Technological Evolution from RIS to Holographic MIMO

Abstract

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques have been widely applied in current cellular networks. To meet the ever-increasing demands on spectral efficiency and network throughput, more and more antennas are equipped at the base station, forming the well-known concept of massive MIMO. However, traditional design with fully digital precoding architecture brings high power consumption and capital expenditure. Cost- and power-efficient solutions are being intensively investigated to address these issues. Among them, both reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) and holographic MIMO (HMIMO) stand out. In this chapter, we will focus on the ongoing paradigm shift from RIS to HMIMO, covering both topics in detail. A wide range of closely related topics, e.g., use cases, hardware architectures, channel modeling and estimation, RIS beamforming, HMIMO beamforming, performance analyses of spectral- and energy-efficiency, and challenges and outlook, will be covered to show their potential to be applied in the next-generation wireless networks as well as the rationales for the technological evolution from RIS to holographic MIMO.