2025, Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part A
Low-power VLSI design for next-generation wireless communication systems
Author(s): Katharina Meinhardt, Lukas Schneider and Anna Vogel
Abstract: The rapid expansion of wireless communication networks, particularly with the advent of 5G and the anticipated deployment of 6G, has intensified the demand for energy-efficient hardware solutions. Very-Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits lie at the core of wireless transceivers, enabling tasks such as modulation, channel coding, and multi-antenna signal detection. However, scaling to nanometer technology nodes has heightened leakage currents, power density, and variability, thereby making low-power design a pressing challenge. This study investigates a holistic approach that integrates circuit-, architecture-, and system-level methodologies to address these constraints. Using 28 nm and 16 nm CMOS test cases, the research applied near-threshold voltage operation, fine-grained power gating, multi-Vt strategies, and workload-aware dynamic voltage and frequency scaling. Furthermore, architectural innovations such as reconfigurable LDPC and Polar decoders, pipeline-friendly MIMO detectors, and SRAM-based in-memory computing macros were implemented to evaluate their effectiveness in energy reduction. Experimental validation demonstrated average energy savings of 33-36% per bit across representative wireless baseband blocks, accompanied by throughput gains of 4-6% without loss of error-correction accuracy. At the system level, adaptive DVFS improved energy efficiency by 27-39% across variable traffic loads. These outcomes confirm the hypothesis that a cross-layer design methodology can deliver significant reductions in power consumption while sustaining performance requirements for future wireless systems. The study concludes that practical deployment of low-power VLSI design principles will be essential for enabling scalable, sustainable, and high-performance wireless communication infrastructures in the era of ubiquitous connectivity.
DOI: 10.22271/27084531.2025.v6.i2a.91
Pages: 14-18 | Views: 1 | Downloads: 1
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How to cite this article:
Katharina Meinhardt, Lukas Schneider, Anna Vogel. Low-power VLSI design for next-generation wireless communication systems. Int J Res Circuits Devices Syst 2025;6(2):14-18. DOI: 10.22271/27084531.2025.v6.i2a.91
