Interview Mr Mantas Sakalas, partner in the HERMES Project
We want to achieve a sort of perfection working at the edge of what can be done |
Mr. Mantas Sakalas, can you introduce yourself?
I am the head of RF group at Baltic Institute of Advanced Technology (BPTI), a private, high tech-oriented research institute that focuses on creating and developing new technologies and providing R&D services. I was born in 1985 in Vilnius, Lithuania. I graduated from the University of Berlin with a bachelor and Master. I spent time working in the industry and then chose to do my PhD at Technical University of Dresden. I had then 2 choices: an offer by Analog Devices in Boston, USA or an offer from company BPTI in hometown Vilnius in Lithuania. I joined BPTI and ever since I became the leader of the RF Group, active in RF/mm-Wave IC design. Since September 2021, I am a partner in the HERMES project. What does it mean to be part of the HERMES project? This is a set of new design challenges in a range of very high frequencies (above 100GHz), actually in the range of terahertz frequencies. We need to address new things and learn from them. We will be happy if we have a successful outcome. We are doing our best, as usual. This project is more than science, it is an opportunity to meet very interesting people who are now our partners. For me, it is also a challenge to lead the team who is doing the effort at BPTI. Every minute, I have to look at what is happening, I have to learn something new. It is really a combination of hard work and interesting efforts. |
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Can you present HERMES to us?
The HERMES project is at the edge of what is doable with the current state of the art technology. We aim at designing very advanced chipset for high frequencies, which involves a lot of challenges in the design, simulation and layout. We need to use a combination of our know-how, our experience to go through it. All over the project, if it is successful, it will enable a new way of data conversion and capabilities of achieving extremely high data rates. It will be a pioneer model for 6G datalink systems, emerging robotics, or autonomous applications. We are therefore very happy to be here, to be among the few who are currently doing this work and making a real effort on evolutionary, game-changing technologies. |
We will be able to create an all European extreme data rate wireless system, enabling wireless transfer to massive data rate. We want to make Europe stand out as a leader in the area of novel technologies |
What is BPTI doing for HERMES?
In BPTI we have two strong groups, one group is focusing on High Speed Electronic, which is the RF Group I am leading, and the other group is involved in Artificial Intelligence (AI Group).
In HERMES, we have a perfect split, the AI group is involved in the AI tasks, directly addressing the work based on their know-how while the RF group designs circuits at very high frequency, at the edge of capabilities of what can be done.
How did you get involved?
François reached out to us with this idea of Walsh based signal conversion and that he would like to write a proposal for a Horizon 2020 program. In this project we could use the know-how of the University of Bordeaux for Walsh signal processing and to target something very new, targeting frequencies above the 100 GHz using only CMOS design from ST Microelectronics, the European most advanced CMOS technology as of today. To combine all this into one project, to go for a multiple challenge project, using a novel technique of signal conversion and to do it using CMOS, that was the idea. At the beginning, we knew we had a very little chance to win the call, around 5% but we told ourself to do our best and see what happens then. We had more than a month of work to write the whole project and to bring it into a competitive form, readable for everyone, and fit all the extensive content into a very limited number of pages. Working days and weekends and well, not hoping for too much. In the end we were nicely surprised, when in the evaluation process we scored nearly the maximum of 14.5/15 points and won the grant.
What should HERMES bring to European citizens?
We want to make Europe stand out as a leader in the area of novel technologies. HERMES is a pioneer project for 6G datalink systems. If we make it successful, we will be able to create an all European extreme data rate wireless system, enabling wireless transfer of massive data rates, also applicable for any types of sensors, or autonomous driving. A lot of capabilities can be opened. There is a wide range of very fast applications in the emerging industry. It is not only that we make our lives easier, but we would also build very significant blocks towards European leadership in electronics.
What is for you the best indicator of success of HERMES?
First step is that all the tasks are successful and accomplished and that we learn from our results, extend our expertise. We want to achieve a sort of a perfection working at the edge of what can be done. We want to demonstrate the feasibility of HERMES, making all the system blocks successfully functional as a first iteration and bringing the overall idea to the product level in near future.
What makes HERMES different from other European 6G projects?
The difference is that we tackle the problems from a very different perspective, starting from the mathematics baseline and creating disruptive technology, making the impossible happen. Combining CMOS technology building blocks at terahertz frequencies with Walsh signal conversion is something that has never been done before. We solve the bottleneck of high-speed conversion in a mathematical way, which will alter the perception of how high-speed wireless systems shall be built and create a breakthrough in technology.
In BPTI we have two strong groups, one group is focusing on High Speed Electronic, which is the RF Group I am leading, and the other group is involved in Artificial Intelligence (AI Group).
In HERMES, we have a perfect split, the AI group is involved in the AI tasks, directly addressing the work based on their know-how while the RF group designs circuits at very high frequency, at the edge of capabilities of what can be done.
How did you get involved?
François reached out to us with this idea of Walsh based signal conversion and that he would like to write a proposal for a Horizon 2020 program. In this project we could use the know-how of the University of Bordeaux for Walsh signal processing and to target something very new, targeting frequencies above the 100 GHz using only CMOS design from ST Microelectronics, the European most advanced CMOS technology as of today. To combine all this into one project, to go for a multiple challenge project, using a novel technique of signal conversion and to do it using CMOS, that was the idea. At the beginning, we knew we had a very little chance to win the call, around 5% but we told ourself to do our best and see what happens then. We had more than a month of work to write the whole project and to bring it into a competitive form, readable for everyone, and fit all the extensive content into a very limited number of pages. Working days and weekends and well, not hoping for too much. In the end we were nicely surprised, when in the evaluation process we scored nearly the maximum of 14.5/15 points and won the grant.
What should HERMES bring to European citizens?
We want to make Europe stand out as a leader in the area of novel technologies. HERMES is a pioneer project for 6G datalink systems. If we make it successful, we will be able to create an all European extreme data rate wireless system, enabling wireless transfer of massive data rates, also applicable for any types of sensors, or autonomous driving. A lot of capabilities can be opened. There is a wide range of very fast applications in the emerging industry. It is not only that we make our lives easier, but we would also build very significant blocks towards European leadership in electronics.
What is for you the best indicator of success of HERMES?
First step is that all the tasks are successful and accomplished and that we learn from our results, extend our expertise. We want to achieve a sort of a perfection working at the edge of what can be done. We want to demonstrate the feasibility of HERMES, making all the system blocks successfully functional as a first iteration and bringing the overall idea to the product level in near future.
What makes HERMES different from other European 6G projects?
The difference is that we tackle the problems from a very different perspective, starting from the mathematics baseline and creating disruptive technology, making the impossible happen. Combining CMOS technology building blocks at terahertz frequencies with Walsh signal conversion is something that has never been done before. We solve the bottleneck of high-speed conversion in a mathematical way, which will alter the perception of how high-speed wireless systems shall be built and create a breakthrough in technology.
