The MIT chip that paves the way for 6G

More than a technological evolution, a paradigm shift. A group of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the world's most prestigious universities and research centers, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and other universities have developed an innovative transmitter chip capable of multiplying the energy efficiency of wireless communications , extending the range and battery life of connected devices. This breakthrough could profoundly transform the Internet of Things (IoT)—the network of physical objects, such as household appliances, sensors, vehicles, and industrial machinery, connected to the internet and capable of collecting, transmitting, and exchanging data among themselves or with centralized systems—and lay the foundation for 6G, with immediate benefits and applications ranging from smart factories to connected homes .

The heart of this innovation lies in a signal modulation strategy capable of encoding data more adaptively than traditional schemes . The chip converts digital information into electromagnetic signals using a non-uniform "pattern" of symbols that can adapt to rapidly changing radio channel conditions. This approach, called optimal modulation, allows more data to be transmitted while consuming less power and reducing the likelihood of errors .

Non-uniform modulation, while more efficient, tends to be more vulnerable to noise, especially in environments crowded with signals. The new chip solves this problem by introducing a small but ingenious solution: adding extra "padding" bits between symbols, so that each transmission is the same length. This way, the receiver can precisely identify the start and end of each data packet , avoiding confusion between symbols and noise .

The innovation is based on an algorithm previously developed by the researchers, called GRAND (Guessing Random Additive Noise Decoding), capable of "guessing" the noise affecting the transmission and thus decoding the original message. In the new system, a GRAND-inspired version also manages filler bits, correctly reconstructing the information without sacrificing the benefits of optimal modulation.

The chip, thanks to its compact and flexible architecture, achieved transmissions with an error rate one-quarter that of other optimal modulation methods , even surpassing traditional techniques. This was a surprise even for researchers accustomed to considering classical solutions the "gold standard" of wireless communication.