Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Technological advancements in reconfigurable and customizable computing hardware design, real-time baseband digital signal processing for fifth generation (5G) information infrastructure, and security techniques for wireless communications, are critical for the full transition to the digital society. However, these advancements are conditional on access to leading-edge equipment necessary to support research from fundamental discovery to experimental validation and prototyping.*The requested equipment, not accessible in Canada, comprises a modular and reconfigurable distributed computing platform composed of a cluster of field-programmable gate arrays and daughter boards for high-speed signal acquisition and generation. Due to the flexibility of the requested equipment, it can be easily configured to i) enable research in design techniques and algorithms in the emerging area of distributed reconfigurable hardware, ii) enable the design and end-to-end validation of real-time baseband digital signal processing for 5G radios, and iii) enable resiliency testing of security algorithms and protocols for wireless security. The requested equipment will thus greatly benefit the researchers and approximately twelve students and postdoctoral fellows that will operate it at any time; providing them with essential tools to carry out high-calibre research, as well as training them in highly-sought skills such as reconfigurable computing hardware design.*The requested equipment is critical to the internationally competitive research programs of the applicants. Outcomes of these programs (new analyses, models, algorithms and prototypes) are essential to the applicants' multinational industry partners. The outcomes will advance the adoption of reconfigurable distributed computer hardware and contribute to fully realizing the benefits of a wide range of applications, including machine learning, artificial intelligence and 5G wireless networks. Advancement in these applications is key to the transition to an intelligent hyper-connected information infrastructure capable of supporting smart cities, farms, and transportation systems, bringing significant social, economic and environmental benefits to Canada. *