IEEE SSCS Workshop on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

14 March @ 9:00 am12:30 pm EDT
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Topic:

IEEE Solid-State Circuits Directions Series: Think Impact with ICs: Workshop on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces; Standards, Design and Deployment

Day 1, Friday, March 14, 2025:

9:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM PT

Day 2, Monday, March 17, 2025:

9:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM PT

Register here: https://ieee.webex.com/webappng/sites/ieee/webinar/webinarSeries/register/47321edcd5fd471a8874d843d6c70e57

Co-sponsored by: IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society

Abstract: The Workshop on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces; Standards, Design and Deployment is a two-day event dedicated to exploring advancements and challenges in Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) for next-generation communication systems. Leading experts from academia and industry will provide insights into RIS technology, from theory to practical application, highlighting challenges to help directions in future research. This workshop aims to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange, equipping attendees with a comprehensive understanding of RIS research, standardization, deployment, and testing methodologies, driving innovation in wireless communication systems.

Day 1 begins with an Overview of RIS and its Application to Next Generation Communication Systems by Dr. Emil Bjornson. This is followed by Dr. Arman Shojaeifard discussing Standardization Activities, and Dr. Ertugrul Basar addressing Network Deployment Challenges. The day concludes with Dr. Marco De Renzo’s session on RIS System Design Challenges.

Day 2 covers specific applications and technical aspects. Dr. Qammer H. Abbasi will present on RIS for Indoor Applications and outdoor cellular bands, followed by Dr. Tie Jun Cui discussing Hardware Design and Various Types of RIS. Dr. Yifei Yuan will showcase Prototypes and Testbeds Demonstrating RIS Capabilities, and Dr. Joao Ferreira will conclude with Test and Certification Challenges.

 

Agenda:

Day 1

9:00 am – 9:05 am: Opening Remarks

  • Speaker: Dr. Khurram Muhammad
  • Overview: Introduction to the workshop, objectives, and an overview of the agenda.

9:05 am – 9:40 am: Overview of RIS and its Application to Next Generation Communication Systems

  • Speaker: Dr. Emil Bjornson

9:40 am – 10:15 am: Standardization Activities

  • Speaker: Dr. Arman Shojaeifard

15 min Break

10:30 am – 11:05 am: Network Deployment Challenges

  • Speaker: Dr. Ertugrul Basar

11:05 am – 11:40 am: RIS System Design Challenges

  • Speaker: Dr. Marco De Renzo

11:40 am – 12:10 am: Panel Discussion: The Future of RIS in Wireless communication

  • Panelists: Dr. Emil Bjornson, Dr. Arman Shojaeifard, Dr. Ertugrul Basar, Dr. Marco De Renzo
  • Moderator: Dr. Khurram Muhammad
  • Overview:
  1. Interactive discussion on the future prospects of RIS
  2. Audience Q&A session and Insights on emerging trends and research directions

 

Day 2

9:00 am – 9:05 am: Opening Remarks

Speaker: Dr. Khurram Muhammad

  • Introduction to the second day, objectives, and an overview of the agenda.

9:05 am – 9:40 am: RIS for Indoor Applications & Outdoor Cellular Bands

  • Speaker: Dr. Qammer H. Abbasi

9:40 am – 10:15 am Hardware Design and Various Types of RIS

  • Speaker: Dr. Tie Jun Cui

5 min Break

10:30 am – 11:05 am: Prototypes and Testbeds Demonstrating RIS Capabilities

  • Speaker: Dr. Yifei Yuan

11:05 am – 11:40 am: Test and Certification Challenges

  • Speaker: Dr. Joao Ferreira

11:40 am – 12:10 am: Panel Discussion: Overcoming Technical Barriers in RIS Deployment

  • Panelists: Dr. Qammer H. Abbasi, Dr. Tie Jun Cui, Dr. Yifei Yuan, Dr. Joao Ferreira
  • Moderator: Dr. Khurram Muhammad
  • Overview:
  1. Interactive discussion on technical barriers and solutions
  2. Audience Q&A session and Insights on future research and development directions
  • Conclusion of the workshop

