'Ultra-wideband' 6G chip is 10 times faster than 5G

(Dan Tri) - Engineers from China and the US have demonstrated a 6G chip that can provide Internet speeds of more than 100 Gbps, 10 times faster than theoretical speeds and 500 times faster than the average speed of 5G networks.

Schematic diagram of the new chip (photo: Tao et al., Nature, 2025).

Although 6G communications networks are not expected to be deployed until the 2030s, the foundation for 6G needs quite a bit of time to prepare.

We've seen some prototypes that achieve these speeds, but they're often nowhere near as efficient as the new chip developed by scientists at Peking University, City University of Hong Kong in China, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

First, the chip is tiny, measuring just 11mm by 1.7mm. But inside that tiny footprint is an “ultra-wideband” that spans from 0.5GHz to 115GHz. Covering that spectrum requires nine different radio bands, so it also needs to be packed with a wider variety of components.

The new system is made possible by an electro-optical modulator that converts radio signals into optical signals. Conversely, the chip uses an opto-electronic oscillator to generate radio frequencies in an ultra-wideband.

This allows the new chip to reach clock speeds of more than 100 Gbps. For comparison, 5G technology tops out at 10 Gbps, but in practice it is much slower, with US providers typically offering average speeds of 150 to 300 Mbps, for example.

While tech companies still have a lot of work to do to develop the infrastructure, 6G wireless technology is almost certainly coming in the next decade, just in time to meet our growing data needs, thanks to ultra-high-definition (UHD) streaming technology and the trend of integrating AI into everything.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/chip-6g-sieu-bang-thong-rong-co-toc-do-nhanh-hon-5g-gap-10-lan-20250907234732794.htm