Silicon Platforms for the Next Generation Wireless Systems - What Role Does Reconfigurable Hardware Play?

Wireless communication and networking is experiencing a dramatic growth, and all indicators point to an extension of this growth in the foreseeable future. This paper reflects on the demands and the opportunities offered with respect to the integrated implementation of these applications in the “systems-on-a-chip” era. It is demonstrated that the combined need of flexibility and energy-efficiency makes a compelling case for the use of reconfigurable architectures.