 

Day 1

Title: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: Vision, Fundamental Algorithms, and Practical Challenges

Abstract: Wireless communication systems have traditionally been designed to operate under the channel conditions provided by nature, with the Shannon capacity being the ultimate limit. The advent of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) changes the status quo by adding the ability to control wave propagation, thereby modifying the capacity. A RIS is an array of reflecting elements with properties that can be tuned to synthesize the reflection behavior of a differently shaped object. The larger the surface is, the greater performance improvements are possible. The gains are achieved by adapting the RIS configuration to the channel coefficients from the transmitter to the receiver via the RIS, which must be estimated in practice. The estimation challenge grows with the number of reflecting elements, in terms of the signal resources required for pilot signaling. The problem differs from the classical estimation problems in multi-antenna communications because the RIS is blind and substantially larger. Hence, the estimation dimensionality might be the showstopper for practical RIS deployments. In this talk, we will cover the fundamentals of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces as well as how array signal processing theory methods can be used to solve the channel estimation issues in specific scenarios. This leads to a theory-driven conclusion on what deployment scenarios are most promising for real-world RIS deployment. The talk will end with an outlook on some of the unsolved showstoppers for RIS technology, which require further research to be addressed.

Bio: Emil Björnson is a Professor of Wireless Communication at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. He is an IEEE Fellow, Digital Futures Fellow, and Wallenberg Academy Fellow. He has a podcast and YouTube channel called Wireless Future. His research focuses on multi-antenna communications and radio resource management, using methods from  communication theory, signal processing, and machine learning. He has authored four textbooks and published much simulation code. He has received the 2018 and 2022 IEEE Marconi Prize Paper Awards in Wireless Communications, the 2019 EURASIP Early Career Award, the 2019 IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize, the 2019 IEEE Signal Processing Magazine Best Column Award, the 2020 Pierre-Simon Laplace Early Career Technical Achievement Award, the 2020 CTTC Early Achievement Award, the 2021 IEEE ComSoc RCC Early Achievement Award, the 2023 IEEE ComSoc Outstanding Paper Award, and the 2024 IEEE Stephen O. Rice Prize.

 

Talk title: RIS Research and Standardization at ETSI

Abstract: ETSI Industry Specification Group (ISG) on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) was formed to coordinate and streamline pre-standardization research on RIS technology and pave the way for future standardization and eventual commercialization of the technology. This talk provides an overview of the ETSI ISG RIS current state of research and standardization activities undertaken, and a roadmap for future work of the group.

Bio: Dr Arman Shojaeifard has extensive experience in research and standardization of radio transmission technologies, protocols and architectures. He is currently a Senior Manager of Engineering at InterDigital Inc., where he is responsible for the Radio Access Network (RAN) R&D at the Wireless Lab Europe in London, UK. He also serves as the Chair of the ETSI Industry Specification Group on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (ISG RIS). He was previously a Principal Researcher and 3GPP RAN1 WG Delegate at British Telecommunications.

 

Talk title: Present and Future of RIS-Empowered Networks

Abstract: Our community has witnessed the rise of many exciting communication technologies in recent years. In this context, 6G wireless networks will inevitably require a rethinking of wireless communication systems and technologies, particularly at the physical layer, since the cellular industry reached another critical milestone with the development of 5G wireless networks with diverse applications. Within this perspective, this talk aims to shed light on the most recent developments in reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-empowered communication towards 6G and beyond wireless networks by discussing promising candidates for future research and development. Specifically, we emphasize different RIS architectures, emerging RIS use cases, and the most recent practical implementation results.

