Rethinking Wireless Communication

Sending messages via smartphone messenger or email is now taken for granted. Communication is fast, straightforward, and inexpensive. However, the wireless transmission of data consumes enormous amounts of energy. Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Caire, head of the Department of Communications and Information Theory  at TU Berlin, is working together with a team of international colleagues on a new transmission method that could revolutionize wireless communication. For their project “Waves, Physics, Information, and Computation”, Brain City Ambassador Prof. Giuseppe Caire, Prof. Andrea Alù from the City University of New York, Prof. Marco di Renzo from Université Paris-Saclay, and Prof. Christoph Studer from ETH Zürich received the ERC Synergy Grant of the European Research Council, worth ten million euros, in November 2025. In the Brain City interview, Giuseppe Caire explains the idea developed by the project team and why this new transmission method could be groundbreaking.

Prof. Caire, for the project “Waves, Physics, Information, and Computation” (WePhICom), your team received the ERC Synergy Grant of the European Research Council. What does the new communication technology you have developed promise?

Our idea completely rethinks the way wireless communication works. Today, wireless communication is based almost exclusively on digital signal processing. While this approach is powerful, it is also extremely energy-intensive, because every received signal must be converted from analog to digital. With the transition to new mobile standards from 5G to 6G and beyond, not only will signal bandwidth increase, but antenna density in space will also rise dramatically to achieve better signal quality and coverage. However, this “all digital” processing will reach its physical limits. In other words, we are approaching a point where it is no longer sustainable to simply add more electronics. The critical threshold of hardware and energy complexity will soon be reached. Already today, five to ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to telecommunications.

And where exactly does your project come in?

We are exploring a radically different approach: Instead of treating the environment as a passive background, we directly shape and control the radio waves in the radio-frequency domain using new physics-based devices, so-called “metasurfaces.” These are ultra-thin, programmable sheets that can steer, focus, filter, or even “compute” radio waves before the signal is converted into digital form and reaches a conventional chip. This promises communication systems that are much faster, more energy-efficient, and fundamentally simpler than existing technologies.

How do these metasurfaces work exactly?

Imagine replacing many heavy digital operations normally carried out by power-hungry electronic devices like smartphones with an “intelligent wallpaper” for radio waves. That is the principle behind metasurfaces. The material consists of a thin layer covered with tiny elements that can be electromagnetically controlled. When radio waves hit the surface, it can instantly reshape them. It can redirect them around obstacles, focus them like a lens, or even separate the signals of different users.

In our project, we go one step further: We combine this new wave-manipulating hardware with advanced information-theory, sensor technology, and custom hardware chips. Waves, physics, and computation interact within this new ecosystem directly – enabling operations to be done before the signal reaches a conventional processor.

What technological impact could “Waves, Physics, Information, and Computation” have?

In short: If the project succeeds, it could have transformative effects. WePhICom could define an entirely new generation of sustainable wireless technologies for the 2030s and beyond. The technology could enable enormous energy savings in wireless networks. Given the continued explosive growth of global data traffic, this is crucial. Moreover, it could improve connection quality even in densely populated cities by achieving larger antenna gain, better signal quality, and reduced susceptibility to interference. It could make autonomous driving safer, enhance traffic monitoring, and enable smarter cities. In fact, by exploiting the properties of metasurfaces, it would also be possible to acieve “dual-function” hardware that integrates both communication and sensing. Such a wireless network could, for example, be used as a large distributed “radar” for imaging the environment for the safety of roadside vulnerable users, such as pedestrians and cyclists. It could also be used to identify drones in the vicinity, now that asymmetric hybrid attacks have become a clear and immediate danger in urban environments.

What is the goal of your project?

Our goal is to enable future networks that use significantly less energy while processing far more data.We can drastically reduce the need for digital computations, cooling, and high-precision hardware if we shift a significant parts of the signal processing to metasurfaces operating in the radio-frequency domain.

The ERC Synergy Grant is endowed with 10 million euros. How and for what purpose will your team use the funding?

Essentially, the funding enables us to create a unique interdisciplinary research environment that would otherwise not be possible. We will use the money to train young researchers, particularly doctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows. In addition, we will build new experimental platforms including programmable metasurfaces and hardware demonstrators. We also aim to develop custom chip technology for real-time wave processing and to create joint testbeds across our international project structure in Berlin, New York, Paris and Zurich. Furthermore, the funding will support scientific exchange, workshops and research visits between the partner institutions.

Speaking of partner institutions: Your team works closely with the City University of New York, Université Paris-Saclay, and ETH Zurich. What role does TU Berlin play in the project?

TU Berlin coordinates the entire project. This means we have taken on the overall scientific leadership, ensure the integration across physics, communication theory and hardware, lead the work on information-theoretic foundations and integrated sensing and communication, and manage the administrative and organizational tasks of the project. In other words, TU Berlin serves as the central hub that connects the complementary strengths of the three partner institutions.

Why is Berlin an ideal location for a project like “Waves, Physics, Information and Computation”?

Berlin offers a unique ecosystem for this type of ambitious interdisciplinary research. The city has a long tradition in both physics and engineering, particularly in the fields of electromagnetics, wireless research and computer science. Berlin also fosters open collaboration, facilitating networking between universities, research institutes and industry partners. It also hosts important national initiatives, such as the German 6G research hubs – creating an ideal environment for testing next-generation technologies. Not to mention, Berlin attracts international talent. The city offers them a vibrant, creative environment where bold ideas flourish. Berlin provides exactly the right mix of expertise, infrastructure and openness for a project that brings together fundamental physics, advanced algorithms and real-world prototypes.

Interview: Ernestine von der Osten-Sacken