Making mandatory device upgrades a thing of the past
The DASH chip (pictured) could let us update our device capabilities without replacing the device itself. That would mean no more costly mandatory upgrades. Photo courtesy of Daniel Bliss, Center for Wireless Information Systems and Computational Architectures, and DASH Tech Integrated Circuits
Hate having to upgrade your device? Arizona State University researchers are building sustainable microchips that could free us from mandatory device upgrades. These powerful processors will also improve communications for national defense, including in space.
“Both these technologies are critical for the future of the Department of Defense and potentially really enabling for the future of 6G,” says Daniel Bliss, who leads these research efforts at ASU. “We are really well placed to make a big difference in a lot of advanced technology.”
Why this research matters
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Two DARPA-funded projects led to two chips that balance power efficiency with the ability to talk across a wider range of frequencies. The team is now testing prototypes from both projects.
“Usually if it's more flexible, that's great, but it's less efficient. Or it's more efficient, that's great, but now it's less flexible. So we are trying to do both at the same time,” says Bliss, who directs the Center for Wireless Information Systems and Computational Architectures.
The first project, called DASH, is part of DARPA’s Domain-Specific System on Chip program. It focuses on radio frequency communications and allows for capabilities like integrated sensing and communications. The second project, COCHON, is part of DARPA’s Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node program. It applies the same principles from DASH to laser-based, or optical, communications. It’s especially useful for relaying data between satellites.
While the government funded these projects to meet defense needs, the chips have so many practical uses that they could eventually reshape consumer technology. Such spillover benefits are a common outcome of federally funded university research.
Agile comms for national security
The U.S. Department of War uses a wide range of radio frequencies for secure communications. Typically, a low-power radio could only use one type of frequency. With the DASH chip, one radio can cover multiple frequencies while using less power — helping the DOD adapt to changing conditions.
The DOD also needs to connect with more satellites — its own as well as commercial satellites. The COCHON chip will make it easier to use all available resources and ensure it can talk to the next generation of satellites as well.
Another challenge is that all solutions need to be low in cost, size, weight and power — what engineers call “C-SWaP.”
“Low C-SWaP solutions are a critical DOD need. But it turns out we all want low C-SWaP solutions for our lives, too. So there’s a strong commercial pull as well,” says Bliss, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering.
We need to have radio systems that are more flexible to make sure that we can update them and we don’t get into the scenario where everything has to be thrown away every two years.
Daniel BlissASU professor, electrical engineering
Better service and savings
The DASH chip could help solve everyday problems, like poor cell service in rural areas. The flexibility allows phones to switch to longer-range frequencies when needed.
“If you look at the evolution of the way cellular systems have worked, they are typically getting better and better for people with more money. We’re getting worse at supporting communities that are in a rural environment and are more constrained financially,” Bliss says.
Likewise, emergency response could use this technology when traditional cell service is down.
The DASH chip would also let us update our device capabilities, like adding 6G to a 5G phone, without replacing the device itself. That would mean no more of those costly mandatory upgrades.
“My smart watch is a type of radio system, and it’s like my fifth one. I got the original Pebble when they first came out, and now I’ve gone through a whole bunch of different watches. It’s kind of ridiculous,” Bliss says. “We need to have radio systems that are more flexible to make sure that we can update them and we don’t get into the scenario where everything has to be thrown away every two years.”
Longer-lived devices don’t just save you money, they also reduce electronic waste and save natural resources like rare earth minerals.
The chip could also lower electric bills. Devices like your home WiFi router constantly search for signals, draining energy. Flexible chips would let them switch to low-power communications modes when idle.
What’s next?
Due to the special equipment needed, the team worked with Global Foundries to make test versions of the DASH and COCHON chips. Bliss has been testing the DASH chip since early this year; the team just received the COCHON chip and will begin testing soon.
The testing process is intense. Despite being about the size of a postage stamp, the DASH chip contains over a billion transistors. The team is also testing software that will make it easier to program their chip.
Bliss formed a spinout company, DASH Tech Integrated Circuits, to help commercialize the technology.
“We’re trying to show our testing for DASH is sufficient and we’re hoping to find opportunities to get to a production phase so that we can get it into products,” Bliss says. “We have had a huge amount of interest in the chip.”
Throughout these projects, the ASU team relied on important collaborations with colleagues at the University of Michigan, University of Arizona and University of Wisconsin.
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