Bio: Prof. Ertugrul Basar received his Ph.D. degree from Istanbul Technical University in 2013. He is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey, and the director of the Communications Research and Innovation Laboratory (CoreLab). He had visiting positions at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany (2022, Mercator Fellow) and Princeton University, USA (2011-2012, Visiting Research Collaborator). His primary research interests include 6G and beyond wireless networks, communication theory and systems, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, software-defined radio implementations, waveform design, physical layer security, and deep learning and signal processing for communications. In the past, Dr. Başar served as an Editor/Senior Editor for many journals, including IEEE Communications Letters (2016-2022), IEEE Transactions on Communications (2018-2022), Physical Communication (2017-2020), and IEEE Access (2016-2018). Currently, he is an Editor of Frontiers in Communications and Networks. He is the author/co-author of more than 180 international journal publications and 17 patents that received around 16K citations. He also supervised 7 PhD and 18 master’s students. He is an Associate Member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA). In recognition of his outstanding contributions to physical-layer design for next-generation wireless networks, Prof. Basar was elevated to IEEE Fellow in 2023, becoming one of the youngest IEEE Fellows of Turkey at the age of 37. He is also a Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (AAIA) and the Artificial Intelligence Industry Academy (AIIA). Recently, Dr. Basar has been selected as an IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer for the Class of 2024-2025.

 

Talk title: Stacked Intelligent Metasurfaces: Communication, Computing and Sensing

in the Wave Domain

Abstract: In the last few years, dynamic (reconfigurable) metasurfaces, often referred to as reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) in wireless communications, have received major attention for several telecommunication applications. RISs can be utilized to customize the propagation of radio waves through smart reflections and refractions,as well as to realize low-complexity transceivers, e.g., to modulate data for backscattering communications. More recently, reconfigurable metasurfaces have been proposed to conceive a new technology in which multiple dynamic metasurfaces are stacked together, in order to process data by mimicking a feed-forward artificial neural network that operates in the electromagnetic domain. In the context of wireless communications, this technology is referred to as stacked intelligent metasurface (SIM). The main advantage of SIM is to reduce the power consumption and complexity of digital artificial neural networks, as it is known that the power consumption of analog-to-digital converters increases exponentially with the number of bits and linearly with the bandwidth. Therefore, a wave-domain implementation is often considered an energy efficient alternative to all-digital solutions. Specifically, SIM is considered a multifunction technology for integrating communication, sensing and computing and for implementing them efficiently in the wave domain. In this talk, we provide an overview of SIM-aided MIMO transceivers, including their novelty, hardware architecture, and potential benefits over state-of-the-art solutions for communication, computing, and sensing applications.

Bio: Marco Di Renzo (Fellow, IEEE) received the Laurea (cum laude) and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of L’Aquila, Italy, in 2003 and 2007, respectively, and the Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (Doctor of Science) degree from University Paris-Sud (currently Paris-Saclay University), France, in 2013. Currently, he is a CNRS Research Director (Professor) and the Head of the Intelligent Physical Communications group with the Laboratory of Signals and Systems (L2S) at CNRS & CentraleSupélec, Paris-Saclay University, Paris, France, as well as a Chair Professor in Telecommunications Engineering with the Centre for Telecommunications Research — Department of Engineering, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom. He was a France-Nokia Chair of Excellence in ICT at the University of Oulu (Finland), a Tan Chin Tuan Exchange Fellow in Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), a Fulbright Fellow at The City University of New York (USA), a Nokia Foundation Visiting Professor at Aalto University (Finland), and a Royal Academy of Engineering Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast (U.K.). He is a Fellow of the IEEE, IET, EURASIP, and AAIA; an Academician of AIIA; an Ordinary Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, an Ordinary Member of the Academia Europaea; an Ambassador of the European Association on Antennas and Propagation; and a Highly Cited Researcher. His recent research awards include the Michel Monpetit Prize conferred by the French Academy of Sciences and the IEEE Communications Society Marconi Prize Paper Award in Wireless Communications. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Communications Letters from 2019 to 2023. His current main roles within the IEEE Communications Society include serving as a Voting Member of the Fellow Evaluation Standing Committee, as the Chair of the Publications Misconduct Ad Hoc Committee, and as the Director of Journals.

