RTML: Small: Achieving Real-Time and Energy-efficient Computing for 5G Networks (ARTEN): A Deep Reservoir Computing Approach

随着智能手机的普及和第五代（5G）移动宽带无线网络的部署，移动数据流量预计将在不久的将来出现爆炸式增长。在5G无线网络中，增强型移动宽带（eMBB）和大规模机器类型通信（mMTC）被视为5G无线电的两个主要用例，其中eMBB为低速移动用户提供高数据速率的稳定连接，为高速移动用户提供中等数据速率，eMTC支持大量物联网（IoT）设备，这些设备仅偶尔活跃以传输小数据有效载荷。在该项目中，将引入针对5G eMBB和mMTC量身定制的基于机器学习的新型硬件和定制高效训练算法，以实现5G无线网络的实时节能计算。这项研究将包括对研究生和本科生在电路设计、计算机、通信和网络方面的培训。通过开发以应用为导向的项目和弗吉尼亚理工大学外展项目支持的各种外展活动，包括来自STEM中代表性不足群体的学生在内的本科生将有机会培养创造性和独立解决问题的能力。该项目的目标是开发一种新颖的基于深度学习的软硬件协同设计平台，以实现以eMBB和mMTC为重点的5G无线网络的实时节能计算。具体而言，1)将设计基于深度学习的集成电路和架构，以实现实时和节能的学习；2)引入软硬件算法协同设计和定制化的低复杂度在线训练算法，实现eMBB的高数据速率符号检测和mMTC的分布式基于争用的随机访问策略。将开发软件和硬件测试平台来评估提出的硬件设计和学习算法。如果该项目的成功，将在未来的5G无线设备和网络中引入机器学习和深度学习，可能会给电信行业带来革命性的变化。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Fueled by the popularity of smartphones as well as the upcoming deployment of the fifth-generation (5G) mobile broadband wireless networks, mobile data traffic is projected to have an explosive growth in the near future. In 5G wireless networks, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and massive machine type communications (mMTC) are regarded as two primary use cases for 5G radios where eMBB supports stable connections with very high data rates for low-speed mobile users as well as moderate data rates for high-speed mobile users, and eMTC supports a massive number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices which are only sporadically active to transmit small data payloads. In this project, novel machine-learning-based hardware and customized efficient training algorithms tailored towards 5G eMBB and mMTC will be introduced to achieve real-time and energy-efficient computing for 5G wireless networks. The proposed research will involve training of both graduate and undergraduate students in circuit design, computing, communications, and networking. Through the development of application-oriented projects and various outreach activities supported by Virginia Tech's outreach programs, undergraduates including students from underrepresented groups in STEM will have opportunities to develop creative and independent problem-solving skills. The objective of this project is to develop a novel deep-learning-based hardware and software co-design platform to achieve real-time and energy-efficient computing for 5G wireless networks focusing on eMBB and mMTC. To be specific, 1) deep-learning-based integrated circuits and architectures will be designed to achieve real-time and energy-efficient learning; and 2) hardware-software-algorithm co-design with customized low-complexity online training algorithms will be introduced to realize high data rate symbol detection for eMBB as well as to realize distributed contention-based random-access strategies for mMTC. Both software and hardware testbeds will be developed to evaluate proposed hardware designs and learning algorithms. The success of the project will potentially revolutionize the telecommunication industry by incorporating machine learning and deep learning to the future 5G wireless devices and networks.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.