PROWESS: Processor Reconfiguration for Wideband Spectrum Sensing
DARPA’s Processor Reconfiguration for Wideband Sensor Systems (PROWESS) program aims to develop high-throughput, streaming-data processors that reconfigure in real time to detect and characterize novel signals. Through processors that self-reconfigure within 50 nanoseconds, PROWESS will enable “just-in-time” synthesis of processing pipelines in uncertain environments. PROWESS will allow future receivers to optimize performance to both measured spectrum conditions and the needs of cognitive RF decision logic.
Prior research, including DARPA’s Spectrum Collaboration Challenge (SC2), demonstrated that autonomous RF systems deliver significant benefits over traditional fixed or rule-based approaches. The foundation of RF autonomy is spectrum sensing, but wideband spectrum sensing in an autonomous future pushes edge compute needs far beyond the capacity of today’s devices – and motivates innovation in ultra-flexible, high-throughput streaming data processors.
Our researchers at Vanderbilt University collaborate with Intel to develop run-time scheduling algorithms and novel wide-band spectrum sensing applications on their new Configurable Spatial Accelerator (CSA) platform.
- Real-time scheduler (runtime support) for the CSA
- Representiative spectrum sensing kernels and applications developed on the platform
- Simulation-based studies demonstrating the performance of the platform compared to state-of-the art (FGPA and CPU-based) solutions