 

Day 2

Title: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) for Communication, Sensing, and Localisation

Abstract: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) have emerged as a transformative technology for next-generation wireless networks, enabling precise control of electromagnetic waves to enhance communication, sensing, and localisation. RIS leverages programmable metasurfaces composed of sub-wavelength reflective elements to dynamically manipulate the amplitude, phase, and polarization of incident waves. This capability supports diverse applications in 6G scenarios, including high-speed data transmission, real-time health monitoring, and indoor localisation. In communication, RIS improves energy efficiency and signal coverage, particularly in Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) environments. It achieves efficient beamforming with minimal power consumption and low hardware complexity. For sensing applications, RIS enables high-accuracy vital sign detection, including real-time heartbeat and respiration monitoring in NLoS conditions, overcoming limitations of conventional RF sensing technologies. For localisation, RIS enhances the performance of machine-learning-based indoor positioning systems by reshaping radio wave propagation and reducing multipath fading effects. The technology supports both active and passive localisation methods, making it ideal for complex, dynamic environments. RIS holds immense potential in integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems, paving the way for innovative solutions in smart homes, healthcare, and urban environments. By addressing challenges such as NLoS coverage, hardware constraints, and energy efficiency, RIS is poised to play a critical role in realising the vision of ubiquitous, intelligent, and sustainable wireless networks.

Bio: Qammer H. Abbasi (SMIEEE, FRET, FRSA, FEAI, FIET), Professor of Applied Electromagnetics & Sensing with the James Watt School (JWS) of Engineering, Theme lead for Connecting People priority  at JWS, Director for Communication Sensing and Imaging (CSI) Hub and UK Government’s Policy Advisor in Department for Science Innovation & Technology. He has  grant portfolio of £13M+ and contributed to more than 500+ leading international technical journal (including nature portfolio) and peer reviewed conference papers, 11 books and received several recognitions for his research including UK exceptional talent endorsement by Royal Academy of Engineering, Sensor 2021 Young Scientist Award, University level Teaching excellence award  in addition to coverage by various media houses globally, BBC news, Scotland TV, Fiercewireless, theEngineers and many other media houses. Prof. Abbasi is an IEEE senior member and is chair of IEEE APS/MTT UK, Ireland and Scotland joint chapter. He is an Associate editor for IEEE Sensors, IEEE open journal of Antenna and Propagation, IEEE JBHI and scientific reports. He is IEEE APS distinguished lecturer (2024-26), Vice-Chair of IEEE APS Young professional committee, Sub-committee chair for IEEE YP Ambassador program,  committee member for IEEE 1906.1.1 standard on nano communication, IEEE APS/SC WG P145, IET Antenna & Propagation and healthcare network. He is/was Fellow of Royal Society of Arts, industrial Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering (2022-23), Fellow of Institution of Engineering & Technology and Fellow of  European Alliance of innovation.

 

Title: Information Metasurfaces and RIS: From System to Chip

Abstract: In this talk, I will introduce the concepts of programmable metasurface (or reconfigurable intelligent surface, RIS) and information metasurface, and present their strong capabilities in controlling electromagnetic waves and processing digital information in real time. I will focus their applications in wireless communications, intelligent sensing, and programmable artificial intelligence (AI) computing, from the system level to chip level.

Bio: Tie Jun Cui is the Chief Professor of Southeast University, Nanjing, China, the Director of State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Waves, and the Founding Director of Institute of Electromagnetic Space, Southeast University. His research interests include computational electromagnetics and metamaterials. He proposed the concepts of digital coding and programmable metamaterials and established the new direction of information metamaterials, which can bridge the physical world and digital world, and are easy to integrate with the artificial intelligence. He published over 700+ peer-reviewed journal papers that have been cited by more than 76000 times (H-factor 134), and received many awards, including the National Natural Science Awards of China in 2014 and 2018, the Frontiers of Science Award in the First International Congress of Basic Science in 2023, the IEEE ComSoc Marconi Prize in 2024, the Tan Kah Kee Information Science Award in 2024, and the Leading Technology (Natural Science) Award in 2024 World Internet Conference. Dr. Cui is an Academician of Chinese Academy of Science and IEEE Fellow.

