Title: A Pathway towards Future Network Intelligence: RAN Intelligent Controller meets Semantic Communications

Speaker: Prof. Tony Q.S. Quek, IEEE Fellow
                Singapore University of Technology and Design

Date: 10:30 AM ~ 12:00 PM, 2024/7/23 (Tuesday)

Location: 清華大學台達館304室 (R304, Delta Building, NTHU)

ABSTRACT

The RAN intelligent controller (RIC) is cloud native and a central component of an open and virtualized RAN network. The RIC enables to deployment of machine learning and AI techniques to optimize resources and services in the RAN. Thus, it is an important component that brings intelligence, agility, and programmability to the radio access network. On the other hand, semantic communication has emerged as a new communication paradigm that aims at the successful transmission of semantic information conveyed by the transmitter rather than the accurate reception of each single bit regardless of the meaning. With semantic communication, it is likely that some form of intelligence is needed at the RAN to enable such a paradigm. In this talk, we will share how RIC is going to enable semantic communications to become reality. Furthermore, we will also share some initial work in this area through Singapore’s first national Future Communications Research and Development Programme (FCP).

BIOGRAPHY

Tony Q.S. Quek received the B.E. and M.E. degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology, respectively. At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he earned the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Currently, he is the Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and ST Engineering Distinguished Professor. He also serves as the Head of ISTD Pillar, Director for Future Communications R&D Programme, Sector Lead for SUTD AI Program, and the Deputy Director of SUTD-ZJU IDEA. His current research topics include wireless communications and networking, 6G, network intelligence, non-terrestrial networks, and open radio access network.

Dr. Quek is currently serving as an Area Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications. He was an Executive Editorial Committee Member of the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, an Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Communications, and an Editor of the IEEE Wireless Communications Letters. He received the 2008 Philip Yeo Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Research, the 2012 IEEE William R. Bennett Prize, the 2016 IEEE Signal Processing Society Young Author Best Paper Award, the 2017 CTTC Early Achievement Award, the 2017 IEEE ComSoc AP Outstanding Paper Award, the 2020 IEEE Communications Society Young Author Best Paper Award, the 2020 IEEE Stephen O. Rice Prize, the 2020 Nokia Visiting Professorship, and the the 2022 IEEE Signal Processing Society Best Paper Award. He is a Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of the Academy of Engineering Singapore.

Host: Prof. Yao-Win Peter Hong