, the B5G/6G multi-user MIMO testbed will be succinctly described. Finally, several dissemination actions such as dataset generation and demos conducted at selected conferences (e.g., EUCNC’22) will be presented, as well.

Bio:

Carles Antón-Haro holds a PhD in Telecommunications Engineering from the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) and an MBA from EADA Business School. He is a Director of EU R&D Programmes and Industry Contracts and Research Director at the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC). Main duties, in addition to his daily research activity, include the overall coordination of CTTC’s participation in R&D projects and technology transfer activities, networking activities towards the establishment of strategic alliances, and formation of research consortia with the industry and academia. He is an elected member of the Steering Board of the Networld2020 European Technology Platform and the 6G Infrastructure Association (2020-present time) where he also chairs the Working Group on 5G Trials. Since 2001, he has promoted or coordinated over 80 R&D projects or proposals and has been directly involved in some of them (he is the Principal Investigator of the ARISTIDES project). Carles is an appointed member of the International Scientific Advisory Board of the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3, Open University of Catalonia, 2017-present time).

His major fields of specialization are statistical signal processing, machine and deep learning for communications and related fields, (beyond) 5G/6G communication systems. He has published +130 technical papers in journals, books/book chapters and in international conferences.

He is also very actively involved in the organization of major conferences and workshops such as the IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference 2018 (General Chair), the European Signal Processing Conference 2011 (General Vice-chair), or IRACON’s Training School on Machine/Deep Learning for beyond 5G networks (Co-chair, 2019). He is an appointed member of the Steering Board of the IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC, 2019-2021).