Enhancing the Low-PHY functions Efficiency in 5G Networks through Hardware-based SmartNIC Acceleration using OpenCL

Youssef Hassan Gharib, Gabriel Pedro Paião, Leandro Ronchini Ximenes, Rangel Arthur

DOI: 10.14209/sbrt.2024.1571036498

Evento: XLII Simpósio Brasileiro de Telecomunicações e Processamento de Sinais (SBrT2024)

Keywords: 5G Low-PHY OpenCL

Abstract

The goal of 5G technology is to support new services based on three main usage scenarios: (I) eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband), (II) mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communication), and (III) URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication). To provide better signal processing within the network, this research aims to propose the implementation of the Low-PHY layer functions of the Distributed Unit (DU) in 5G on hardware (FPGA), leveraging the capabilities of the Open Computing Language (OpenCL). This framework is compatible with heterogeneous computing environments, enabling parallel processing. Since OpenCL programming allows a single program written by the host to be executed across different heterogeneous platforms, it becomes feasible to allocate specific functions to run on the FPGA or other hardware while others run on the CPU, thereby reducing the processing load on the processing unit. Consequently, the processing time of signal samples will decrease.

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