 

Title: RIS Study for 6G Mobile Communications

Abstract: As a potential key technology of 6G mobile communications, RIS is expected to significantly improve the system spectral efficiency, the network coverage and reduce the power consumption of mobile networks. Performance of RIS can be evaluated by using the simulation methodology currently for 5G in 3GPP, with certain enhancements. The air-interface technology of RIS includes the control signaling of RIS, the transmission schemes, network coordination, etc. RIS hardware and control are the foundation of RIS-aided mobile systems. Their study is crucial to ensure the low cost, low power consumption and the satisfying tuning properties of RIS devices. Finally, several field trials of RIS in 5G commercial networks are illustrated where noticeable gains are observed.

Bio: Dr. Yifei Yuan is an IEEE Fellow, a Chief Expert of China Mobile Research Institute. He received his Bachelor & Master degrees from Tsinghua University, China, and a Ph. D degree from Carnegie Mellon University, USA. He was with Alcatel-Lucent from 2000 to 2008, working on 3G/4G key technologies. From 2008 to 2020, he was with ZTE as technical director and Chief Engineer, responsible for standards research on LTE-Advanced and 5G. Since 2020, he has been with China Mobile Research Institute, responsible for advanced research of 6G air interface. His research interests include MIMO, channel coding, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), internet-of-things (IoT), reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) and their standardizations in 3GPP, receiving worldwide attention and recognition. He has more than 90 journal or conference papers and 150 granted patents. He is an Editor of IEEE Communications Letters and an Editor of China Communications. He is the leading Guest Editor of Special Issue on RIS of ZTE Communications. He was the rapporteur of 3GPP 5G study on non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). He is the recipient of the Best Paper Award by IEEE Communications Society Asia-Pacific Board for a paper with 3400+ citations. He is the Vice Chair of Task Force group of RIS in IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group of China and the Chair of System Technology Working Group of RIS Technology Alliance (RISTA). He also serves as the Industry Liaison Officer of IEEE Emerging Technology Initiative (ETI) on RIS. He has authored/co-authored 13 books on LTE-Advanced relay (in English published by Springer), LTE-Advanced key technologies, narrow-band IoT and its standards evolution, 5G NR channel coding (also in English by CRC Press), 5G ultra-dense networks, 5G non-orthogonal multiple access (also in English by CRC Press), 5G random access enhancements, 5G massive MIMO enhancements, 5G unlicensed spectrum, 6G air interface technologies (also in English by Elsevier), RIS (also in English by CRC Press), respectively.

 

Title: Testing and Certification of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: Challenges and Future Directions

Abstract: As Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) technology gains traction in next-generation communication systems, ensuring seamless deployment requires robust testing and certification methodologies. This talk will explore the critical challenges in verifying RIS devices’ performance, reliability, and compliance with evolving communication standards.

We will discuss the testing requirements introduced by RIS. Additionally, we will address the complexities of certification frameworks, including the alignment with regulatory standards across frequency bands (FR1, FR2, FR3) and the need for scalable, efficient testbeds for high-throughput and low-latency scenarios.

Through this session, attendees will gain an understanding of the existing gaps in RIS test and certification processes, the tools and methodologies currently under development, and how the research community can collaborate to address these challenges.

Bio: Joao Ferreira is a PhD student at KU Leuven, where their research focuses on advanced wireless communication systems, with a particular emphasis on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) and next-generation network technologies. In parallel, they work as an R&D engineer at Keysight Technologies, contributing to developing cutting-edge testing solutions for emerging wireless communication standards.

As a rapporteur for the ETSI Industry Specification Group on RIS, Joao Ferreira shapes the standardization efforts for RIS technologies, ensuring their interoperability and alignment with industry requirements. Their work bridges academia and industry, addressing critical challenges in test and certification methodologies for future communication systems.

Joao Ferreira is strongly interested in the practical implementation of RIS, including testbeds, validation frameworks, and compliance with regulatory standards across diverse frequency bands.

Venue

Online

Organizer

Danielle Marinese
Email